Field Trips
by Judith Gold

Goals

To be actively engaged in their learning, children need to have first-hand experiences. For elementary school children field trips are a central vehicle for research. They need to see and experience what they are studying to develop a deep understanding of the subject. The field trips have distinct goals and are planned to support the sequence of the study.

Trip Sheets

Trip sheets help children to stay focused on the goals of the trip. Sometimes the questions have been generated by the class, sometimes by the teacher. Trip sheets allow children to write down information, as well as to sketch what they have seen.

Some teachers attach trip sheets to clipboards, others staple them onto pieces of cardboard that get saved for subsequent trips. Children use the information on their trip sheets to write and draw about the trip.

Artwork

Children need multiple ways to recreate and represent their learning. Art is a critical component of a social studies curriculum. Children’s representations give teachers important information about what children have observed and processed as the result of a trip.

Trip Sheet Example
Trip to the Local Library

About the Author

Judith Gold, M.S., M.Ed, has worked extensively with teachers to develop integrated social studies curriculum. She is currently the Project Director of LEARNS at Bank Street College of Education. LEARNS provides training and technical assistance to all Corporation for National Service projects focused on literacy, tutoring and mentoring. Previously, Gold taught in the Bank Street School for Children and Graduate School. She has worked as an educational consultant in New York public schools and in countries including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Bulgaria, and Nepal.