Our Day at Brookfield Zoo: An Interdisciplinary Field Trip Melissa Tomany Kari Pedziwiatr University of St. Francis Spri

1. Our Day at Brookfield Zoo: An Interdisciplinary Field Trip Melissa Tomany Kari Pedziwiatr University of St. Francis Spring 2012 Classroom Management and Discipline Professor Evans

2. Information taken from: https://www.brookfieldzoo.org/shell/?shttplink=../pgpages/pagegen.280.aspx Calculations: • Transportation: 120 students + 12 chaperones = 132 total # of benches per school bus = 24; # of passengers per bench = 2 # of passengers per bus = 48 (132/48=2.75) # of buses needed = 3 Creekside Elementary to Brookfield Zoo = 25.3 miles Cost per hour = $36.48; Total number of hours = 6 Cost per mile = $0.96 Parking per bus = $12.00; parking for 3 buses = $36.00 (3 x $12) Hourly cost of one bus = ($36.48 x 6 hours) = $218.88 Mileage cost of one bus = ($0.96 x 25.3) = $24.29 Total cost of one bus = ($218.88 + $24.29) = $243.17 Total cost of 3 buses = ($243.17 x 3) = $729.51 Total cost of buses & parking = $729.51 + $36.00 = $765.51 Total cost per student = ($765.51/120 students) = $6.38

3. Brookfield Zoo Field Trip Cost: • Total cost for buses = $729.51 • Brookfield Zoo Admission (including teachers + chaperones) = Free (Illinois students on a field trip are free every day. With your school reservation, all adult supervisors are also free.)  Total cost per student = $6.38 (round up to $7.00 per student)

4. Letter to Principal Dear Kevin Slattery, The 4th grade team has been studying animal species and conservation in social studies and science during this quarter. Students have started to become more familiar with different types of animal species along with conservation topics as well. We as a team would like to take our students to Brookfield Zoo to put our studies into practice. There are several programs offered at Brookfield Zoo that will allow students to see live animals along with a program discussing the importance of conservation at the zoo. For this field trip, students will be allowed hands on experiences at several different parts of the zoo that will help to continue understanding of the content being taught in class. Students will also be allowed to pick the types of animals that they see at the zoo which in turn allows students more independence in making their own decisions based upon their own interests. Once we have arrived at the zoo. Each chaperone will have their own individual itinerary which will include where their group will visit for the day, a copy of the park rules and Creekside school rules, along with a map of the zoo. We would like to take this field trip on Wednesday, April 25th, 2012. Since admission into the park is free of charge, it will only cost $7.00 for transportation to and from the park. Thank you for taking the time to consider this field as an option for the 4th grade students to take. Sincerely, The Fourth Grade team

5. Group 1: Monkeys Brookfield Zoo requires a minimum of one chaperon to every ten students. Due to the ties to the curriculum, each of the 120 students will be with a teacher, even if it was not there teacher. Therefore the students will be groups of thirty with one teacher and two additional chaperons.

6. Group 2: Bears Each group will visit tropic world to tie into their science curriculum on primates and Adventures with Agua to tie into their lessons on conservation in social studies. The choice of group will be determined by the survey students took during class. Being that it would be very difficult for students to see every exhibit at the zoo, it is important that students are grouped so that each student may see as much of what they want to see at the zoo as they can.

7. Group 3: Lions

8. Group 4: Giraffes • The names of the students are not real. They are taken from the list of the 100 most popular baby names for 2011. Any resemblance to a class of students is merely coincidental. • (http://www.babycenter.com/top-baby-names-2011)

9. Itinerary for Field Trip:

10. Monkeys:

11. Creekside ElementaryField Trip Permission Form March 19th, 2012 Dear Parent(s) or Guardian(s), On Wednesday, April 25th, 2012, the fourth grade team will be taking a field trip to Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, IL. Students in the 4th grade have been learned about different types of animals in science and social studies. Students are also learning about conservation in social studies. At Brookfield Zoo, they provide hands on activities to do with the students depending on the interest the students have about certain animals. Brookfield Zoo also provides a program that talks about conservation and how to conserve while at Brookfield Zoo. Students will be able to choose from a list of animals to see depending on their interest. There will be four separate groups of animals to choose from so it is guaranteed that your child with see at least one animal that they want to during the trip. For more information about Brookfield Zoo, please visit their website at: http://www.czs.org/czs/Brookfield/Zoo-Home.aspx Admission into the park is free and students will be required to bring a sack lunch for the day. Students will depart from Creekside at 9:15am and return at 3:05pm. The only required cost for the field trip is $7.00 which will help pay for transportation to the Zoo. Please fill out the following forms and return with your child along with the $7.00 in an envelope clearly marked with the name of the student on the front. Please return the two forms and money no later than Monday, April 4 th. If you would like to be a chaperone for this field trip, please contact Ms. Pedziwiatr atteacher1@creekside.eduor Melissa Tomany at teacher2@creekside.edu. Have a great day!  The Fourth Grade Team

