Morgan Frye, M.Ed.

Master of Science in Education


Engaging and Establishing Background Knowledge with Field Trips



Table of Contents



Introduction
Activating Student Background Knowledge
Developing Student Background Knowledge
Incorporating Field Trip Experiences into Instruction
Conclusion




Introduction





How does Ingenuity Prep allow for this instructional strategy?



Ingenuity Prep is unique in that the school allows students to attend a field trip every month to a location that reinforces or enriches the material that is being learning the classroom. For example, our first instructional field trip that is utilized below was to Cox Farms in Centreville, MD. Our current literacy, Once Upon a Farm, is all about farms and farm animals. Our students live in Washington, D.C. and it is imperative that they building background knowledge that is vital when reading stories about places and animals that may be unfamiliar.



Above, students sitting on hay bales at the farm. Hay bales were discussed in a story that was read and students benefitted from seeing and touching the hay. Some students had never interacted with hay before, and the experience helped them to build background knowledge on the subject.



Students sit on the back of a wooden truck in the center of the farm. Students enjoyed visiting the farm and seeing the things we were discussing in the classroom first-hand.




Activating Student Background Knowledge





What do we do to activate background knowledge before field trips?



Before we go on the field trips, we spend a lot of time planning for instruction to ensure that students will be able to enjoy and learn from the field trip experience. For this trip, I asked students if they had been to a farm before, and most of them said they had not. The students that had been to a farm or been around farm animals before were able to connect more with the stories that we were reading and writing about during literacy. Prior to the trip, I made sure to expose students to a variety of texts that would deepen their understanding of their surroundings when we eventually went to the farm. Students were able to successfully identify different types of animals, equipment, and other things found on a farm from reading. When students did see those things in person, they were able to build their background knowledge and real-world connections in meaningful ways. This instructional strategy allows for students to create lasting memories and deepen comprehension in the future when reading texts about farms.



Above is one of the lesson plans that I used when teaching the book "Farm Animals" (pictured right). These lessons were to build student background knowledge before visiting the farm to see the animals first-hand.



A farm animals book that gives facts and pictures about real farm animals. This was one of the more interesting nonfiction books that we discussed in the classroom, and students loved learning about the different animals that are found on farms.



A farm animals book that gives facts and pictures about real farm animals. Students enjoyed and benefitted from looking at the pictures in the book compared to the illustrations that we usually see in fiction books. Since our students live in an urban setting, there are not many opportunities for our students to see farm animals first-hand.



Above is an anchor chart from one of the "Farm Animal" lessons that we discussed in the classroom. Students loved to make the anchor chart and to use the book to visualize the animals. These pictures and visualizations were solidified when we took the trip to the farm.




Developing Student Background Knowledge





How do we develop student background knowledge on field trips?



During the field trip, we ensure that students are learning and connecting with the texts were read. We observed many different kinds of animals, and when we did, we asked students what the animals were. We informed if students misidentified, and reinforced with what the animal was and asked students for a few observations of the animal. We identified different crops, including apples and pumpkins, and continuing to ask students to observe and wonder about the things around them.



Students in line for the slide- while the field trips are educational and align with the unit that we are teaching, students are also able to have fun!



Students observe the expansiveness of the farm. One concept that students struggled with was understanding the amount of space that farms take up. While the farm we visited had several different sections, students were able to see the amount of space that growing crops and raising animals took up.



Above is a photo of the tractor that pulled us around the farm and through waters while on the hay ride. Students enjoyed the hay ride, seeing the tractor, and riding alongside a horseback rider throughout the hay ride.



Above is a photo of students waiting in line to slide down the slide at the farm. While the farm had several animals, crops, and learning experiences, there were also several fun activities to keep students and children engaged!




Incorporating Field Trip Experiences into Instruction





How do we incorporate the knowledge we gained from field trips into instruction?



After field trips, we use the information that we gained and the experiences that students had on the trip to help tailor instruction to activate the new background knowledge attained on the trip. We take any misconceptions that students still have and address them through the new lenses that students gained since going on the field trip. Students are more engaged and eager to share their experiences and stories with the material, continuing to develop their background knowledge on a subject.



Students riding through the corn field on the hay ride. Students were able to see and touch corn on cornstalks that were previously discussed in a book.



Students were able to touch and take home their own pumpkins when leaving the farm. Pumpkins were one of our main subjects in our farm unit, and students were able to witness how they were grown, how they were harvested, and all the different shapes and sizes pumpkins come in.



Above is a photo of student work from one of the lessons completed after visiting the farm. Students made their own jack-o-lanterns, and wrote a sentence about how they saw pumpkins at the farm. Students were able to pull background knowledge into the lesson and this student added ridges on their pumpkin from remembering how they saw ridges on pumpkins at the farm.



Above is a picture of another student work sample from the lesson taught after visiting the farm. Students loved to make their own pumpkins with this hands-on activity. With sentence practicing, students were able to incorporate writing into the craft activity.



Above is another student work sample from some of the animals that we saw at the farm. Students were required to make animals and write the animal name. At the farm, we saw a mother pig and her piglets. This student added the piglets into her work.



Above is another student work sample from our farm animal lesson. There were some animals that we did not discuss beforehand that students were able to see at the farm. Those animals (like the turkey) excited students and made them curious to learn more about them.



Above is another student work sample from a different day and different farm activity. This activity was specifically about fall, and how the leaves turn colors in autumn and fall from trees. Field trips are a great way to incorporate science and social studies into our curriculum. We discussed why the leaves turn brown and fall off, and students were able to see this firsthand at the farm.



Above is another student work sample from the same activity. Students were able to create their own fall trees in our painting activity.




Conclusion





How have field trips become a valuable instructional strategy?



So far, field trips have helped students understand and engage in a plethora of ways on the farm- building their background knowledge and comprehension skills. While this field trip was the first of many instructional trips, Ingenuity Prep does a great job of matching literacy units to field trip destinations that help students engage with and reinforce the material taught in the classroom.