5 Tips to Make your Field Trip Worth it!
1. Before you go on the field trip - learn what you are going to see as a teacher and have a lesson or two so your students will not be walking in with no prior knowledge.
The "lesson" I created for my hypothetical field trip would be for students to read any 3 Little Pigs Versions.
After reading the stories - my kids would talk about buildings and why different buildings are made out of different materials. We would speak about some natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, storms, tsunamis and tornadoes.
The activity would be for the students to get into groups with materials. Using what is in front of them they will have to create a structure or house. When finished we will use a hair dryer to see which one will stand up the longest.
2. Count and recount. Make sure everyone has a buddy. (2nd photo- the picture of MY BUDDIES for our field trip to the Perot.)
1. Before you go on the field trip - learn what you are going to see as a teacher and have a lesson or two so your students will not be walking in with no prior knowledge.
The "lesson" I created for my hypothetical field trip would be for students to read any 3 Little Pigs Versions.
 |
| Photo from: TeacherLady on Twitter. Kids had to make houses to stand up to blowdryer. |
After reading the stories - my kids would talk about buildings and why different buildings are made out of different materials. We would speak about some natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, storms, tsunamis and tornadoes.
The activity would be for the students to get into groups with materials. Using what is in front of them they will have to create a structure or house. When finished we will use a hair dryer to see which one will stand up the longest.
2. Count and recount. Make sure everyone has a buddy. (2nd photo- the picture of MY BUDDIES for our field trip to the Perot.)
3. Get to know your bus driver. They are the ones that are transporting you and they will keep you safe and pick you up at the end of the trip! OUR bus driver for the day was JAMES!
4. Make sure your kids have at LEAST one activity to do while wandering the museum that will be turned in our that they know will be talked about upon return to school.
Museums are full of wonderful information. BUT - they can be overwhelming. To help your students get the most out of the field trip - have a structured activity they can complete on their own or in their group while at the museum.
Back to the hypothetical field trip. My kids have completed the Three Pigs literature "unit" and have explored the activity to build a structure that withstands pressure or wind. Now they are at the Perot. At the museum on the 2nd floor they have a section for robotics and other experiments. The first activity there is one that talks about the effects of an earthquake on structures and bridges. The kids will explore and play at this station. They could draw or take photos about what they did. Then they would share their findings when we return to school.
5. Wrap up - When back at school make sure that you are able to tie everything together to finish up their learning journey. You could even print the photos from the museum and have the kids write about their favorite parts or tell about what they learned. They could even string their photos together and make a video telling about their time for kids who could not attend. It is a GREAT idea to have your students with devices like iPads on the field trip to collect photos and information.
Hypothetical field trip - My students would come back and tell about what they learned. I then would introduce the book Zane and the Hurricane. It is a historical fiction story about a boy and his dog who visit Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina.
Coming soon to this blog - Virtual Field Trips - Tips, tricks and how to find good ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment