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Field Trip to Liberty Park

Objective/Goal: Students will engage in planning the field trip with me. We will learn about the
history of Liberty Park and then they will each draw a map of Liberty Park that they will then
use to help them find what is located inside the park. They will note what has changed inside
the park over the years as we walk through it.
What the Teacher Will Need: I will need to have volunteers come along with me to help with
the students. I will send letters out to parents and ask if any of them would like to come along
and help me. I will also ask any of the school staff if they are able to come along.
What the Students Will Need: Students will need to have learned about the history of the park.
They will need to have a completed map of what the current park looks like and be prepared
with a notebook to take notes on what has changed over the years inside the park. They will
also need to have a signed permission slip from a guardian that states they can come.
State Standard Connection: Fifth Grade Standard I: Students will understand how the
exploration and colonization of North America transformed human history. We will use this
field trip to better help us understand how people change things over time –This connects to
what we have learned about Geography. This field trip will also help us learn how to make maps
and use them to guide us. They will understand how important maps are and why we need
them.
Connection to 5th grade Science
The main intent of science instruction in Utah is that students will value and use science as a
process of obtaining knowledge based upon observable evidence.
By the end of fifth grade students will be able to:
1. Use Science Process and Thinking Skills
a. Observe simple objects, patterns, and events and report their observations.
b. Sort and sequence data according to criteria given.
c. Given the appropriate instrument, measure length, temperature, volume, and mass in
metric units as specified.
d. Compare things, processes, and events.
e. Use classification systems.
f. Plan and conduct simple experiments.
g. Formulate simple research questions.
h. Predict results of investigations based on prior data.
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i. Use data to construct a reasonable conclusion.

Pre-Planning
I will introduce the field trip to students by showing them online pictures of the park. I will ask
them to tell me what they see and if they know where these pictures were taken. After that I
will pull the park up on Google Earth and show them where the pictures were taken. Then we
will start learning about the history of the park. I will pull up this article that we well read
together. https://www.deseret.com/2010/10/18/20147492/liberty-park-has-been-an-oasis-in-
city-since-1881#interior-of-the-historic-chase-mill-is-now-cluttered-with-old-equipment
Then as a class we will write down the important pieces of history about the park. The students
will be writing this information down in their Social Studies notebook. I will make sure they
know that we will use this information to make a Venn Diagram on the “Liberty Park Before”,
“Liberty Park Now” and then in the center will be what remains the same. This should help
them understand the change. After we have filled out the Before part of the Venn Diagram, I
will pull up a current map of Liberty Park. They will have time to draw their own map so that
they can use it on our field trip.

After we have drawn our maps students will make a chart. On the chart we will have 2 columns,
one that says what we will see & do at the park and another for how we should act. As a whole
class we will work on bullet pointing key things that we should be doing at the park and how we
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should act while we are there. If they contribute to setting expectations and procedures/rules
for while we are there, then they will most likely want to follow them.

During the Field Trip

When we arrive to the park students will have their maps ready. We will look at them, find
where we are and start walking around the park. As we are walking students should be paying
attention, pointing out the changes they see based off the history we learned about the park
from their notes. They will have their notebooks with them so that they can look at the facts
they wrote down and write the new things they see. We will learn information about what is
located at the park and they will need to be writing notes as we go around. We will engage in
discussions in whole groups and in partners about our findings and cool things we see. The
overall goals are to learn but have fun while doing it. Students are expected to be observing and
writing down what they have found/seen/read while we walk around. I will also encourage
them to write down their thoughts, feelings and ideas.

After the Field Trip

After we have done the field trip as a class we will talk about our experience, list what we
liked/didn’t like. We will gather our data/notes/findings about Liberty park. This will include
what we learned before the trip before and during the field trip. As a whole class we will use a
big poster to create a Venn Diagram that we will fill out together. First, we will separate our
information, make sense of it and place it in the right place on our Venn Diagram. On the
bottom our poster we will come up with a few questions that we still have our what we are still
curious about, and a couple connections that we have made to what we have been currently
working on in class. We will find somewhere to place our completed Venn Diagram. Either in
our class on a board or out in the hall on our class board.
Students will have time to reflect on their overall experience of the activities before the field
trip, during and after in their Social Studies notebook. While they are reflecting, I will be
reflecting as well. I will use the questions below to evaluate the experience.
Complete a "Teacher Journal" regarding the field trip. This will provide a good reference for
future field trips.
 What was of unique educational value in this field trip?
 Did the students meet the objectives/expectations?
 Was there adequate time?
 Was there adequate staff and adult supervision?
 What might be done differently to make this an even better experience in the future?
 What special points should be emphasized next time?
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 What special problems should be addressed in the future?

 What would improve a visit to this site in the future?