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Assignment #5 i
Assignment #5:Plan for a Fourth-Grade Field Trip to Maymont
Daniel Batten
EDUC 310U – Curriculum Methods
Dr. Lanham
April 17, 2007
I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistanceduring the completion of this work.
Pre-Trip Lesson Plan 1
Fourth-Grade Field Trip to Maymont:Lesson Plan for Day Before Trip
Introduction
• Lesson Topic: The Tasks of a Forester/Preparation for Field Trip
This lesson will prepare students for the next day’s field trip by encouraging
students to imagine having a career in forestry. Incorporating many of the concepts
taught in previous life science lessons, this lesson will describe the responsibilities
of a forester and show students how they will perform some forestry tasks on the
upcoming field trip.
• Length of Lesson: 60-90 minutes.
• Virginia Standards of Learning:
a. History and Social Science Standard CE.12:
The student will demonstrate knowledge of career opportunities by
a) identifying talents, interests, and aspirations that influence career choice;
b) identifying attitudes and behaviors that strengthen the individual work ethic
and promote career success;
c) identifying skills and education that careers require;
d) examining the impact of technological change on career opportunities.
b. English Standard 4.1:
The student will use effective oral communications skills in a variety of
settings.
b) Contribute to group discussions.
c) Seek ideas and opinions of others.
d) Use evidence to support opinions.
Pre-Trip Lesson Plan 2
e) Use grammatically correct language and specific vocabulary to
communicate ideas.
c. Concepts from several fourth-grade science standards, such as life processes
and living systems, will probably be briefly mentioned during the course of this
lesson. (It is expected that these concepts were thoroughly addressed in earlier
lessons.) The concepts will be reviewed in more detail during the field trip itself.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
• Identify various careers in forestry.
• Research information on a forestry career of their choice.
• Identify various tools used in forestry careers.
• Use a tree identification key to determine the name of a specific tree.
• Write the results of a small-group research activity.
• Report aloud on the results of a small-group research activity.
• Write a brief report on the job of a forester.
Content
The following topics will be addressed during the course of this lesson:
• Various types of forestry careers
• Skills and tasks required in forestry careers
• Special tools used by a forester
• Tree identification
• Organization of research data
• Basic photography skills
• Logistics for upcoming field trip
Pre-Trip Lesson Plan 3
Materials and Advanced Preparation
• Materials:
1. One “forestry kit” containing the following items:
• Small notepads: 2
• Pencils: 2
• Measuring tape (to measure trunk diameter)
• Disposable camera
• Leaf/bark/fruit envelopes: 5-6
• Numbered cards to use in photos: 5
• List of observation questions to be used to describe each tree
• Tree identification key from the Arbor Day Foundation
2. Tree identification keys: 1 for each student
3. Checklist for parents for the upcoming field trip (reminders regarding bag
lunches and appropriate attire for their children)
4. A few leaves from various trees in the area – it may be wise to choose trees that
are rather easy to identify using the Arbor Day identification key
• Advance Preparation:
1. This lesson is part of a unit on plants and trees. Students should already have
satisfactory comprehension of several tree concepts (parts of a tree,
characteristics of leaves, photosynthesis, etc.) before this lesson begins.
2. Prepare at least one forestry kit to display during class.
3. Prepare list of the two-student forestry teams.
4. Prepare checklist for parents.
Pre-Trip Lesson Plan 4
Teaching and Learning Sequence
• Introduction/Anticipatory Set:
1. Encourage students to brainstorm and compile lists of forestry-related careers.
Write their contributions on the board. Be sure “forester,” or some closely
related term, ends up on the list.
2. Focus on the career of a forester. Drill down into this career, perhaps by
continuing the brainstorm session in a KWL chart. What types of things does a
forester do? What types of tools would such a person use? Eventually explain
that on tomorrow’s field trip, each student will perform some tasks of a forester.
Convey that today’s lesson will describe how they will perform these tasks.
