VHS Teacher Participates in GA Science Teachers Association Annual Conference

Georgia Science Teachers Association held their annual conference, Celebrate Phenomenal Science, on February 10-12, 2022, at the Peachtree City Conference Center. The GSTA conference focus was to find ways to put phenomena at the center of science instruction and assessment. Vidalia High School teacher Elissa Blount presented a session, “Reading, Writing, and Science,” and assisted Dr. Heather Scott and Dr. Lacey Huffling from Georgia Southern in two sessions, “Chemicals and Pathogens Exposed” and “Are Pictures Really Worth a 1000 Words?” In “Reading, Writing, and Science,” Blount focused on using phenomena to increase student literacy by demonstrating how to embed literacy strategies in lessons to increase engagement, fluency, and comprehension in biology. The phenomenon used was Sickle Cell Gene Therapy.

In “Chemicals and Pathogens Exposed:” How water quality can be used to engage students in 3-D science learning, this session focuses on the accessibility of clean water, from a global, national, and local level. Presenters shared 3-dimensional learning opportunities, which allow students to participate in the quest for clean water for all. In “Are Pictures Really Worth a 1000 Words?,” graphic novels were used to support science learning. Presenters demonstrated how graphic novels intersect with 3-dimensional science teaching and shared ideas for how to use graphic novels in the classroom.