Being There Experiences: Study Trips
This past weekend was Fall Break, which gave me the perfect opportunity to go home and explore an area of Rockford that I had never been. In the past, Rockford had a conservatory next to the Rock River. However, this conservatory was old and rarely used. In the past few years, the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens have been built with help from the Rockford Park District. Despite the fact that the conservatory officially was unveiled almost a year ago, I still have not had the chance to go into the new facility. Thankfully, on Tuesday before I left to return to Coe, I made it to the conservatory for a long awaited visit!
When considering taking students on a field trip through the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens, I feel that there are multiple concept options related to life science that would be applicable to the conservatory, as well as the general experience of being there. Thinking in terms of a bigger concept, I believe that learning about organisms general needs of life and sustainability and the life cycle of organisms would directly relate to the experience of visiting the conservatory. Because of the variety of plants in the conservatory, students could study how the plants differ from one another and how they differ from animals. Especially if the experience is a day in the winter, students would better understand the concept of the plants' basic needs because the plants could not survive outside in the winter or even during the summer depending on the climate of their original location. Understanding the life cycle of plants would go well with this experience because students would visibly see different plants at different life stages, and comprehend how plants do resemble their parents. In general, the study of plant organisms and their relation to their environment would be very applicable while incorporating an experience at the conservatory. There is so much to offer, including a wide variety of plants and organisms that probably would otherwise be impossible for students to experience in the Midwest. This experience would enhance their understanding of plants and organisms, especially creating a more global view of the life science skills, instead of merely relating the learned information to plants and organisms students are familiar with. For example, there are palm trees surrounding one area of the conservatory. Students could apply the information they learned about the life cycle of a lima bean seed to the life cycle of a palm tree, while deciphering similarities and differences. Without the experience with palm trees up close in the conservatory, students would not be able to transfer their knowledge onto a more general and global scale.
My experience in the conservatory was one of pure joy. The inside is beautiful with a variety of plants and flowers that one does not see growing naturally in the Midwest. Using the experience as an extension of classroom studies on plants would definitely extend knowledge much further. As I mentioned before, using my experience, especially what I learned in terms of unfamiliar plants, students would have the benefit of learning about the wide variety of plants. I believe showing students the similarities of organisms, from across the globe, is something powerful that can relate to other disciplines in addition to creating more globalized concepts of science for students. After working with plants and organisms, a unit on environments with some links to life science would be perfect for discussing the conservatory. The plants in the conservatory need a very specific environment in order to sustain life, and students could further their science inquiry by developing an understanding of environments in terms of relating to organisms directly.
I believe that many other science concepts have potential to be explored at the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens. Perhaps a study of evolution, specifically with plant life, could work when thinking about how plants have evolved to live in their specific environments. Students would find numerous examples of evidence, models, systems, measurements, and other general unifying science concepts and skills when visiting the conservatory. In terms of "Science as Inquiry", there is much to be explored when visiting the conservatory. Students could find a plant or organism that truly interested them and then work on an inquiry project with that specific plant. Additionally, classrooms could work on inquiry books involving the plants seen during the experience. As I mentioned earlier with a study of environment, students could discuss how the earth works together using different environments and do some research regarding earth science. The experience may work as a starting point for a study of the earth's various environments and the organisms that live there. The Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens is a technologically advanced and green building. Studying the facility itself would fall into science and technology, in addition to a discussion involving helping to save the environment. Students could study how the conservatory works to save energy, and works in a technologically efficient way that creates a wonderful space. Lastly, students could delve into "Science in Personal and Social Perspectives" by discussing populations of plants, resources, and environments in terms of how humans affect the various plant life across the globe. Overall, I found numerous topics that would be applicable to various ages in the science classroom. The conservatory seemed like a great place to take students for a variety of reasons, and would work to approach numerous studies in the science standards.
Here are a few links to the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens for further reading:
http://www.rockfordparkdistrict.org/ncg - general information
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Ui4mEfdxg - a historical video about the conservatory update
No comments:
Post a Comment