• Lesson Development:
1. Building upon the discussion in the anticipatory set, explain that foresters use
special tools to perform their duties, and that the students will use a few such
tools on the field trip. Introduce a sample “forestry kit” that the students will
receive the next day. Show the kit bag, and then empty the bag out item by
item, describing the purpose of each item as it is revealed.
2. Distribute the tree identification keys. Demonstrate to students how the key is
used to identify a tree based upon its leaves. Draw a picture of a leaf on the
board (or use a large photo of a leaf) and walk the class through the key until
they correctly identify the tree.
3. Next, the students will practice using the tree identification key on their own.
Divide the class into small groups, three or four students to a group, and give
each group one leaf. Nominate one member of the group as the data recorder.
Each group should identify the various characteristics of the leaf (compound vs.
Pre-Trip Lesson Plan 5
simple, for example) as they work through the key. The data recorder will write
this information as the group determines it.
4. After all groups are finished, talk through each group’s findings with the entire
class. Hold up a group’s leaf, and then ask all the relevant questions about the
leaf based on the identification key. Ask one student from the group to read
aloud the findings made by the group’s recorder as you ask the questions.
(Alternatively, ask each member of the group to contribute one or two
answers.) Be sure that the entire class comprehends how each group came to its
conclusions on the identification of their leaf’s tree.
5. Be sure students return their tree identification keys; the keys will be needed for
the field trip on the next day.
6. Next, discuss the specific project that the students will perform the next day.
Cover all the logistics of the project:
• Students will work in two-person teams. Distribute or announce the list of
teams at this time. Each team will receive a forestry kit when they arrive at
Maymont.
• Describe the distribution of tasks for each team: one student will be the
photographer; one will be the data recorder. (To keep the students’
attention, do not announce who will be assigned which roles yet.)
• Both students will be responsible for determining the answers to all the
questions on the tree observation sheet. Read some questions from the
observation sheet to give students a view of what they will need to do to
acquire the answers. Explain that each team will collect information about
five trees of their choosing at Maymont. The teams will need to complete
Pre-Trip Lesson Plan 6
all the questions on the observation sheet for each of their five trees.
• Explain the photography part of the project. Explain how the photos will be
used for a project after the field trip. Show how foresters identify trees in
photos (that is, by using numbered cards next to the subject). Show several
examples of such photos to ensure students comprehend how to take these
photos. Explain that the teams will need to take several photographs of each
of the five trees that they choose. Each tree should have at least one photo
of the entire tree (or a large portion of it), a photo of a leaf of the tree, and a
photo of the tree’s bark.
• (Optional; this point applies only if Maymont staff approves.) Explain the
collection envelopes. If any parts of a tree, such as a leaf, have fallen off of
a tree the team has selected, the team can take that item and put it in one of
the provided envelopes. The envelope must then be labeled with the number
of the tree, as a forester might do. Show an example of what such an
envelope might look like.
• When all logistics are explained, announce that each team can choose their
roles on their own. (The students can discuss this topic at a later time,
perhaps on the bus to Maymont the next day.)
7. It’s assumed that the class may be a little excited about the field trip at this
point. To return some serenity and focus to the classroom, have the students
write a one- or two-paragraph explanation of why a forester’s job is important
and what would be the most interesting part of a forester’s job. Collect this
assignment after 10 or 15 minutes.
Pre-Trip Lesson Plan 7
• Closure:
1. Open the floor for questions about the trip and the students’ project
responsibilities during the trip.
2. Remind students about the items they should bring for the field trip.
3. Distribute copies of the parents’ field trip checklist; remind students to bring
the checklist home with them at the end of the school day.
Homework
No homework is required for this lesson. However, students must remember to bring home
the field trip checklist for their parents to review.
Evaluation
Student comprehension of this lesson will be assessed based on their participation and
group work. Specifically:
• Did the student contribute to the class discussions and compilation of brainstorm ideas?
• Did the student show understanding of how the tree identification key is used?
• Did the student participate in the group activity, by working to identify their trees,
recording the group’s conclusions, or by reporting aloud on the group’s findings after
the conclusion of the activity?
• Did the student show comprehension of the job of a forester in their written
assignment?
