Curriculum
Project GUTS’ award-winning curriculum makes science come alive through exciting explorations using computing models and simulations to learn about our world. Teacher-tested, district-approved, week-long modules and afterschool club units are available online and in print. Our curriculum features the use of an online programming environment that uses a visual block-based language; daily instructional lesson plans for teachers, videos, and supplemental extension resources; modular design that allows for a range of classroom implementation time; and lessons aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and computer science (CSTA) standards.
Professional Development
In Project GUTS’ teacher professional development (PD) programs, computer science is a tool that supports more innovative explorations of STEM concepts using modern scientific practices. Professional development is offered as multi-day workshops, online courses, and practicum experiences for teachers. Workshops feature Interactive instruction from an experienced Computer Science in Science facilitator, including an introduction to computer science, pedagogy for teaching computer science, curriculum overview, and practice with the programming environment.
Afterschool Clubs
During semester-long units, students will investigate a problem, interview community members, gather data, and run experiments on computer models to better understand the problem being studied. Project GUTS facilitators and high school near-peer mentors will assist students in customizing existing models to reflect local conditions. Experiments conducted on these models may be used to test mitigation strategies and to determine the similarities and differences between the modeled phenomenon and the real world.