UtSTA 2024: Out-Of-This-World Science Teaching

A tour of educational resources developed by Zion National Park and the U.S. Forest educational teams. We will acquaint attendees with the numerous resources at their fingertips, like lesson plans that align with Seed Standards, multimedia tools, virtual visits, classroom visits, online resources and networking links, Nature Watch, Every Kid Outdoors, and how to plan your own educational visit to your public lands. The principles discussed in this session will also generally apply to other Utah National Parks and public land agencies helping you get your students outside and connected to the unparalleled natural resources of Utah.

As rural science teachers participating in the 3-Dimensional Rural Science Teacher Grant during this last year, we have designed an intentional lesson applying the Science and Engineering Practices, Cross Cutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas. Our example lesson will show students how to: Utilize knowledge of reliable and unreliable sources to obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about structures and behaviors animals and plants use to successfully survive and reproduce (7.4.2)

The environmental footprint of food and agriculture takes into account various factors that measure the environmental impact of producing, processing, transporting, and consuming food. Some of the key factors considered in food's ecological footprint include land use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, waste generation, inputs, and transportation. These factors all contribute to understanding the overall impact of food production and consumption. During this workshop, participants will evaluate the benefits and contributions of the agricultural industry, weigh the environmental impacts of food production, and explore solutions that reduce and mitigate the environmental impact caused by humans and agriculture. (SEEd Standards BIO.1.2, 1.3, and 1.5)

This session will seek to provide teachers with scaffolds for which to effectively teach 3D science to ALL students, with a particular focus on supporting ML students. This aligns with the SEEd standards as ALL students need equitable access to all three dimensions of the core in order to further their sense-making.