Prepared by : Avila, Zhamae Nicol2PhysicalScience

What is Field Trip ?Field Trip! provides interactive

tours for any destination and turns learning into a game.

Stores student pictures of the experience, creating photo albums to share with their

friends and family.

Objectives in taking a Field Trip Students will draw conclusions, make

predictions and practice making environmentally responsible decisions.

Students will acquire knowledge, clarify thinking, synthesize information and enhance historical thinking.

Advantages in taking a Field Trip

Enhances the CurriculumOne of the biggest advantages to field trips is that they allow students to have a real-world experience. This experience should clearly illustrate and enhance information taught by the curriculum. For example, a textbook lesson on the life cycle of a salmon can be enhanced by a trip to a local salmon hatchery, where the students can clearly see the salmon in its many life stages.

Team BuildingA final advantage of field trips is that they are a way to bring the students closer together. Many field trips combine educational content with team-building activities, such as working together to clean a stream that has been polluted. In fact, it is often a good idea to go on a field trip early in the school year to help create a bond between the students.

New ExperiencesChildren learn about different professions, ideas and opportunities when they travel outside their own neighborhoods. A field trip can awaken the desire in a child to try new things and pursue previously unconsidered dreams. Field trips can introduce children to job opportunities and can spark new interests and passions.

For young students, field trip is a day off from class or a no class at all activity. It is more about enjoyment, excitement, fun, fun and more fun without the pressure of being called to answer a question or be given a surprise quiz. They get the opportunity to interact with one another in a more informal, natural and relax manner.

Field trips are effective methods to teach difficult or complicated subjects like biology, physics, chemistry or historical facts. With a field trip on a biology class for example, a teacher can take the students on a hunt for certain types of insects or flowers and for history subject, a teacher can bring his students in a local museum. Before the actual trip, the students should already be given an advance list of the task that they should perform so they will have an insight on what is going to happen when they arrive in their trip destination.

Disadvantage of taking a Field trip

PreparationA large amount of preparation is associated with planning a field trip. Collection of consent forms, waivers and money is normally done by the teacher and adds to an already-packed to-do list. Additionally, teachers are usually responsible for recruiting parent volunteers and making transportation arrangements. AffordabilityAlthough field trips are sometimes subsidized by the school, there is often an expense associated with the activity that is the responsibility of the student's family. The reality is that there are families that can barely afford to send a healthy lunch to school with their children, never mind pay for a field trip. This can be an awkward and uncomfortable situation for both student and teacher.

Transportation CostWith the rising price of gasoline, transporting students to a field trip destination can be costly for the school. This generally reduces the amount of field trips that are available to students throughout the year.

Medical RisksField trips can be stressful for teachers, and one of the reasons is the medical risk. Medical kits must be carried for all of the special needs within a classroom, including diabetic students and students with allergies. Also, there must be someone along that is trained to administer medication, such as a Nurse, if required.

InsuranceAnother enormous disadvantage to field trips is the cost of insurance. Parents are essentially placing their children into the hands of bus drivers and school chaperones, and any number of things can happen. Rising insurance costs have created a situation in which schools simply can't afford to go on too many field trips; they are also shortening the distance between the school and the location. This disadvantage has created a mindset in which the field trip often becomes a last resort to instruct students in a way that cannot be adequately accomplished in the classroom.

Provide students and other participants with: Instructional schedule for field trip. Alternate assignment for only those students unwilling to

accept the risk of participation or those physically unable to participate. Consult with the Office of Disabled Student Services, if necessary.

International travel information, if applicable. For information or assistance, contact the Education Abroad Office in the Center for International Education.

Documented training for any specialized equipment that will be used during the field trip.

Health and safety information and emergency procedures specific to field trip.

Student Code of Conduct Field Trip Forms that include: Release of Liability form Voluntary Medical Disclosure and Assumption of Risk

Statement

Steps in Planning a Field Trip1. Determine the educational goals for this tripHow will this trip enhance your classroom program? What will the students do on the trip? What will they learn?