Adaptations
(A description of adaptations for this lesson is not required for this assignment.)
References
Careers and Technology Lesson Plan. (n.d.). Retrieved April 9, 2007, from
http://www.learnforestry.com/lessons/grade5/sec7/lesson_plan.shtml
Field Trip Organization Plan 8
Fourth-Grade Field Trip to Maymont:Organization/Lesson Plan for Field Trip Day
Introduction
• Field Trip Topic: Trees at Maymont
This field trip will expose students to the multiple types of trees at Maymont
park in Richmond. The arboretum and gardens at Maymont contain numerous
unique species, both native and nonnative, that can teach students about tree life.
Students will collect information about favorite trees using a miniature forestry kit.
Their findings will then be used for projects and lessons back in the classroom in
the days following the field trip.
• Length of Lesson: Approximately 6 hours.
• Virginia Standards of Learning:
a. Science Standard 4.4:
The student will investigate and understand basic plant anatomy and life
processes. Key concepts include
a) the structures of typical plants (leaves, stems, roots, and flowers);
b) processes and structures involved with reproduction (pollination, stamen,
pistil, sepal, embryo, spore, and seed);
c) photosynthesis (sunlight, chlorophyll, water, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and
sugar); and
d) dormancy.
b. Science Standard 4.5:
The student will investigate and understand how plants and animals in an
ecosystem interact with one another and the nonliving environment.
Field Trip Organization Plan 9
c. Science Standard 4.8:
The student will investigate and understand important Virginia natural
resources. Key concepts include
b) animals and plants;
d) forests, soil, and land.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
• Participate in an educational program hosted by the Maymont Nature Center.
• Measure the diameter of tree trunks.
• Estimate the height of trees.
• Describe the texture of different types of tree bark.
• Describe the characteristics of different types of leaves.
• Differentiate between deciduous and coniferous trees.
• Identify specific characteristics of native and nonnative trees.
• Take bark rubbings from five different species of trees.
• Compile detailed notes about five different species of trees.
• Organize written information in a notebook for analysis at a later time.
• Illustrate five different species of trees.
• Photograph various elements of five different species of trees.
• Collect and label specimens from trees for analysis at a later time.
• Contribute questions and answers in group discussions about specific trees.
Field Trip Organization Plan 10
Materials and Advanced Preparation
• Materials:
1. One “forestry kit” for each pair of students (the contents of which are described
in the previous day’s lesson plan).
2. List of tree types on the Maymont grounds (either previously made available by
Maymont staff or created by teacher on advance scouting trip).
3. Prepare to accommodate for forgotten or misplaced items. Extra coats,
umbrellas, and sunscreen are some items that may be needed. Before leaving
the classroom for Maymont, check that each student has everything they need
for the day.
4. Be sure to bring sufficient funds to pay for incidentals such as bottled water and
forgotten or misplaced lunches. Also, if time permits a visit to the children’s
farm at the end of the day, the teacher may wish to provide quarters to each
student so they can buy a handful of food for farm animals.
5. Hand cleaner or wipes for cleanup before picnic lunch and after feeding
animals.
• Advance Preparation:
1. At least 15 days prior to the trip, discuss the trip with the assistant director of
the Maymont Nature Center (currently Kathy Mortimer). Make the reservation
for the visit at that time; also, make a group reservation for the “Plantastic”
education program. Make any required payments at this time (note that
Maymont often does not charge for public school groups from the Richmond
area, but they may charge for services such as an all-day tram rental). Also, ask
Maymont about whether students are allowed to take fallen leaves, bark, nuts,
Field Trip Organization Plan 11
etc., and whether they can make bark rubbings. Lastly, check to see whether
Maymont has an informal list of the trees on the grounds (they currently don’t
have a tree guide for visitors).
2. If possible, the teacher should visit Maymont’s grounds prior to the field trip.
Make note of the location of specific important trees, check the seasonal
condition of the trees, and review the area to ensure the suitability for student
involvement (e.g., are the lawns and pathways wet, are any areas under
renovation, etc.). If Maymont does not provide a tree list, make one at this time.
