I currently have a blended class of 1st and 2nd grade learners. This spring we have been doing some project based learning about landforms and we are now working on an animal unit.
The students are so engaged in these projects and are so excited when they see examples of what they are learning about out in the community.
Recently we attended a field trip in a park where we learned about animal habitats and adaptations for animals in our community.
One of the stations involved learning to use binoculars to help us see birds. The students were so engaged in using the binoculars and sharing their findings as we went on a nature walk. The trip inspired me to do more outdoor education to keep their curiosity alive.
My Project
The students were very excited to use the binoculars on our field trip. I was impressed with how using binoculars helped focus my students and keep them engaged in the task at hand for an extended period of time. It got me to thinking about how else we could use binoculars with outdoor learning experiences.
Getting a class set of binoculars would give my science units a new avenue for exploration and inquiry.
An obvious use would to study animals and plants in different habitats (which is what we were doing on our field trip). We also study landforms and there are several different types around us. Next year I want to take a field trip where we could take a hike and look for all the landforms around our community. The binoculars would be great for this trip as well. I also thought about just going out into our school neighborhood and using the binoculars to learn about the plants and animals in our neighborhood.
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