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Field Trip Guide |
Plan Your Visit The Frontier Culture Museum offers a wide variety of fascinating information and history. Preparing your students prior to the Museum visit enhances the learning experience. We have included some examples of pre-visit activities. The Museum's educational programs are centered on key Virginia Standards of Learning (VA SOLs). When choosing a program, check to see if the program matches your study and the VA SOL you are focusing on. If you need assistance with this, please call the Education Department at the Museum. Each of the programs offered has a theme and objective that is supported by classroom learning. Each program concentrates on very specific areas of the Museum. During these focus programs, students will have the opportunity to touch, see, smell, and use all their senses to be active learners. With the proper preparation, a field trip to the Frontier Culture Museum can be more than fun, it can be meaningful. Questions to help you prepare for your museum visit: 1. How will the Museum focus fit into my classroom studies? 2. What do I want the students to learn during the visit? 3. How will information be processed and analyzed? Prepare Your Students 1. Assess what your students know. Create a chart in the classroom of topics you covered that are relevant to what they might learn at the Museum. 2. Research and Gather Students can research different areas of history that are covered at the Museum. Encourage the students to look for primary sources as well as the Frontier Culture Museum website. 3. What do the students want to learn while visiting the museum? Have the students create a list of questions or topics to bring with them during their tour. The students are welcome to ask questions of the interpreters to find more specific answers. Examples of Historical Themes Represented at the Museum: * 17th and 18th C. European History i.e. Great Britain and Germany * 17th and 18th C. European Architecture * 18th and 19th C. Early American Architecture * 18th C. West African History and Architecture * Daily lives of 17th and 18th C. European, West African and Early Americans * Historic Woodworking * Settlement west of the Blue Ridge Mountains * Fiber processing * Old World Immigration to Early America * Historic Food ways Pre Visit Classroom Discussion Making Predictions Why do you think the people from Germany, Ireland, England and West Africa were emigrating, and why do you think they were going to America? Was it for economic, political, or social reasons? After investigating the agriculture, social history and geography of the areas, what are your predictions? The time periods were: Germany - early 18th century Ireland - early 18th century England - late 17th century West Africa - 18th century Making Choices! You are leaving for a new country. You do not know what your life will be like in this new country. It is likely you will never see your family and old friends again. You will be traveling on a crowded ship across the Atlantic Ocean for at least 14 weeks before you reach your destination. Choose three items to take with you to your new home and explain the importance of each item. Choose carefully, as you can not return to your home for more items! How'd They Do That? Farming in the 19th century was a tough job. Think about all the tools you would need to be a successful farmer and make a list. Compare that list to what today's farmers use. Do you think it would be easier being a farmer today or then? Give differing examples. Hey Mom, What's For Dinner? The early frontier settlers worked very hard, so they needed to eat much more than we do today. Think about where these people might have gotten their food and what types of food they ate. Do you think we eat the same food today? What do you think is different and why? Our House Is A Very Fine House Draw a picture of your house. Next to your picture make a list of what your house is built from. Take your picture and list with you when you come to the Museum and discover how houses were built and why they were built that way! See if there is a difference from houses today! Post Visit Classroom Discussion What's Old is New Again! Do you remember the tools on the farm site? Draw three or four of these old tools in one column and in the other column draw what they look like today! What difference do you see? Why do you think our tools today are different? Mail a Postcard On a large index card, draw a picture of your favorite thing from the Museum. On the back side write to a friend or family member about some of the things you saw on your field trip and what you learned! When you are all finished, mail your postcard to them. Write a Short Story Imagine that you had to leave behind your family, and you would never be able to see them again. Early American immigrants experienced this loss in order to create a better future for themselves and their family. Write a short story using examples and information you received during your Museum visit to create a short story. Lights