It may also be wise at this time to take digital photos of the trees that will be
highlighted and discussed in class after the field trip; completing this task ahead
of time will simplify class management responsibilities on field trip day.
3. Make a decision on how the student group will travel through the grounds at
Maymont. A number of areas in Maymont are not easily accessible for
physically disabled people. It may be necessary to reserve the park’s tram for
the entire class to ensure equal access for all.
4. Inform parents about the trip well in advance, in accordance with school
guidelines regarding field trips. As field trip day approaches, send reminders
home to parents. Students will need to wear suitable attire for several hours
outdoors; monitor weather forecast and suggest the type of clothing the students
should wear in the parents’ reminder the day before the trip. Also, the students
will have a picnic lunch at Maymont, so parents should be sure students bring a
bag lunch on field trip day.
Field Trip Organization Plan 12
5. Maymont requires that an adult accompany every 10 children. Assuming a class
size of fewer than 30, make arrangements so that at least two chaperones
(possibly parents) accompany the group in addition to the teacher.
6. Make transportation plan in accordance with school field trip policy. A school
bus will be needed to bring the group to Maymont by 10:00 a.m. and back to
school prior to the end of the school day.
Field Trip Sequence
• At school, prior to field trip:
1. Meet in the classroom at the beginning of the day as usual. Assuming school
begins around 8:00 a.m., some class time can be spent prior to departure. In
addition to the typical sequence of events that occur each day in the classroom,
the following activities should also occur:
• Present an example of one of the forestry kits that the students will use on
the field trip. Show and describe the contents of the kit, item by item, and
explain how each will be used.
• Introduce the trip’s chaperones.
• Conduct a review of the students’ readiness (such as appropriateness of
clothing, whether they remembered their lunch and are wearing sunscreen).
• Review the rules of the trip.
2. Depart school; arrive at Maymont prior to 10 a.m. for check-in procedures.
• At Maymont:
1. The first event of the day, scheduled for 10 a.m., is a Maymont education
program called “Plantastic.” This 30-minute session in the Nature Center
building covers photosynthesis, plant life cycles, seed dispersal, and the human
Field Trip Organization Plan 13
use of plants. (Much of this material should have been covered earlier in the
unit back at school, but the program will provide a helpful review and may also
serve to calm the students somewhat.) An instructor from Maymont will guide
the students during this time.
2. At the conclusion of the program, distribute forestry kits to the two-student
teams. Give each team a few minutes to inspect the contents of the kits before
leaving the education room.
3. Gather the group outdoors in the rear of the Nature Center building and either
board the tram or begin the forestry walk. (This decision should have been
made prior to field trip day based on the teacher’s evaluation of the students’
physical ability).
4. The group will then travel throughout the Maymont grounds, stopping to
inspect the various trees. The teacher will stop at selected trees to conduct
discussions about the trees and set the tone for the students’ own research.
Topics of discussion could include:
• Identification of parts of a tree
• Tree size and shape; reasons for these characteristics
• Leaf characteristics (color, spacing, amount, simple vs. compound, alternate
or opposite, etc.)
• Trunk characteristics (width, bark color, texture, etc.)
• Characteristics of flowers, berries, nuts, and fruit
• Root system (visibility, appearance, etc.)
• Tree age; how does one find out the age of a tree?
• Is the tree a home for birds/insects?
Field Trip Organization Plan 14
• Is this a native or introduced tree?
• How could humans use the tree? Shelter/wood for building, etc.
• At the cactus garden, compare the survival tactics of cactus and trees
• At the bear area, discuss the types of trees bears might appreciate
5. At appropriate locations in the park, encourage students to perform the required
observation, collection and photography tasks on five trees of their choosing.
(The arboretum area near Maymont House and the Japanese Garden are two
excellent locations for these activities.) For each chosen tree, the teams should
attempt to:
• Complete the observation sheet for the tree. Students should write their
sketches and notes in their forestry notebooks.
• Identify the type of tree using their identification key.
