First Grade Crew | Field Studies

Every beginning of the year, as a culture we create Hopes and Dreams for the school year. This year First Graders had many hopes and dreams. But, one that stood out to the first grade teachers was Field Trips, also known as Field Study. A field study is when our crews go outside of our school and deepen their learning on what they’re focusing on for modules or specific content (math or fine arts). Many students and staff really enjoy going on field studies because the wonders that students have about what they’re learning can be discovered or they learn something new. It also allows teachers and parents to see all the knowledge they’ve gained during the past weeks of school. Finally, field studies allow parents to come and build relationships with the teacher and the entire crew. 

Where do you go on a field study? This question many parents always ask at the beginning of the school year. In first grade, our module is focused on Sun, Moon, and Stars, Birds Amazing Bodies, and Family History. Our first field study was to the Detroit Historical Museum and students went on a scavenger hunt to find different artifacts about Detroit history. We also went to a fun planetarium and learned a lot about constellations in the sky. Although, all of the field studies were fun and engaging for the students. My crew favorite field study, when we had voted at the end of the year, was us going to Kensington Nature Center. Many of the students said it was the best because they saw many live birds and they enjoyed learning so much about birds. 

Field studies are important at DAA because it is the time students can go on a meaningful trip to deepen their understanding about what the crew is focusing on during that time. It’s a great chance for parents to come be a part of the crew and get to build a relationship as well.