Members of the 2nd-grade class at CHSD 170's Kennedy School recently visited the Shedd Aquarium on a field trip arranged by second-grade teachers Jennifer Kerr and Caitlin Szlenk.
"We were happy to provide our students with an opportunity to see the things that they're learning about in action," Kerr said.
"Any time you can create a connection for students between the real world and classroom content is when they are best able to learn."
The trip was designed to create authentic hands-on experiences for students that aligned with their curriculum. The teachers believed that the field trip, as a hands-on learning experience, would help make concepts learned in the classroom more memorable for the students while providing a real-life opportunity to apply their knowledge
We made cross-curricular connections trying to spark our students' interest with their research paper on Science, and the Natural world and the children were excited to see firsthand what they had been studying," Szlenk said.
Students explored the Shedd's Coral Reef and identified animals with the most unusual patterns, shapes, and textures expressly used to blend with the dazzling diversity of the reef. The wild reef is home to more sharks, stingrays, and coral reef than any other exhibit at the aquarium. The students also observed predators and prey living in harmony.
The field trip also allowed the students to experience the Sea Star touch where they were able to dip their hand in the cool water of the sea star touch pool and feel the sea star. They felt the sea star's strong skin and examined the hundreds of tiny tubes that help these extraordinary animals feel, feed, and move around in their environment.
The students later participated in an aquatic presentation where they learned about the nuances of working as a trainer at the aquarium. They learned how trainers use positive reinforcement to train the dolphins, and how rewards come quickly when the dolphins respond to the trainer's commands.
Monae Robinson from Mrs. Kerr's Class was selected to participate in an aquarium Trivia Game during which she matched aquarium inhabitants with how much food they eat each day.