• Take a photograph of the entire tree (or a large portion of it), as well as a
photo of a leaf of the tree, and a photo of the tree’s bark. The numbered
labels (provided in the kits) should be used in each photo.
• Collect any materials from the tree that may be found on the ground and
place them in the labeled envelopes provided in the kits. (Skip this task if
the Maymont staff does not wish for group to conduct this activity.)
6. Move throughout the park and provide ample time (90 minutes, perhaps) for the
group to complete their research activities. When everyone has taken their tree
photos, give students the opportunity to use the remainder of the film in their
cameras as they wish, as long as the subjects are appropriate.
Field Trip Organization Plan 15
7. After research work is complete, the group will gather for a picnic lunch and
relaxation. If time permits, the group can also visit the Children’s Farm to see
(and feed, if appropriate) the animals.
8. Return to the bus at the appointed time. Collect all forestry kits as students
board the bus. Be sure the students’ names are on their kits and that the
disposable cameras are inside.
• After school is out for the day:
1. Get film from disposable cameras processed after school. Be sure photo packs
are labeled properly so each pair of students gets their own photos the next day.
2. Review the photographs taken by students. Make note of (and remove, if
warranted) any inappropriate photos.
Evaluation
Students will be evaluated based on their participation and project work during this field
trip. Specifically:
• Did the student participate constructively in class discussions?
• Did the student correctly follow instructions during the research phase of the trip?
• Did the student, along with his or her partner, complete an observation record for five
trees?
Adaptations
(A description of adaptations for this lesson is not required for this assignment. However,
some mention has been made throughout this document on the considerations the teacher
needs to make for physically disabled students.)
Post-Trip Lesson Plan 16
Fourth-Grade Field Trip to Maymont:Lesson Plan for Day After Trip
Introduction
• Lesson Topic: Review of New Tree Identification Skills
This lesson will use the field trip to Maymont to build upon the students’ new
skills in tree identification. The project work from the previous day will be
reviewed in discussion. Students will continue learning about trees by starting a
new project: a “field guide” for one tree of their choosing. Lastly, a quiz on tree
identification will be given to check for understanding of this learning.
• Length of Lesson: 60-90 minutes.
• Virginia Standards of Learning:
a. Science Standard 4.4:
The student will investigate and understand basic plant anatomy and life
processes. Key concepts include
a) the structures of typical plants (leaves, stems, roots, and flowers);
d) dormancy.
b. Science Standard 4.5:
The student will investigate and understand how plants and animals in an
ecosystem interact with one another and the nonliving environment.
c. Science Standard 4.8:
The student will investigate and understand important Virginia natural
resources. Key concepts include
b) animals and plants;
d) forests, soil, and land.
Post-Trip Lesson Plan 17
d. English Standard 4.1:
The student will use effective oral communications skills in a variety of
settings.
b) contribute to group discussions.
d) seek ideas and opinions of others.
d) use evidence to support opinions.
e) use grammatically correct language and specific vocabulary to communicate
ideas.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
• Report aloud on the results of a small-group research activity.
• Use a tree identification key to determine the name of a specific tree.
• Discuss the characteristics of native and nonnative trees.
• Plan their work on a “field guide” for a particular type of tree.
• Take a tree identification quiz.
Content
The following topics will be addressed during the course of this lesson:
• Review of results and lessons learned during field trip
• Tree identification: experiences, successes and struggles in
• Native and nonnative tree types
Materials and Advanced Preparation
• Materials:
1. Forestry kits as retrieved from students the previous day
2. Developed film from students’ disposable cameras
Post-Trip Lesson Plan 18
3. List of questions that need to be addressed in the students’ field guide project
4. Tree references books that students can bring home with them (optional)
5. Tree identification quiz
• Advance Preparation:
1. Review the teams’ observation notes prior to class to get a feel for how well
they completed their assigned tasks. Make notes to prepare to give praise and
further guidance to team members in the upcoming class period.
2. Put each team’s developed photos in their corresponding forestry kit.
Teaching and Learning Sequence
• Introduction/Anticipatory Set:
1. Begin the lesson by arranging students so they are sitting with their forestry
partner from the previous day’s field trip.
