Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Accommodations
- Students will be given more time if they require it.
- Accommodation for exceptional students (e.g., provide them with further ideas to work on, have them
sit with someone else in the class who is finding the task at hand more challenging, etc.).
- Accommodation for students who are struggling (e.g., have a student who is willing to help and
knowledgeable about the subject work near them).
- The route of the program may be altered based upon students who may be limited to their physical
ability.
Stage 3: Learning experience and instruction
Motivational Hook
Students will be reminded of the field trip they are going on. They will be reminded about safety
precautions and how to act when on a field trip at a conservation area. The day will be able to begin as
early as 9:30 and as a late as we would like. Essentially, the lesson would begin as soon as we were
there and ready.
* Due to this being an inquiry-based learning experience where students are discovering the entire
time, the following lesson plan is based off of potential situations. Anything can happen in this lesson
and it can go in any direction, therefore, these are all hypothetical situations to match possible
predictions*
Open
Students will be introduced to the educator team and reminded to be respectful.
The rest of the session will be led by the educators at Mac Johnson Wildlife Area.
During this time, Mac Johnson Wildlife Area informed me that they would beginning their
lesson inside of the nature centre. Here, they would define what an insect is while utilizing a
plastic model. Earthworm and centipede models would be examined. This would take
anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour to complete. After this, the students will have the
opportunity to have a snack.
Body
Led by educators at Mac Johnson Wildlife Area. Focus will be around the Science and
Technology Ontario Curriculum.
During this time, Mac Johnson Wildlife Area informed me that there would be discussions
about life cycles. Depending on what is available, the dragonfly / willy bear / monarch would
be observed. After this, collection would take place during a visit to the pond. Depending on
the students and the creatures available, the students may go on to an open meadow, go on a
moving hike, or spend the entire time at the pond. Dragonflies would be a likely capture.
Students would be able to collect the insects in nets or jars. This collection period would last
about one hour.
Close
Led by educators at Mac Johnson Wildlife Area.
During this time, Mac Johnson Wildlife Area informed me that there would be group sharing at
the end of their collection. Students would be able to share the items that they live captured and
discuss what they observed / learned. This allows students to get different perspectives based
on various insects.
The class will thank the educators at the conservation area for the great two hours of hands-on
learning. They will also have the opportunity to ask any questions that they may have.
Link to Future Lessons
During the next classroom lesson, students will have the chance to share their experience with the field
trip. Students will be able to reflect on their experience and discuss any remaining questions they may
have. This lesson may lead to an individual or group assignment regarding a specific animal and their
life cycle that could then be shared with the class.
Assessment
Assessment for learning: During the unit, in order to allow students to reflect, they would be provided
with exit cards. Students would write down what they learned along with any remaining questions they
may have. This would help lead future lessons depending on what students are most interested in
(inquiry-based learning).
Assessment as learning: Not applicable at this time.
Assessment of learning: After their learning, students will focus on one animal that they learned about
at Mac Johnson Wildlife Area. They will complete an independent or group assignment (depending on
the class needs) about one creature in order to extend the group discussion that took place after the hour
of collection at Mac Johnson. Students will be able to use whatever form of presenting they wish. This
will then be shared with the class in order to provide a richer learning environment amongst the
students. Students would be introduced to a success criteria sheet that they would be able to refer to
while completing their assignment.
Reflection
Conservation Areas: A Wonderful Field Trip Idea!
I am hoping to join the Upper Canada District School Board. Therefore, I have considered a
conservation area in my hometown, Brockville (Ontario). The experiential learning program I found that
would be appropriate for a grade two class is conducted by the Mac Johnson and Wildlife Area Education
Program. Conservation areas provide so many avenues towards learning outside of the walls of the
classroom. Experiential-based learning is so important for children. I find that the quote what we learn
with pleasure we never forget by Alfred Mercier is very accurate. We should provide fun and engaging
activities that children will always remember and therefore retain the knowledge learned! All the
education programs at this conservation area target a specific subject in the Ontario Curriculum and
provide detailed instruction of what is involved.
As an educator, I would use this lesson to introduce a unit. Therefore, I would most likely go on
this field trip in the fall. Having a hands-on and experiential-based experience allows for the students to
connect more to classroom lessons. I would first introduce the topic to the children in the classroom.
However, using knowledgeable community members is a great way to begin a unit while making
connections.
Essential learning that must happen before the experience includes talking about what the
students already know about various animals along with defining key definitions. For example, students
would need to understand what a life cycle is and what adaptations and characteristics mean. After the
experience, students would have the opportunity to reflect on what they had learned while discussing any
questions that they still have. Depending on their key interests from the experience, this could lead into an
inquiry-based project about an animal of their choosing. In this sense, children may have questions they
want answered or they may choose to go off on a different route depending on their experience. This is a
great way for students to do some self-learning and discovery.
As mentioned previously, it is very important to recognize our community / community members and
utilizing our resources that are readily available to us. Due to this outreach, we can receive invaluable
learning for a very good price. In case you were wondering about the affordability of this field trip, the
cost is six dollars per student. The amazing benefit of this field trip is that you are easily able to extend
the trip so that it is a full day event. In doing so, you would participate in the two-hour instruction hosted
by the educators at the conservation area but then do self-guided discovery after. This would be a great
opportunity to get feedback from the students and assess their learning.