12. Permission Slip (part 1) PLAINFIELD COMMUNITY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT #202 TRIP CONSENT FORM I hereby give permission and consent for my son/daughter, ________________________ to participate in the ___________________________________________(activity) on ____________, sponsored by Plainfield Community Consolidated School District #202 and to be transported by: ( ) School Bus ( ) Van ( ) Private Vehicle 1. CONDUCT: I understand that my student must comply with the provisions of the Student Handbook and other rules of conduct established by the School District while participating in the above-mentioned activity. I have discussed this requirement with my student. 2. EMERGENCY MEDICAL AID: I hereby give permission for the School District to secure whatever emergency treatment that my child needs in connection with the activity. ( ) Yes ( ) No If I am away from home during the time of the activity, I can be reached at: _____________________________ ____________________________ (address) (telephone)

13. Other health information about my child, of importance to the activity: Signed: ____________________________________ ______________________ Parent or Guardian Signature Date __________________________________________ ______________________ Parent or Guardian Signature Date Adopted: December 16, 1996 *Please send to school with your child or fax to the school office. Permission Slip (part 2)

14. Standards connected to content: STATE GOAL 3: Write to communicate for a variety of purposes. A. Use correct grammar, spell­ing, punctuation, capitalization and structure. 3.A.2 Write paragraphs that include a variety of sentence types; appropriate use of the eight parts of speech; and accurate spelling, capitalization and punctuation. B. Compose well-organized and coherent writing for specific pur­poses and audiences. 3.B.2a Generate and organize ideas using a variety of planning strategies (e.g., mapping, outlining, drafting). 3.B.2b Establish central idea, organization, elaboration and unity in relation to purpose and audience. 3.B.2c Expand ideas by using modifiers, subordination and standard para­graph organization. 3.B.2d Edit documents for clarity, subjectivity, pronoun-antecedent agreement, adverb and adjective agreement and verb tense; proofread for spelling, capitalization and punctuation; and ensure that documents are formatted in final form for submission and/or publication. C. Communicate ideas in writing to accomplish a variety of purposes. 3.C.2a Write for a variety of purposes and for specified audiences in a variety of forms including narrative (e.g., fiction, autobiography), expository (e.g., reports, essays) and persua­sive writings (e.g., editorials, advertisements). 3.C.2b Produce and format compositions for specified audiences using available technology.

15. Content Connection: • Project: Informative Writing • The day before the field trip students will be given a choice of three animals by the teacher. These animals will be ones that they will see at the zoo. Each student will fill out a KWL chart on one of the three animals. Students who finish early will fill out the second and third charts as time allows. • The day after the field trip students will finish their KWL chart. Students who filled out more than one chart may choose which animal to complete. They will then write an informative one page essay about the animal they chose. These documents will be proof read and edited by the student and teacher and published in a class book for future fourth grade classes. Each student and teacher will receive a copy of the book.

16. STATE GOAL 10: Collect, organize and analyze data using statistical methods; predict results; and interpret uncertainty using concepts of probability. A. Organize, describe and make predictions from existing data. 10.A.2a Organize and display data using pictures, tallies, tables, charts, bar graphs, line graphs, line plots and stem-and-leaf graphs. B. Formulate questions, design data collection methods, gather and analyze data and communicate findings. 10.B.2b Collect, organize and display data using tables, charts, bar graphs, line graphs, circle graphs, line plots and stem-and-leaf graphs. 10.B.2d Interpret results or make relevant decisions based on the data gathered. C. Determine, describe and apply the probabilities of events. 10.C.2a Calculate the probability of a simple event. 10.C.2b Compare the likelihood of events in terms of certain, more likely, less likely or impossible. 10.C.2c Determine the probability of an event involving “and”, “or” or “not”.

17. Content Connection: • The day before the field trip students will find out what their animal group is. Each class will do two math project one using probability and one using charting. • Activity One: Probability Students will figure the probability of ending up in each group. (1 in 4) Students will figure out the probability of ending up in Monkeys or Giraffes. Students will figure out the probability of ending up in Monkeys or Giraffes or Bears. Students will figure out the probability of ending up in Monkeys or Bears or Giraffes or Lions. Students will figure out the probability of ending up in Monkeys and Lions. Students will discuss which events are more or less likely. • Activity Two: Charting Students in each class will find out which group they are in, Monkeys, Lions, Bears, or Giraffes. Each class will chart their groups on the board using post it notes. The students will then compare and contrast the information on the chart as a whole class. Each student will then write one paragraph comparing information on the chart. They will use the words equal, more than, and less than in their paragraph.

