CHOICE #4 -Field Trip Plan

Topic: Little House on the Prairie

Title/Location: Laura Ingalls Wilders Historic Home in Mansfield, MO.
Target Age Level: 2nd grade
Before:

Before we leave to go to Lauras home in Mansfield, I would have the

students look at their maps of Lauras travels and investigate the
location and the dates that she lived in Mansfield.
As a class, we would study the Rocky Ridge Farm (Lauras house) and I
would inform my students that this was the location that Laura wrote
all of her famous books.
I would have the students discuss with each other and research why
Laura and Almonzo named their farm the Rocky Ridge Farm.
I would have the students write down any questions they had about
the field trip on an anchor chart. I would then answer the questions to
the best of my ability. ( If I didnt know the answers, we would do some
research as a class)
I would give the students clear directions and expectations before we
go on the trip (always stay with the group, dont touch anything unless
a teacher says its okay, be respectful and quiet when the tour guides
are speaking, etc).

During:

Remind children of the expectations (listed above) before we get off of

the bus.
The children will get in groups of two and stay with their buddy at all
times.
9-10 am- We will first visit the museum. We will walk around the
museum as a group with the tour guide. If the tour guide allows the
students to ask questions, I will inform the students to ask one
question a piece( If they dont have a question, I wont force them)
10:00-10:15- Bathroom break!
10:15- 11:30- We will tour Lauras House. I will remind the children to
not touch ANYTHING. I will allow the students to ask questions if they
have any.

11:30-11:35- We will take a group photo outside of Lauras house.

11:35-11:45- Bathroom break. If the students dont have to use the
bathroom, make sure to have them wash their hands for lunch.
11:45- 12:30- Eat a picnic lunch(PB&J, chips, and water) at the picnic
tables by the pavilion.
12:30-1:30- Take a walk down the trails that Laura and Almonzo used
to walk. Use this time to talk and reflect with your students about the
morning tours. Incorporate science by allowing the students to draw
what they see on their walks in their interactive science notebooks.
1:30-2- Walk around the cemetery where Laura and Almonzo were
buried. Have the students sit in the circle in the grass and allow each
student to tell one interesting fact they learned from the field trip.
2-2:10- Walk back to the bus
2:10- Head home!

After:

The day after the field trip, I am going to have the students pair up and
reflect/discuss the things that they saw, heard, and did.
I would then have the students write a 1-2 page reflection. Their
reflection can include anything that interested them during the field
trip.
The students would turn in their reflections to me (the teacher) for
grading.

Evaluation:

I would assess if the field trip was a good learning experience by

looking at the students reflections.
My goal of this field trip would be to wrap up the unit study on Laura
Ingalls Wilder by allowing the students to see firsthand the places and
treasures we have read about throughout the unit.
I hope that the field trip would allow the students to build on their prior
knowledge that they have gained throughout the unit.