A colleague from another school lamented about an upcoming field trip. She was worried about her class's behavior. Then after the trip she reported that the trip was a great success and her students were complimented by the field study docents. How did that happen?, I asked.
She told me that she helped the students prepare well for the trip. First she reviewed a map with the students showing them all the places that they would see. Each child had a copy of that map and marked the locations. She also made great groups and used the buddy system. She brought a whistle and when she blew the whistle, students buddied up, and when she called, "Circle," the class made a circle. She prepped the students for the amount of listening too, and she mentioned that her parent chaperones were terrific.
My students are going on a similar field trip Monday. I'll follow this colleague's lead with regard to the prep so we have a similarl positive experience.
