SEEdPOD

SEEdPOD Event

Inspiring K-12 Students to Discover Science and Engineering Education

The SEEdPOD project is a collaboration between UVU’s School of Education and College of Engineering and Technology and Utah State University’s College of Engineering and College of Education and Human Services. The project is modeled after Utah’s new Science and Engineering Education (SEEd) standards, which integrate principles of engineering with science subjects.

The portable trailers, or “pods,” contain resources designed to help students master the SEEd standards and become more familiar with STEM fields at an early age. The resources are organized by themes and grouped into lesson plans to help teachers learn unfamiliar concepts quickly and prepare to teach the SEEd standards with confidence.

Sponsored by:

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TEACHING THE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING EDUCATION (SEEd) STANDARDS

6th grade
6.2: Energy Affects Matter

Matter and energy are fundamental components of the universe. Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. Transfer of energy creates change in matter. Changes between general states of matter can occur through the transfer of energy. These differences in energy flow can be used to design products to meet the needs of society.

Learning Objectives: In this activity, students will learn to develop models, plan and carry out an investigation, and construct explanations to demonstrate understanding.

 

Lesson Plans for 6th grade

5th grade
5.1: Characteristics and interactions of earth's systems

Matter cycles within ecosystems and can be traced from organism to organism. Plants use energy from the Sun to change air and water into matter needed for growth. Animals and decomposers consume matter for their life functions, continuing the cycling of matter. Human behavior can affect the cycling of matter. Scientists and engineers design solutions to conserve Earth’s environments and resources.

Learning Objectives: In this activity, students will learn to analyze and interpret data, use mathematics and computational thinking, ask questions to plan and carry out investigations, and develop models and solutions.

Lesson Plans for 5th grade

4th Grade
4.2: Energy Transfer

Energy is present whenever there are moving objects, sound, light, or heat. The faster a given object is moving, the more energy it possesses. When objects collide, energy can be transferred from one object to another causing the objects’ motions to change. Energy can also be transferred from place to place by electrical currents, heat, sound, or light. Devices can be designed to convert energy from one form to another.

Learning Objectives: In this activity, students will plan and carry out investigations, analyze and interpret data, construct explanations, ask questions, carry out an investigation, and design a solution.

 

Lesson Plans for 4th Grade

3rd Grade
3.3: Force affects motion

Forces act on objects and have both a strength and a direction. An object at rest typically has multiple forces acting on it, but they are balanced, resulting in a zero net force on the object. Forces that are unbalanced can cause changes in an object’s speed or direction of motion. The patterns of an object’s motion in various situations can be observed, measured, and used to predict future motion...

Learning Objectives: In this activity, students will plan and carry out investigations, analyze and interpret data, construct explanations, ask questions, carry out an investigation, and design a solution.

 

Lesson Plans for 3rd Grade

2nd Grade
2.1: Changes in the Earth's Surface

Earth has an ancient history of slow and gradual surface changes, punctuated with quick but powerful geologic events like volcanic eruptions, flooding, and earthquakes. Water and wind play a significant role in changing Earth’s surface. The effects of wind and water can cause both slow and quick changes to the surface of the Earth. Scientists and engineers design solutions to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the land.

Learning Objectives: In this activity, students will learn to develop and use models, construct explanations to demonstrate understanding, and design solutions.

Lesson Plans for 2nd grade

1ST GraDE
1.3: Light and sound

Sound can make matter vibrate, and vibrating matter can make sound. Objects can only be seen when light is available to illuminate them. Some objects five off their own light. Some materials allow light to pass through them, others allow only some light to pass through them, and still others block light and create a dark shadow on the surface beyond them where the light cannot reach.

Learning Objectives: In this activity, students will learn to plan and carry out an investigation, use a model, and design a solution.

Lesson Plans for 1st grade

kindergarten
K.3: Forces, Motion, and Interactions

The motion of objects can be observed and described. Pushing or pulling on an object can change the speed or direction of an object’s motion and can start or stop it. Pushes and pulls can have different strengths and different directions. A bigger push or pull makes things go faster and when objects touch or collide, they push on one another and can change motion.

Learning Objectives: In this activity, students will learn to plan and carry out an investigation, analyze data, and design solutions.

Lesson Plans for Kindergarten

Sponsors

The SEEdPODs project would not be possible without the generous sponsorship of Facebook and Micron, in addition to UVU’s Grants for Engaged Learning (GEL). This financial support is essential to keeping the curriculum current and the technology updated with the ever-evolving needs of STEM industries. Facebook and Micron’s donations will fund the deployment of three SEEdPODs in Alpine School District, in addition to one trailer sponsored by a GEL grant.

We welcome sponsors for our future SEEdPODs.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Stefan Harlan ([email protected])

For any questions, or if you need further information, please contact us at

[email protected]

Dr. Krista Ruggles

Assistant Professor - Elementary Education, STEM

Send an email

801-863-8057

Krista Ruggles

Sarah Frei

Assistant Coordinator - Creative Learning Studio

Send an email

801-863-5918

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