18. STATE GOAL 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles and interconnections of the life, physical and earth/space sciences. A. Know and apply concepts that explain how living things func­tion, adapt and change. 12.A.2a Describe simple life cycles of plants and animals and the similarities and differences in their offspring. 12.A.1b Categorize living organisms using a variety of observable features (e.g., size, color, shape, backbone). B. Know and apply concepts that describe how living things interact with each other and with their environ­ment. 12.B.2b Identify physical features of plants and animals that help them live in different environments (e.g., specialized teeth for eating certain foods, thorns for protection, insulation for cold temperature).

19. Content Connection: • In Science students will be discussing primates. Students will learn what makes a primate a primate. • After the trip to the zoo students will complete a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting human beings to one of the primates they saw at the zoo. Students will also compare and contrast a small primate (i.e. monkey or tamarin), a medium size primate (i.e. baboon, chimpanzee), and a large primate (i.e. gorilla). • Differences and Similarities among primates will be the second half of our grand conversation.

20. STATE GOAL 17: Understand world geography and the effects of geography on society, with an emphasis on the United States. • A. Locate, describe and explain places, regions and features on the Earth. • 17.A.2a Compare the physical character­istics of places including soils, land forms, vegetation, wildlife, climate, natural hazards. • B. Analyze and explain characteristics and interactions of the Earth’s physical systems. • 17.B.2b Explain how physical and living components interact in a variety of ecosystems including desert, prairie, flood plain, forest, tundra. • C. Understand relationships between geographic factors and society. • 17.C.2c Explain how human activity affects the environment.

21. Content Connection: • During Social Studies we will be discussing conservation and how human activity can affect a variety of environments before the field trip. In our unit, we will discuss water conservation, endangered species, and how to be a conservationist. Students will be expected to find things relating to conservation on their trip to the zoo. They will have a scavenger hunt list and to complete as they tour the zoo. Each list will have ten things. • Students must write a note of what they found be it an animal or location on their list. There will be a teacher in each group who will draw attention to things students may write on their list. Each student must fill out at least five to receive full credit. Students who fill out eight or more will receive a conservation leader certificate. Students will hand in the scavenger hunts when they arrive back to the school. Part of the grand discussion will focus on conservation.

22. Reflection: Melissa This experience has been wonderful. I found the project to be extremely fun. It allowed me to be creative and I have never had an easier time putting my thoughts into words. I love the Brookfield Zoo. I went often as a child and became a member in 2009. In 2010 I found out that the zoo has many teacher resources and offers free admission to Illinois schools for scheduled field trips. As a future teacher I could not wait until I had my own class and could take them to the zoo. I was excited to be able to plan the trip sooner than I thought and the only disappointment is that I do not have a class to take on the trip. I found the zoo easy to tie to the standards and curriculum. The thing I found difficult was focusing on what activities I wanted to do. As I narrowed down the activities I realized I was able to refine my ideas and come up with some projects that will be both interesting and engaging I really enjoyed planning the individual group itineraries, though that was the most challenging. I did not want 120 students trying to use the same bathroom at the same time so I carefully planned so that they would have lunch and bathroom breaks in shifts at varying locations. I especially wanted to make sure the final bathroom break was at four different locations. The cost calculation was fairly simple. The one thing I did not like was to typing my math. I have always done a great deal of math in my head and I have never been good about writing down all of the steps. I was also excited about all of the help the zoo gave me. They directed me to a schedule created for students who have difficulty with transitioning and even gave me extra maps to use for our resource packet. I was shocked to find out the zoo normally does not give the full color maps to everyone in a school group. Knowing that the one thing I would remember would be to go ahead of time and request enough so that each teacher and chaperone could have a full color copy. In conclusion, this was a fun and exciting project. I would recommend the Brookfield Zoo to any teacher and hope to take my class there in the future.

23. Reflection: Kari At first I was very hesitant on choosing Brookfield Zoo as my fieldtrip choice. I do not know very much about animals and I myself do not go to the zoo very often. After doing my research however, I found that the zoo is a great place to take any age of students because it offers so much to them. It is also very easy to connect content to different programs they offer at the zoo. Another thing I thought was really cool was that the zoo doesn’t charge an admission price to get in for students. This is extremely beneficial for schools that do not have much of a budget to use for field trips. In terms of doing this project, I would have to say it was much more difficult than I thought it would be. I have planned field trips in the past for another job I have but it was not anywhere near as difficult. It is also difficult to plan this project with another person so I couldn’t imagine trying to plan a trip with an entire team. Time management would definitely be one of my biggest obstacles with planning a field trip. Looking at the requirement s from Brookfield Zoo, it would definitely take months to make sure everything was submitted on time. Knowing what I know now I would definitely take a trip to the zoo with my students. I feel like they have a lot to offer. Even though I am not a big animal person, if it helped connect to the content that was being discussed in class, I would take one for the team. I think that this project is very good for IFE students to do since it really is not something you think about until you become a teacher. I am glad I had the experience of planning my own field trip before I have to do it again when I am an actual teacher.