The first sentence of this chapter made me give a little “WHOOP WHOOP!” out loud.
“The purpose of the brain is not to make good grades or to score high on standardized tests.”
I feel like Kelly is echoing my sentiments 🙂
I love the field trips we take during the year! We are very fortunate to be able to take three trips during the year. I know that field trips can be expensive and it can be stressful to take kids outside of the building. I know that some teachers would like to take their kids places and they just can’t for a variety of reasons. That’s why we’ve gotta be creative! Get your kids outside of your classroom…even if it’s just to go for a walk in the fresh air.
The firemen come to see us every year. If you can’t leave to go somewhere, most local fire-stations will come visit your school. You just have to call! The kids love walking through the firetruck and seeing the firemen in their gear.
We talk about the life cycle of the pumpkin and actually get to go to the pumpkin patch. It’s right across the street from our school and it’s such a meaningful learning experience. The kids get to pick the pumpkins off the vine.
We have an awesome science center about 45 minutes away and even though it’s a long bus ride…it is AWESOME! The kids get so much hands-on learning experiences! They get to put on rain boots and wade in the creek, the get to use nets to fish for crayfish, go on a walk around the wetlands and get close-ups with all kinds of different animals.
While I know that I am very fortunate to be able to take these great field trips, I feel like sometimes I get caught up in the logistics of planning, going, eating lunch, making sure nobody gets lost…etc. that sometimes I forget to stop and talk with the kids about what they are learning and taking away from the experience. When we get back from field trips, I do have the kids write a graphic organizer about their trip. We do it as our writing workshop at the end of the day…or the next day if we are all to tired 🙂
Here is the graphic organizer for chapter 3 just in case you need to snag it! Make sure to go link up at Deedee’s blog for Chapter 3!
I LOVED the beginning sentence as well…I only wish our legislators could embrace that thinking. Oh my word, isn’t that the truth – getting all caught up in not LOSING somebody and making sure they are BEHAVING themselves! I try so hard not to let them take over – but it’s HARD!
Holly
Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade
I agree with your statement about getting caught up in the logistics of a field trip. Sometimes I feel that all I’m doing is counting heads and worrying about losing a student!! It’s so important to remember why we’re taking the trip and to engage the kids in meaningful conversation about what they’re experiencing! Have to remember this for our trip in May!
First – LOVE Kelly and Michael!!! 🙂 I agree with you that something to work on is actually talking about the field trip you take with your kids. Sometimes you are getting back to the school and then you pretty much have to get ready for dismissal. That discussion of their learning is definitely super important! Thanks so much for sharing that freebie!! Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
recipeforteaching
HI Elizabeth! I think it’s fantastic that you provide so many opportunities for your students to go on field trips throughout the year. One of my biggest takeaways from the chapter was utilizing your community to provide more experiences for your students right outside the classroom door. I loved that message. I also related some things you’ve done in your classroom and Kim Beardon’s experiences from Crash Course and discussed how a field trip could also be considered transforming your classroom to engage students in their learning. Much like you did with vowel surgery and punctuation police! It may not be a “literal” field trip but I think that it transports students to a different place and allows them to connect better to their learning. So, thank you for the inspiration! It came to mind so much to me while reading this chapter. Enjoy your weekend!
Teach Talk Inspire
I loved that first comment, too! That’s how I started my post! Love your little guys recording page! Who says you can’t cover standards on a field trip!!!!???? Love it!