Camera Action! Using what you saw and learned from your museum visit, create a play that depicts a day in the life of _______. To make it manageable, choose one location such as the American Farm Site, English Farm Site etc. Have members of you class act out the parts! Coming to the Museum Your Field Trip at the Frontier Culture Museum can either be Self-Guided or Guided. Visit the Museum We recommend that you visit the Museum before hand to help you decide what you want your students to see and learn as well as get a feel for the time. Choose a Program Your visit should be an extension of the classroom. Decide carefully which of the many programs best supports your classroom curriculum. If time permits, you may choose more than one. Dress The Frontier Culture Museum is an outdoor living history Museum, therefore it is important that students dress for the current weather. Lunch Your group will have several suitable choices as to where to eat your lunch. Shopping The Museum has a wonderful store with great gift ideas and children's section. If your group plans to shop, please allow 20 minutes and chaperone them in small groups. Chaperones The Museum recommends 1 chaperone per 5 pre K-2nd and 1 chaperone for every 10 students above 3rd grade. This is to ensure safety and accessibility to small exhibits. Confirmation You will receive a confirmation by mail stating the approximate cost and schedule for your planned visit. Please review this carefully and contact the Museum to make any necessary changes before arrival . Arrival Please plan on arriving at least 15 minutes prior to your tour. This will give you time to check-in, organize your groups/chaperones and allow for a restroom break. General Information Reservations Reservations are required for all school programs. You can call 540.332.7850 or go on-line at www.frontiermuseum.org/education/registration.php Please have the following information ready when you call: Class Grade Level, Number of Students, Number of Teachers, Number of Adult Chaperones, School Address and Phone Number, Email Address, Program of Choice, Date and Time of Field Trip, Number if Pizza Lunches or Gift Bags (if applicable). Program Rates Call the Museum at 540.332.7850 for our fee schedule. Payment and Cancellations Payments are made on the day of the field trip upon check-in at the Visitor Center. Education Programs are held rain or shine. The Museum kindly asks that in the event of a cancellation, you call 24 hours before your scheduled tour to avoid a 20% cancellation fee. Group Leaders Group Leaders are responsible for students' behavior and must remain with their students at all times. Please keep in mind that other schools may be at the Museum at the same time you are. Food & Gift Bags The Museum Store will kindly arrange a pizza lunch at a reasonable price for your school group. Gift bags are also available. Advanced reservations are required. Please include this information when you schedule your field trip. Museum Store Funds from the Museum Store support educational programming and field trips to the Museum. Teachers will find great resources and references books at the Store. Students will enjoy affordable toys, games, souvenirs, etc. Accessibility The Frontier Culture Museum makes every effort to provide a quality educational program to all students. When booking a field trip, please notify the reservations office of any participants with disabilities. Location We are located near the intersection of I-81 and I-64 in Staunton, Virginia. I-81, Exit 222, Route 250 West will find us. The Museum is 1/2 mile on the left. Free parking is available. Grant Information The Frontier Culture Museum is pleased to make grant money available to qualified education groups. What are the American Frontier Culture Foundation's funding criteria? The Grant Committee will review all applications, and based on the grant money available, will award grants based on the following criteria: * How the field trip meets the specific needs of the class * The clarity of the goals and objectives for a field trip to the Museum * What the teacher will bring to the classroom in preparation of the field trip * What the teacher will bring to the classroom in follow-up activities after the field trip What are the responsibilities of the grant recipients? * Teacher to complete and submit an evaluation form within 30 days of the trip * Teacher to submit pre and post lesson plans for Museum Teacher Resources * Students to write/draw thank you notes for their filed trip that we can send to the organization providing the grant funding What will be funded? * Transportation * Admission * Lunch * Gift bags What will not be funded? Grant funds are not intended to replace or relieve the existing responsibility for public funding of school programs, nor are they intended to substitute for items funded by the PTOs or included in the regular school budget. Transportation funds will be awarded only to schools more than 75 miles away from the Museum. If you would like more information about this program, kindly contact the Museum. |