Coordinator's Corner
Include “Reading Field Trips” for Long-term Memory
Students cannot remember most of what they read, or fifty-percent of what is read and discussed. But, ask your students to recall their favorite family vacation, recent class field trip or school event they participated in and they will delight you with details, emotions, and reflections. If you are like me, you have no recollection of your 16th birthday present, or even your last year’s birthday. Perhaps you do remember the family vacation, museum trip or theatrical play you attended that same year. As we highlight social studies throughout our TTAC Bulletin this month, I invite you to add “reading field trips” to your social studies units for long term memory.
We know it is important that our students retain content information from social studies units. This content includes; facts, places, governments, cultures, sequential time and events, along with problem solving and analysis. For long term memory to occur, students must retain information long after the assessment has passed. Social studies require students to learn vast amounts of information which is retained through thoughtful reading and learning. Consider adding “reading field trips” into your existing classroom curriculum and bring success to your students with cognitive organization. Our goal is long term memory. We all want to learn information long after test taking has lapsed.
Reading field trips can take place within the classroom setting, on the school playground, within your school community, with virtual tours on the Internet, and as a home-to- school connection. Field trips along with reading assignments present photographic images that students’ associate in long term memory. These images help students recall information retained through extrasensory learning.
During reading time, allow your students to keep the text open when asking inferential questions. Continue to post classroom webbing charts, outlines, thinking maps, and KWL charts. Students often refer to visuals as they construct meaning and this information helps them to apply new knowledge as they develop cognitive organization and problem solving success. When students demonstrate success with making inferences and drawing conclusions, we know that thoughtful learning has occurred.
Suggestions for adding “reading field trips”
• Take your lesson plan to the playground, or plan a walking field trip to a neighborhood park. Students are likely to remember content information in association with the reading field trip they participated in. Field trips allow students to use extrasensory learning to construct their own visuals for long term memory.
• Are your students reading an historical novel along with their social studies objectives? Add a classroom center that depicts the setting, time, era or journey in progress as portrayed in the novel. Centers are easily created by student and parent volunteers.
• Invite parent volunteers to help prepare your classroom for a reading field trip. A classroom supplied with models, films, and project displays provide students a field trip experience to supplement readings without travel expenses.
• Your local museum director and area Chamber of Commerce are valuable classroom resources. You will be pleased with their
willingness to share information and material. They may even have a suggestion for a low cost field trip setting to enhance your learning objectives.
• The best way to incorporate Internet lesson plans and virtual field trips into your existing curriculum is to make it part of your standard lesson planning. Avoid using “canned” lesson plans in whole or unmodified. Look for “lesson ideas” that can be integrated into your learning objectives. Locate virtual tours to enhance what you are already doing, and provide that field trip experience. Keep in mind the number of sites devoted to lesson plans grow daily on the Internet. Your lesson plans should enhance the classroom curriculum, not supplant it. Lessons from the Internet are not automatically a valuable, authentic learning experience. You may need to critically evaluate the lessons before introducing any of the ideas to your classroom of learners.
• For the home-to-school connection, provide students and families with meaningful ideas that extend your social studies lessons. Families will appreciate suggestions for day trips, readings, vacations spots and weekend projects.
• Are you studying United States Presidents from Virginia? Plan a field trip to birth places, homes or other important presidential sites near your school. As your students study government and societal issues, include a writing assignment and send an email or letter to the White House, Vice-President or First Lady. [ http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ ]
• If you cannot visit the White House with your students, plan a virtual tour of the White House or view a video that includes a slide show with guide. Should you plan to visit the White House with your students, include a visit to the National Geographic Society. You will only be a few blocks away!
As always, I hope these suggestions are helpful while you plan for the success of your students. Remember the resources available to you from school partnerships, businesses, your division literacy and content specialist, and your T-TAC office. Have a successful spring, and happy reading!