In August, teachers and fellows gathered at the annual EAST-WEST Summer Workshop to plan, train and prepare for the upcoming year.  On the first day of the workshop,  fellows met to learn the logistics of working with the program, be introduced to resources, and gain some fundamental teaching and classroom management skills.  Day 1 of the workshop was held at the Utah Museum of Natural History and included sessions on the nature of science, science core curriculum requirements, and classroom management.  Fellows also got a tour of the Museum and had a chance to learn more about their "fellow Fellows".

Teachers and fellows met each other for the first time on Day 2 of the Workshop.  Red Butte Garden generously donated the meeting space for our gathering and also provided us with an overview of the Garden's outreach programs for K-12 educators.  Mary Burbank, Professor & Director of Secondary Education at the University of Utah, instructed on the methods and benefits of inquiry-based teaching.  Vivian Shell, a teacher at the Salt Lake Center for Science Education, worked with teachers and fellows on how to team-teach and collaborate in the classroom. 

Teacher Roger Haglund from Escalante Elementary, and WEST Fellow Alexandra Parvaz  took the group outside to learn about the wonderful world of worm composting and dirt!  This was a great activity that got both teachers and fellows excited about using sustainable gardening techniques to teach science.  Alexandra is working with teachers to develop a district-wide science curriculum centered on sustainable and greenhouse gardening.  Her fellowship is funded via a grant from the Salt Lake Education Foundation.  Lowe's hardware stores donated 20 greenhouse for the project.

On Day 3 of the Summer Workshop, Fellows met  for an immersion into the world of lesson planning!  Fellows put together four inquiry-based activities that they implemented during the inaugural week of the new Salt Lake Center for Science Education.  For three days, WEST and EAST fellows worked with teachers and students at Camp Tracy in Millcreek Canyon, developing observational skills and knowledge about rocks and landforms, plant ecology,  animal adaptations, and water quality.  For the fellows, it was a crash course into how to be a teacher, for the students it was an amazing first week of school!