2. Return each team’s forestry kit to them and encourage the teams to review their
photos.
• Lesson Development:
1. Allow a few minutes for some casual, yet directed, class discussion about how
well the field trip project went. Ask questions to draw out students’ opinions.
Did each team have enough time to get their five trees documented? What was
the hardest part of the project? What do they think of their photos? Did they
learn anything that surprised them?
2. Direct the discussion to tree identification. Did the students determine the
name/type of their selected trees? Form the discussion around both the “yes”
and the “no” answers:
Post-Trip Lesson Plan 19
• Teams who respond in the positive can be asked to show the class how they
identified one of their trees by making a brief oral report that can be
accompanied by the photos they took of the tree and any specimens they
retrieved from the grounds around the tree.
• For any trees that could not be identified by their teams, use the tree
identification key with the entire class to identify them. (Remember that
Maymont has a number of rather exotic trees that may be difficult to
identify; students shouldn’t be penalized for not being able to identify all
their trees.)
3. Close out the discussion with a relatively short discussion on native and
nonnative trees. Ask students to offer up some of their selected trees as
examples of native and nonnative trees. Eventually focus on trees that are
native to Virginia and encourage students to be on the lookout for such trees
around their home and neighborhood, as well as around the school playground
at recess time.
4. Next, explain that each student will create a “field guide” for one of the trees
they selected on the field trip. Using the observation notes from the previous
day as a starting point, each student will perform research on one tree species of
their choice and create a multi-page scrapbook that describes the tree. Ground
rules for the creation of the field guides include:
• The teams will not work on these guides together, other than to share any
relevant resources (observation notes, for example) they collected the
previous day.
Post-Trip Lesson Plan 20
• The members of each team must select different tree types for their
respective field guides (multiple field guides for a particular tree type can be
created by the class as a whole, however).
• The research can be done using the Internet and/or reference books.
5. Distribute the list of topics that need to be addressed in the guide. Some of the
possible questions include:
• Observations about the tree, as recorded in the observation sheet.
• Detailed research findings about this kind of tree. Some topics would
include how the tree acquires water, what the purpose of its leaves is, how it
changes from season to season, where it typically grows in nature, possible
ways humans use the tree, and what animals rely on it.
• If the students have collected anything from the tree (leaf, rubbing, bark), it
can be used as the illustration for the title page of the guide.
• A picture or drawing of the tree’s leaf, or press an actual leaf in the guide.
Photos of the tree that were taken at Maymont can also be used.
6. Explain that the field guides will be compiled over the next couple days. The
main research part of the project work must be completed as homework, while
the actual creation of the guides will occur in the classroom. When they are
finished, the guides will be combined into one book and submitted to the school
library so all students can see it.
7. Give students a few minutes to confer with their team members and choose the
tree type they want. When finished, students should return to their regular seats.
Post-Trip Lesson Plan 21
• Closure:
To assess understanding of the main lesson, distribute a quiz on tree identification.
The quiz will show a number of illustrations of leaves; the student will be required
to use his or her identification key to determine the type of tree to which the leaves
belong. Also include some questions on terminology related to tree identification
(compound vs. simple leaves, alternate structure, and so on).
Homework
The homework required for the main research portion of the field guide will probably
require more than one evening’s work. Consider the depth of the question list, decide on a
number of evenings required and assign portions of the list for each evening. Each day,
check to be sure each student has completed the assigned section. As the sections are
completed, students can use their findings in the creation of their field guides in class.
Evaluation
Student comprehension of this lesson will be assessed based on their test results,
participation and completed projects. Specifically:
• Students will be given a quiz that evaluates their skills and expanded vocabulary in tree
identification.
• At a time in the near future (but not on the first day back from the field trip), students
will be given a larger test that will assess their knowledge of the concepts and
vocabulary used during this unit. Concepts would include topics such as photosynthesis
and plant anatomy.
• Students will demonstrate knowledge of one particular type of tree by creating a “field
guide” that shows findings from research about the tree. (The field guide will be
completed by the time this unit is finished.)