Field Trip Checklist
Field trips can be rich educational experiences with some prior planning. The following checklist should be considered when developing any field trip experience.

Prior to the Field Trip
Involving students in learning prior to the Field Trip can enhance the overall experience and create an atmosphere conducive to learning.

Introduction by Teacher

• Description of Field Trip Present students with information on the location and date of the Field Trip and why the location was chosen.

Expected Behaviors

• Provide students with written information explaining what is expected of them prior to and during the Field Trip. This might include permission slips, packing a lunch, dress code and/or code of conduct.

Student Discussions
Choose one or more as appropriate:

Students' Expectations

• Teacher leads a session to determine what the students expect to see and learn during the Field Trip. This can be done as a brainstorming exercise, a discussion and/or a list and summarize activity.

Determine Prior Knowledge

• Teacher conducts an exercise to assess the students' prior knowledge and interests related to the Field Trip. This can be a discussion, a pre-test, or an introductory lesson.

Goal Setting

• Based on the teacher's assessment of student expectations and knowledge, goals should be set. Depending upon the students' ages, the teacher and students might set a goal separately or the teacher and students might set a goal together. In any case, the goal(s) should include the following elements:
  
  
  • Identification of the curriculum and standards which will be taught via the Field Trip
  • Measurable increase in student knowledge
  • Links to the Applied Learning Standards (Solving Problems, Communicating, Using Technology, Working on Teams, and Making Connections)
  • Links to related careers

Enrichment Activities
To increase student knowledge prior to the Field Trip, the teacher might consider involving the students in an enrichment activity such as inviting a guest speaker, assigning research topics or showing a video. Some thoughts on each follow:

Guest Speaker

• When inviting a speaker to the classroom, clearly identify the topic, learning goals, student familiarity with the topic and time constraints. When inviting a speaker prior to a Field Trip, share as many details as possible about the Field Trip with the speaker.

Research

• Students may benefit from conducting some preliminary research into topics related to the Field Trip. This research can be done individually or in small groups. The results of each students' or teams' research should be made available to the entire class prior to the Field Trip. This will help them frame their questions during the Field Trip, provide them with a base of knowledge and comfort level about the information presented during the Field Trip, and increase their focus.

Videos

• A video can be a good substitute for a guest speaker when paired with a teacher-led question and answer session.

Organizational Tasks
Field Trips provide excellent opportunities for students to become involved in organizational tasks. Suggestions for student task teams follow:

Name Tag Team

• Name tags can be created using the computer. Students might assign the Field Trip participants into groups based on career interests, research topics or job assignments during the Field Trip.

Communications Team

• Students can develop reminder notes for students and parents, confirmation notes for the Field Trip host and thank you notes after the Field Trip. They can also communicate with any guest speakers.

PhotoJournalist Team

• Students can be assigned to take pictures during the Field Trip, write an article for the school paper, interview students after the Field Trip, or prepare a PowerPoint Presentation on the Field Trip for the class.

During the Field Trip
During the Field Trip, the teacher will want to continue to support the atmosphere of active investigation and learning. To accomplish this the teacher might consider providing the students with a handout containing information to be gathered during the Field Trip. The handout can be the same for all students or can vary from team to team (see Name Tag Team).

After the Field Trip
After the Field Trip, the teacher can reinforce the learning and behaviors exhibited by the students in a variety of ways including:

Review

• Teacher presents their thoughts on how effectively the class met the agreed upon goals and expected behaviors. This should mirror the introduction.

• Students can present their impressions and significant learnings in a variety of ways. Suggestions follow:
  
  
  • Reports by students on what they consider to be their significant learnings or in response to teacher generated questions. These can be presented in many forms including written reports, stories, bulletin boards, time lines, powers, PowerPoint Presentations, videos, journal entries, etc.
  • Team presentations on specific, assigned issues.
  
  
• Completion of a post-test.

Enrichment Activities
Once again, the teacher might consider involving the students in enrichment activities such as inviting a guest speaker, assigning research topics or involving them in writing a group evaluation of the Field Trip.

Evaluations
In addition to content based pre- and post-tests, students can be asked to complete a self-evaluation. This evaluation can be added to each student's portfolio. This can be based a variety of elements including:

• Agreed upon Field Trip goals
• Expected behaviors
• Personal learning expectations
• Career interests