Welcome to Preuss Pets!
Happy Monday! For right now, I want to take a short break from elementary lesson ideas and bring the focus back to my college classroom. As some of you already know, I’m taking TE 403 at Michigan State University this semester, a class that focuses on teaching science as well as the importance of recognizing diversity in the classroom. Last week, though, there was a twist to class – make your own field trip! My professor suggested several locations in Lansing that we could visit, thinking about how we could utilize these areas for our own future classrooms. For all you Lansing teachers, here are some perfect field trip locations right in your own town:
Impression 5, Potter Park Zoo, Preuss Pets, Kellogg Biological Station, Fenner Nature Center, Chippewa Nature Center, Howell Nature Center, Woldumar Nature Center, Abrams Planetarium, MSU Observatory, MSU Extension, and Project WET/Project WILD/Project Learning Tree (these last three projects are more teacher resources than field trips, but still useful!)
Those were a lot of options to choose from! For my field trip, I went to Preuss Pets, a not-so-ordinary pet store. Upon walking in, I realized that this was not just your typical dog food/goldfish/cat toy store, this was a place of experts! There are sections dedicated to birds, fish, reptiles, and rodents. After walking over the koi pond, I came across long rows of cages with exotic-looking birds, some of which weren’t even behind bars! There were birds sitting out in the open, enjoying their freedom. A birdkeeper also stood nearby, ready to answer any questions we had.
Now to the craziest part: the fish. Rows upon rows of tanks with different breeds in each, both saltwater and freshwater. Each breed has an information tag on it describing the breed. One fun fact I learned was that not all glow-in-the-dark fish are genetically altered to be that way – there exist naturally luminescent fish! And the information isn’t limited to the cards, either. There are fish experts walking around, readily available to answer any aquatic questions. When my friend asked about getting a brother for her pet beta, an expert told her which tank she should upgrade to, which heater she would need, and which fish she could choose from. I didn’t even know other breeds could live with beta fish! Overall, this section of the store was mesmerizing.
After this eye-opening experience, I was faced with the question of how could I bring this resource to my students? Sure, it’s fun to just take them to an exciting place, but field trips need to have a purpose. Looking at Preuss Pet’s website, I found my answer. This store offers informational sessions, either at the store or at an outside location. These sessions present different types of animals and how to properly take care of them. Bingo! Learning about animals, their habits, and what they need could fit into a lot of NGSS standards! Here’s a few examples:
4-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction
K-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
2-LS4-1 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
Of course, you would probably need to connect the pets’ needs to how they survive in the wild, but basing your lesson off of pets will help excite students and relate the unit to their home lives!
But what if you wanted to bring the students to the store? As I’ve learned in class, field trips are an essential activity that take students outside the classroom to explore their community. There are countless resources all around us, ready to teach our students new things and get them involved in their own town. Here’s a few tips I found for taking students on a field trip (you can check out the website for more info):
1. Identify WHY you’re going on the lesson. This means standards, learning outcomes, essential concepts, etc. Field trips need to have an academic purpose (especially if you want administrative approval of the trip!)
2. Prepare the students BEFORE the trip. When taking students on a field trip, you’ll find out pretty quickly that it gets a bit chaotic once they leave the classroom. Prepping students for the field trip beforehand will make it a lot easier to clarify what they should be focusing on in this new area. Preparation includes laying out behavior/learning expectations, developing a schedule, and introducing the lesson you’ll be focusing on.
3. Prepare everyone else! Get parent permission slips, gather chaperones, contact bus drivers, and scout out the site. If the site offers a guide/presenter, make sure your expectations are aligned with theirs.
4. Bring the essentials: first-aid kit, paper/pencils for students, lunches, emergency contact information, cell phone, etc. Also, I thought this was a neat trick: Have students tie-dye some T-shirts and wear them so that you can easily identify which kids are yours!
I hope you found these tips useful, and good luck with your future field trips! As always, feel free to leave any comments with your own ideas/suggestions. See ya next time!
Impression 5, Potter Park Zoo, Preuss Pets, Kellogg Biological Station, Fenner Nature Center, Chippewa Nature Center, Howell Nature Center, Woldumar Nature Center, Abrams Planetarium, MSU Observatory, MSU Extension, and Project WET/Project WILD/Project Learning Tree (these last three projects are more teacher resources than field trips, but still useful!)
Those were a lot of options to choose from! For my field trip, I went to Preuss Pets, a not-so-ordinary pet store. Upon walking in, I realized that this was not just your typical dog food/goldfish/cat toy store, this was a place of experts! There are sections dedicated to birds, fish, reptiles, and rodents. After walking over the koi pond, I came across long rows of cages with exotic-looking birds, some of which weren’t even behind bars! There were birds sitting out in the open, enjoying their freedom. A birdkeeper also stood nearby, ready to answer any questions we had.
4-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction
K-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
2-LS4-1 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
Of course, you would probably need to connect the pets’ needs to how they survive in the wild, but basing your lesson off of pets will help excite students and relate the unit to their home lives!
But what if you wanted to bring the students to the store? As I’ve learned in class, field trips are an essential activity that take students outside the classroom to explore their community. There are countless resources all around us, ready to teach our students new things and get them involved in their own town. Here’s a few tips I found for taking students on a field trip (you can check out the website for more info):
1. Identify WHY you’re going on the lesson. This means standards, learning outcomes, essential concepts, etc. Field trips need to have an academic purpose (especially if you want administrative approval of the trip!)
2. Prepare the students BEFORE the trip. When taking students on a field trip, you’ll find out pretty quickly that it gets a bit chaotic once they leave the classroom. Prepping students for the field trip beforehand will make it a lot easier to clarify what they should be focusing on in this new area. Preparation includes laying out behavior/learning expectations, developing a schedule, and introducing the lesson you’ll be focusing on.
3. Prepare everyone else! Get parent permission slips, gather chaperones, contact bus drivers, and scout out the site. If the site offers a guide/presenter, make sure your expectations are aligned with theirs.
4. Bring the essentials: first-aid kit, paper/pencils for students, lunches, emergency contact information, cell phone, etc. Also, I thought this was a neat trick: Have students tie-dye some T-shirts and wear them so that you can easily identify which kids are yours!
I hope you found these tips useful, and good luck with your future field trips! As always, feel free to leave any comments with your own ideas/suggestions. See ya next time!
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