Earlier in the
school year my class visited the museum.
The children browsed through the exhibits touching, looking, but not
really focusing on what they were learning.
In planning my
trip back to the museum, for the second time this year, I found it very helpful
to visit the exhibits ahead of time to plan activities. Doing this helped plan
my activities so their experience on the trip would be more meaningful to
them.
After a month
of learning about the human body, we returned to the museum. This trip was much different from our first
visit.
I divided the
class into groups of five with one chaperone.
Each chaperone was given a plastic bag that held papers, pencils and a
map of the museum. Students were told
to answer the treasure hunt worksheet during their
visit.
Most of our time was spent in the heart exhibit area. While exploring the heart, my students stopped and read all the information provided in the exhibit. They were very excited to see some of the things they learned in class displayed and discussed.
The exhibits,
lessons, and displays that we saw helped make connections to the concepts
learned in the classroom.
Students were
able to understand better what they were experiencing from their classroom
instruction.
While at the
museum we were able to watch the movie “Bugs”.
Students were told they would have to compare a human body to a bug’s
body. While watching they were told to
note the similarities and differences.
I think the
children enjoyed our visit. There is simply NOT enough time to do
everything! Try and arrive as soon as
possible, so you have time to discover things in the museum. I would also
suggest to eat lunch as soon as possible, so you have more time to explore.
For homework
that evening students had to complete a venn diagram comparing the bug body to
a human body. Using these diagrams,
students wrote wonderful stories about what they had learned.
The trip to the
Franklin Institute was a culminating experience for all we had learned about
the human body.
| Introduction |
Classroom Experiences |
Museum Tour |
Resources |
Reflection |