Interested in learning more about the Utah Lake Field Trip opportunity? The information below should answer most of your questions. Feel free to contact us if you have more questions!
Utah Lake Field Trips
BREAKING: Utah Lake Field Trips offered ONLINE
Spring 2021 Field Trips
Dates: TBD
Field Trip Information
What
The Utah Lake Commission offers a hands-on field trip opportunity to students who have been taught from our specialized lesson plans. The lesson plans teach Utah State core concepts in math, language arts, science, and social studies. Teachers who are interested in having their classes attend the field trip will need to teach as many of the lesson plans as possible during the current school year and then fill out a simple online application. The lesson plans are available on our Field Trips page of our site.
At the field trip, students will rotate through several mini classes that reinforce the information taught in the classroom. Additional classes about sailing, fishing, and other topics related to the lake are also part of the field trip experience.
**There is no cost to attend this field trip. However, attendance is limited based on how many presenters are available.
Who
The field trips are designed for 4th grade students in the Alpine, Nebo, and Provo School Districts.
Where
The field trips are held at the Utah Lake State Park in Provo, Utah in the spring and at the Saratoga Springs City Marina in Saratoga Springs, Utah in the fall. These two locations provide the perfect setting and provides students the opportunity to see the lake they have been learning about.
Spring Field Trips:
Utah Lake State Park
4400 West Center Street
Provo, Utah 84601
Fall Field Trips:
Saratoga Springs City Marina
156 Harbor Park Way
Saratoga Springs, UT 84045
When
Spring field trip dates are typically scheduled in late April and early May, and Fall field trips are typically the first week of October.
Our field trip stations begin at 10:00 am and end at 1:30 pm, and each station presentation lasts approximately 25 minutes. A lunch break is scheduled from 12:00pm to 12:25 pm.
Please check with your transportation provider to ensure that your school will be able to attend the entire time. It is difficult for our presenters to have schools arrive late or leave early.
How to be Selected
We are limited on the number of students that can attend, so we ask teachers to apply with an online application to express their interest. Submitting photographs or scans, as well as answering some short essay questions are part of the application process. Only one teacher from each school should apply, however, we ask that all the 4th grade teachers in your school collaborate to provide answers to the essay questions and submit photos/scans. Preference will be given to schools that teach more lessons and demonstrate that the students benefited from them. The selection process for applicants takes into consideration the proximity of the school applying to the field trip location, the timeliness of the application submission after it opens, the number of our lessons taught to students, and several other factors.
Whether your school is selected to attend or not, the students will benefit from the lesson plans taught and discover new ways to enjoy Utah Lake with their families.
Weather Conditions
We don’t let weather get in the way of a good field trip! Make sure your students are prepared for the weather. Most of our field trip stations provide pavilions as shelter. Unless there is lightning headed our way, the show must go on! If we decide that the weather is not safe for our presenters or the students, a notification would be sent out immediately.
Field trips cannot be rescheduled. We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, so we ask that you prepare a backup plan for your students if a cancellation happens. You will be responsible for canceling buses or food arrangements that have been made.
Bus Reimbursement
The Utah Lake Commission offers to reimburse up to $200, per bus, to help with transportation costs to and from the Utah Lake State Park. We request that you send us a copy of your invoice as soon after the field trip as possible. Your reimbursement check typically arrives within two weeks from when we receive the invoice.
Lesson Plans and Materials
During the Summer of 2010, the Utah Lake Commission worked with fourth-grade teachers from the Alpine, Provo and Nebo school districts to create ten lesson plans that teach core concepts in Mathematics, Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies using Utah Lake as an example. We hope that these lessons will be exciting, fun, and a beneficial resource to fourth-grade teachers all over Utah County, and instill a greater understanding and appreciation for the lake. In June 2012, the lesson plans were brought current to include the new core curriculum requirements with the updated standards listed.
The links below list the lessons and will take you to another page that contains the materials needed.
You may contact us by email at info@utahlakecommission.org or call us at 801-851-2900 if you have any questions, comments about our curriculum, or ideas for improvement.