Wrap-up Activities
Post Trip Activities
The
field trip isn't over when students get off the bus back at school. Follow-up activities
in the classroom can reinforce and put students' park reaming experiences into
perspective, as well as build on the high levels of interest and enthusiasm generated by
the field trip for some time to come. Some general ideas for post-trip activities are
given below:
Discussion
After the field trip, encourage students to discuss
their I reactions to their field trip experiences: What did they I like the most? Least?
And Why? Have their feelings | or ideas changed about the Park? About the things I they
saw there? How and why? Ask them--lf you were I giving a friend a tour of the Park, what
would you show them first? Last? Not at all? Why?
Review Worksheets If your students have done worksheet activities at the Park, go over them when
you return to the classroom. Discuss their answers, ideas, experiences and any questions
they have about what they saw and did. If the trip has generated as many questions as it
has answered, has it been successful?
Newspapers or Newsletters
Have students write news articles for the school paper or
publish a newsletter about their field trip experiences for their fellow students and
parents. Divide up responsibilities for different topics or phases of the field trip among
the students, and encourage them to interview one another and to illustrate their stories
with sketches or cartoons.
Journal
Have the students write about their trip. Be sure to
make a special spot in the classroom so others may read them, and sign "I have read
book."
Tape/Video Recordings
Tape record or videotape students' stories about and
reactions to their field trip. You may wish to transcribe them and have students
illustrate them to add to their park booklet. Or, the stories could be bound into a class
volume about the trip.
Letters
Have students write thank you notes to their chaperons and or
park personnel, and letters to their parents about their trip experiences. They could even
design their own stationary using, signs, symbols or designs observed in the Park.
Banners and Posters
Ask students to think of their favorite thing they saw
at the Park, and to create a banner or poster to encourage other people to visit the Park.
Certificates of Achievement
Make up certificates of achievement for students for
successful completion of their field trip. Students may wish to color them and include
them in their park journals.
Murals
Have students create murals about either the Civil
War or their park experiences. If you took photographs on the field trip, these can be
included in the mural or made into a bulletin board display about the trip.
Creative Writing
Have students write poems, essays and stories based on their
field trip, theme, or experiences. Encourage them to use their imagination to write about
"What if...?" or "A Typical Day in the Life of ...? Have them write about
imaginary people that might have experienced the Siege of Vicksburg, incorporating
observations and information they learned on their field trip.
Design a Monument
Have students design a monument to their school, class
or field trip. Students can draw or build the monument, put on display in the school or
classroom.
Cinquain and Haiku
Select an topic and ask the students to write cinquain
or haiku poems about it. A cinquain is a five line poem in which the first line consists
of one word. The second line is two words which describe the first line. The third line
consists of three words depicting an action. The fourth line consists of four words that
convey feeling. And the fifth line is again one word which refers back to the first line.
A haiku poems consists of three lines with 5, 7, 5 syllables respectively, and is usually
about nature. Traditionally, both forms are rhymeless. And example is given below:
Cinquain
War
Dark, violent
Screaming, charging, exploding
Somber, fear, courage, resolve
Death
Haiku
Silent stone
Glistening, standing, remembering
Ancient warrior sleeps
Tracing
Your Ancestors
Have students interview family members about stories
they have heard of ancestors in the Civil War. Research library archives, churches, state
archives etc... Have the students create a family tree.
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