2. Select a location and find out when they accept school groups. Also find out the admission costs, the availability of transportation, the cost of chartering buses. Make sure you have the legal number volunteer adult supervisors for the number of students going. Don't mention the trip to your students until you sort out these details.

3. Obtain your school board's standardized letters for parental permission as well as the standard trip planning package.Fill out the planning package to get permission from the superintendent.

4. Talk to the principal and get permission to go.Be prepared to meet their criteria. Explain the educational value and the relationship to the curriculum of the grade level(s) that will attend.5. Contact the trip site and make or finalize your reservations for the group.Make sure to confirm your arrangements shortly before the trip.6. Integrate the trip into the classroom program. Plan instruction and activities in class to prepare for the trip. Discuss what will happen at the trip site, and your expectations of them.

7. Review safety and bus etiquette.Establish a buddy system and seating plan, and groups with adult supervisors.

8. Send a letter home listing the following: The educational purpose of the trip; The destination, with a physical description of the site; The planned activities; any special preparations the parents and students need to make

for that day, such as special clothing, boots, lunches, money, sunscreen, gloves, backpacks, etc.;

The cost per child for the trip, and the date by which the parents need to send the money to the school;

A request for contact information for the parents, for the day of the trip, medical and insurance information for the child; and

The return and pick up time for the children, after the trip, if different from the regular school day.

9. Keep careful records according to your school's requirements. Signed permission forms; Student medical and insurance information; Parent/guardian emergency contact information for that

day; Money brought into the school;Phoning parents of children who do not bring in the forms or the money.

10. Make alternate arrangements for the students who do not go on the trip. No child should miss the trip due to family financial situation. Ideally, all children in the class should attend the trip, as it is part of the instructional day and part of the program.11. Recruit parent volunteers, family members, and friends to meet the pupil-teacher requirements of the Board of Education for out of class activities.

12. Take careful attendance on the day of the trip. For the office, list the children attending the trip, the children absent, the children who will remain in the school and their location, and the cell phone number where they can reach you.

13. Remind the students of the expectations for the trip, and for their behavior. Reinforce safety and etiquette rules. The behavior of the students should be as good as it would be in the classroom.

What to bring along: Each field trip will dictate its own supply

list, but there are some common considerations that are worth noting before you leave. When you discuss this aspect of the trip, remember also to caution students about what not to bring on the trip. Tour guides won’t be motivated to do their best job when they notice some students are equipped with headphones and portable music players!

FOR STUDENTS: Hard surface like a clipboard for note-taking or sketching Container (zip-lock bag, grocery bag, etc.) for collecting artifacts Recording device like pens, pencils, crayons, markers, and paper;

handheld devices; laptops; cameras, video cameras or digital cameras; and a tape recorder. (For tips on how to best capture the experience through images or video, see The Elements of Digital Storytelling)

Students might bring some money for purchasing memorabilia to use in class presentations. You might encourage students to purchase postcards which can better capture sites of interest and allow students to focus their attention to the site itself. Carefully monitor students in museum gift shops and stores since some students may spend too much time shopping rather than exploring!

For young students and overnight trips, equip students with a small note card containing the lodging contact information and/or cell phone number of lead teacher/chaperone.

FOR TEACHERS: Container for class supplies, a first-aid kit, and a container to protect

student prescribed medications. For foreign travel, make sure students bring a note from their doctor or pharmacist to accompany prescribed medicines to facilitate passage through customs. For any travel, prescription medicines should be transported in their original container.

A “Hot File” — a plastic, sealable file or large manila envelope to transport the following important documents

Emergency contact information for your school and school system

List of students who must take medication during the trip

For travel out of state or foreign travel, copies of insurance documents.

Checklist of all students and chaperones in attendance

Extra cash for emergency situations

Contact information of site contact(s), i.e., name, phone number, role, and office location on site.

Trip itinerary

Cell phone for emergency calls and wrong turns

Student identifiers. To easily spot your students in a crowded space, think about how you will identify them with a quick glance. One teacher suggests creating tie-dye T-shirts with young students prior to the trip that they will wear on that day.

Consider inviting another faculty member along who might take this trip in the future. They can shadow you while also serving as a chaperone

T H A N K Y OU