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

Join us as we explore the climate, geology, plant, and animal life of the majestic Wasatch Mountains. Together, we'll unravel the intricate ecology of the region as we apply the Three Dimensions of Science. Teachers and students will learn to communicate our findings as Mountain Naturalists.

What we've learned so far from trying to move from online, simulation-created data collection to more physical, hands-on data collection by utilizing smart carts in some of our labs involving motion, forces, momentum, energy etc. Our physics team has been implementing these smart-cart labs for all of our physics classes. We'll talk about what we've learned so far - the good, the bad, and the never-do-this-agains. We have Pasco carts, so we've been learning the Pasco interface (SPARKvue) now a free web-based app. We'll bring some carts, you bring a bluetooth-capable device, and we'll try some stuff. Pasco.com claims that SPARKvue now works on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Chrome as a web app on laptops, phones, and tablets. We haven't tried everything yet, but we can in the session.
SEEd Strands PHYS 1, PHYS 2

Have you ever wanted to create a scenario-based project where students are tasked with contributing solutions to Utah's water supply? In this project-based assignment, students will construct a yard (front or back) that is designed to not only increase the street value of the home, but reduce water usage with a water budget, stay within a financial budget, and learn how to perform research to identify correct plants that can be used in place of traditional "green lawn only" landscaping. Teachers attending this event will not only receive digital and printed materials for this project, but a walk through and opportunity to start their own project as well.

ESS.4.2-4.4 will be addressed in terms of Water Conservation and appropriate resource management (Computational Thinking & Designing Solutions)
Bio 1.5 is addressed as this lesson takes the approach of ecological succession to bringing back native species to an area. (Design a solution)

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This session would be more about using a strategy for Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating information than it is about a specific SEEd Standard. This strategy can be applied across a variety of concepts and core ideas