Kindergarten Crew // Field Study
At DAA, we learn by doing and getting our hands dirty. Students work towards investigating real community problems and applying fundamental skills they learn in class towards interesting, relevant, and meaningful topics. We do much of this by reading about, writing about, and researching about interesting topics for weeks at a time. But just reading and researching about these topics is not enough! We strive to make the learning as authentic as possible by engaging students in field study! Field study is not just an added supplement to our curriculum; it is a critical component to help students truly understand the topics they are studying and to give the students an authentic purpose for their learning.
Kindergarten’s most in-depth topic of study is trees! We learn about trees for 5 months, starting with understanding what makes trees living, learning about the parts of trees, and learning about what trees need to live. We then move into learning about why trees are important and how animals and people depend on trees. Finally, we move into learning about ways to appreciate and enjoy trees.
Last year, we went on multiple field studies that were integral to students’ understanding of trees! The first we went on was a Maple Sugaring adventure at UM-Dearborn! In class, we learned that one way animals and people depend on trees is through the sap that maple trees produce, which can be turned into syrup, gum, and rubber (among many other things). On our field study, we examined the system that experts use to tap the sap from the trees and then got to see our experts turn the sap into syrup! Yum!
Our second field study was a tree exploration and identification and scavenger hunt at Palmer Park in Detroit! Palmer Park recently opened up a nature center and needed our expert knowledge to help create a field guide for field trips and programming they hope to embark on. We took on the challenge by working with 3 nature experts to learn how to identify 4 types of trees at Palmer Park by looking at the leaf types as well as closely examining the bark and any pinecones, acorns, or seeds that come from the tree.
The field study really helped deepen students’ knowledge about each type of tree and set a purpose for our final product creation. After our field study, as students worked to write informational paragraphs about the trees they studied, they had a deep understanding of the reason for these paragraphs, knowing that they will actually be used to help other students visiting Palmer Park. This made it much more exciting and interesting for students to create work that really matters and that they felt a personal connection to!
