Field Study Reflection
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Manda Jarman
Jennifer Daniels
EDUC 461
October 9, 2011
Colorado Mesa University
Field Study Reflection
Field Study Reflection
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Purpose, Rationale, Standards and Objectives for this Field Study:
Unit: Weather- with data analysis (4 week unit of study)
Content Area: Science
Standard 3:
Earth Systems Science
3.3:
Weather conditions change because of the uneven heating of Earth’s surface by the Sun’s energy.
Weather changes are measured by differences in temperature, air pressure, wind, and water in the
atmosphere and type of precipitation.
Students will:
a.
Develop and communicate an evidence-based scientific explanation for changes in weather
conditions
b.
Gather, analyze, and interpret data such as temperature, air pressure, wind, and humidity in
relation to daily weather conditions
c.
Describe weather conditions based on data collected using a variety of weather tools
d.
Use data collection tools and measuring devices to gather, organize, and analyze data such as
temperature, air pressure, wind, and humidity in relation to daily weather conditions
Learning target (Purpose): Students will learn how varieties of tools are used to gather, analyze, and interpret weather
data to make predictions about weather conditions.
Objectives:
In their journals, students will:
1. Explain how weather conditions change using evidence-based scientific information that they learn on the field
study.
2. Record ways that meteorologists gather analyze and interpret weather data to make daily weather predictions.
3. Describe the weather conditions on that particular day based on observation.
4. Compare and contrast their observations about the day’s weather conditions after learning about weather datacollection tools.
5. Identify three tools and/or measuring devices meteorologists use to gather, organize, and analyze weather data in
relation to daily weather conditions.
The fifth grade class will be taking a field study trip to KREX studio to learn about meteorology and
weather forecasting equipment and ways that meteorologists use data to make predictions about weather
conditions. School district policies will be followed and a copy is attached to the checklist. On this field study,
students will be able to see where newscasts are broadcast and recorded and learn about creating a weather
forecast. They will meet the meteorologist who will talk to them about weather patterns and how weather
predictions are made. They will see a variety of instruments and computers used to track and predict weather
patterns and record weather related data. Students will each have a clipboard and a note-taking guide. They
will take detailed notes about what they learn and see at the weather studio. In later lessons and activities
Field Study Reflection
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during this unit, students will apply what they learned on the field study trip to perform weather experiments,
gather data, and make weather predictions in their groups.
Initial planning included calling the station to ask about fees and what types of activities would be
included (Deardorff, R., 2011). The station does not charge a fee for the field study trip. I also talked to the
school secretary to find out how field study trips are funded and about school district policies. She told me
about funding and directed me to the District Forms on their website. The transportation expense will total
$46.00 for one bus, round trip, for three hours. The funds to cover the cost of the trip will be taken from the
classroom activity fees paid by students’ families at the beginning of the year (Reed, K., 2011). Additionally, I
spoke with my mentor teacher, Nikki Sund, to discuss field study trip options, what trips fifth graders
traditionally go on, and planning involved in going on field study trips (Sund, N., 2011). I thought that some of
the initial planning was much more difficult for planning a hypothetical field study than it would be to plan the
real thing once we are teaching. This is because we will already have created a lot of the paperwork that we had
to create for this assignment, such as class lists and emergency contact lists.
Planning for the during portion of the trip was very informative. I decided that there should be at least
one adult for every six kids in the class. Therefore, I said that there will be five chaperones, consisting of two
staff members and three parent volunteers who will attend the field study with the class. I thought that planning
and writing memos for the chaperones and to the parents was good experience for future teachers who may not
have ever had the opportunity to communicate as a person of authority in this manner.
I decided that we would take attendance on the bus when we arrived at the site and students would
participate in a brief discussion. We would review the handout detailing purpose of the trip, educational goals
and their responsibilities, rules, procedures, behavior expectations, safety guidelines, appropriate
communication, scheduled activities, etc. This would help students to remember that they are expected to
behave in an acceptable manner, as well as remind them of their responsibilities as learners.
Afterwards we would return to our classroom to review the field study trip and talk about our
experiences. We would create thank you cards for the site host and parent volunteers. After lunch, we will talk
about the learning targets and how we met our educational goals. I will write a reflection about the trip and
Field Study Reflection
share it with students to model what their reflection should look like. Students will write a reflection in their
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journals. Throughout the unit, we will continue to refer to this field study when we do activities about weather
forecasting. I detailed the activities for after returning to the classroom in a document linked on the checklist.
I think that this field study would be beneficial to students community learning and character
development because they would be going out into the community as a group. They would be expected to
behave as responsible learners and citizens representing their classroom community. This would help to build
character learning because they would be held accountable for their behavior as well as their learning during the
trip. They would also benefit from learning about the jobs of people who work in News studios and about
meteorologists as scientists. They will see high-profile members of our city community in person, performing
responsibilities and duties involved with their jobs. These are things that kids don’t usually have exposure to
beyond their parents’ work responsibilities- which they probably don’t even think about.
Overall, I think that this field study would be fun and educational for fifth grade students. It is aligned
with fifth grade science standards and could also be linked to standards in social studies, language arts, and
math. I had a difficult time organizing my thoughts and organizing the paperwork involved with this project,
but I think that it has been a beneficial experience.
References
Deardorff, R. (2011, September). Interview by M. Jarman [Personal Interview].
Reed, K. (2011, September). Interview by M. Jarman [Personal Interview].
Sund, N. (2011, September). Interview by M. Jarman [Personal Interview].