The Importance of Planning

Some things can be better learned in an atmosphere where there is the opportunity to explore, to see, to smell, to taste, to hear and to feel. An out-of-school excursion can offer these opportunities to broaden and enrich a child’s learning. You, as a teacher have a crucial role in planning a worthwhile and stimulating learning experience.

NOTE: When planning to visit any of the community resources, you may wish to plan your day around a theme and visit two or three sites throughout the day. When you phone to book your visit ask about “multiple visits”.

Listed below are several points to follow when planning any out-of-school excursion:

Preparation | Excursion | Follow-Up | Evaluation

1. Preparation: Remember it is important to prepare your students. When you plan your excursion you must determine two things:

1. What the students already know; and
2. What the students should be taught to extend their knowledge.

Pre-visit Activities With Your Class

1. Logistics:

• When you receive your pre-visit information, check it for specific instructions, e.g. size of student groups (very important point), chaperones required, and materials needed.
• Above all, review the following with your students:
  • Behaviour expectations:
    --of teacher
    --of adult helpers
    --of on-site staff
    --of student
  • Safety precautions
  • Clean-up procedures
  • Other – depends on excursion

2. Ideas To Use In the Classroom:

• “Why are we going?”
  --Set up goals and objectives, and discuss them with the students.
• “What will we expect to learn?”
  --An excursion should never introduce a new topic. If children do not know what to look for, the excursion can be very confusing.

Note: The agency is not responsible for discipline.

*** Teacher's Pre-Tour Checklist (Duplicate for use.)***

2. Excursion:“What will happen on site?”

The teacher must be well informed. It would be helpful to visit the site before your scheduled excursion to know what is available and how the day will be organised. The site may have an inservice to facilitate this. Please call the site to find out when and at what time they will be offered.

• Try to arrive on time. If your class will be late, please inform the contact person.
• If you have to cancel, please inform the contact person.

3. Follow-up: Follow-up activities reinforce what your students have learned on site. It is critical that students see the value of the out-of school excursion and answer the question “What did we learn?”

1. Integrate the information your students learned on-site into other subject areas.

Subject	Intergration
Reading	--Use booklets, legends, newspapers, and pamphlets from the site
Language	--Plays, skits, letters, poems, storytelling/writing
Art	--Props for plays, nature crafts, sketching, painting, sculpture, photography
Music	--Folk songs, ballads
Math	--Distance on maps, orienteering, measurement activities
Spelling	--New vocabulary
Social Studies	--History, map study, research, and current events
Science	--Food chain, land forms, research, weather, flora and fauna
Others	--log books, disucssion, bulletin board displays, drama activities, nature games, group dynamics, photography

 

2. Discussion of what could be done to make future trips better.

4. Evaluation: Feedback, both negative and positive, is essential information for program co-ordinators to improve the program and to inspire program leaders.

Please take the time to complete the agency’s evaluation form and return it promptly.

The agency would be thrilled to receive and would greatly appreciate additional feedback that can be displayed.

E.g. Thank you letters, Other fan mail, Paintings, Log books, Poster, Drawings, Student evaluations