Field+Trips

Brick and Mortar
 Adam Plaiss Brick and mortar place: The Hagley Museum and Library. The Hagley Museum is an outdoor museum in Wilmington that preserves the site of the DuPont company's first gunpowder mill. Hagley offers a wide variety of tours for school groups in social studies and science topics. I have acted as a tour guide for the Marvelous Materials tour and the Summer in Industrial America tour, and have observed the Simple Machines tour as well (all of these are science tours). If these three tours are indicative of their educational programs in general, I'd say that Hagley is best suited for a middle school group, but if you have a group of special needs students, the Marvelous Materials tour in particular works well for students with cognitive handicaps. Hagley's social studies tours focus on American industrialization , taking both a social history approach (how capitalists and laborers lived during the 19th century ) and a history of technological innovation approach. For a complete list of tours, see http://www.hagley.org/tours.html. Instructions on how to book a tour and how the tours fulfill Delaware curriculum standards can be found at http://www.hagley.org/teacher-resources.html. The general Hagley website is http://www.hagley.org/index.html.

Matthew Lewis Doing research for field trips for our classroom observation assignment I came across a great place for a bricks-and-mortar field trip. The Delaware Public archives building in Delaware’s capital, Dover, contains numerous historic documents and interactive exhibits in reference to the history of Delaware. As the teacher I could put in a research request form online and have historical documents prepared for my class upon arrival the day of the field trip. This would be a great way to implement the teaching and skill of primary document research. So many teachers get obsessed with the teaching of history on a grand (macro) scale that they forget that the history of their students and their state is vital as well. Even with its small size, Delaware still has a prominent history that should be more widely known. The school I teach at is named after a prominent figure in the history of the Middle Colonies (William Penn). The British fought Hessian troops during the American Revolution in Delaware, legal battles between Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon resulted in the formation of the Mason-Dixon Line, and slavery was a prominent institution in Delaware throughout the Civil War era. These are just some of the important events that occurred in Delaware that are worth researching. The Delaware public archives would allow my students to access primary sources (letters, documents, treaties, etc.) to research and cite in a project or paper. I could see myself even designating a project where I leave the research topic and era open to my students as long as it commemorates an event or person in Delaware history and uses numerous sources. http://archives.delaware.gov/

Julie Eller Gettysburg National Park http://www.nps.gov/gett/forteachers/index.htm This link is to the teacher’s page of the Gettysburg National Park website. This section of the site offers the directions and contact info for how to arrange a field trip for your class to the battlefield. There are many options provided for class trips like viewing a film at the museum, having a guided tour around the park or just time in the museum. I have been to Gettysburg on my own before and it is really awesome. Another option for teachers that is mentioned on the site is the “traveling trunks”. You can request a trunk of artifacts from Gettysburg to be brought directly to your classroom. Although it isn’t an actual field trip I think it a good option for schools that cannot make it there.

Alicia Montalbano http://www.philamuseum.org/ A local field trip that I would take students to would be the Philadelphia Art Museum. Since I am teaching a world cultures course the art museum is a perfect place for students to observe art from a variety of different cultures and time periods. A current exhibit that the museum has is Hello! Fashion: Kansai Yamamoto, 1971–1973. This is an exhibit of Kansai Yamamoto who is one of the leaders of Japanese contemporary fashion. Yamamoto’s art is influenced by Momoyama period which was from 1568–1615. He is also influenced by traditional Kabuki theater. The art museum currently has an exhibit on contemporary art from the Indian subcontinent which would also be relevant when I teach about South Asia. Lastly, there is an exhibit called Clay, Wood, and Paper: Materials for Korean Art which displays art from over 1,500 years ago and how materials such as clay wood and paper are used in Korean art both today and in the past.

Amanda Hulme Delaware’s close proximity makes it ideal for a day trip to Washington, DC. I have explored this option with my cooperating teacher, and he feel as though Red Clay School District would endorse a trip to the nation’s capital. Therefore, if I were granted permission to take my class as far as there, I would make certain to plan a trip to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (http://www.mnh.si.edu/). Not only would it allow students to go to the nation’s capital- important in so many respects to the field of social studies- but this particular Smithsonian also boasts collections pertaining to both Africa and “Western Cultures” (including Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome). This ties in directly with the World History curriculum that they cover in both seventh and tenth grades, and will enable them again to see artifacts and learn better about the culture. As studying primary sources is a constant focus of the curriculum, it would provide students with an opportunity to look at these pieces first-hand, rather than simply on a piece of paper. I hope that this will also peak their interest in examining sources, as they really “come to life” versus looking at them within their textbook. Also, this museum has halls dedicated to scientific topics, making it an ideal trip to cover both science and social studies. Elements of physical geography can also be incorporated (given the gems collection including the Hope Diamond found on the second floor), as well as studies of evolution in the Darwin exhibit. Best of all, admission to all Smithsonian Museums is free, therefore making the trip fees minimal compared to other museums that charge for entrance.

Moira Lertora Hagley Museum and Library located off Route 141 in Wilmington, DE. I am teaching both 8th grade and 9th grade U.S. history. With my cooperating teacher, we are talking about taking the 8th grade students, and also possibly the 9th graders, on a field trip to the Hagley Museum. The plan would be to coordinate the field trip to happen during the unit on industrialization. The museum has a variety of programs that fit with this topic including an Industrial America tour aimed at 6-12 graders in which students visit the Workers’ Hill, roll mill, and machine shop. As the website says, “ The Industrial America tour tells the story of industrialization along the Brandywine using our black powder yards and workers' community to illustrate the common characteristics of nineteenth century industrial sites.” Students can also participate in a factory systems workshop where each student is given a particular task in the production line making labels for powder kegs and preparing them for shipping. In both students get the opportunity to visualize how the factory system and industry developed while also learning about specific Delaware history. If you visit the Hagley Museum website they have more specifics on each program and even how it lines up with particular standards ( http://www.hagley.lib.de.us/teacher-resources.html ). The Hagley museum also offers scholarships to schools who wish to come on these fieldtrips on a limited first come first serve basis. So if funding such an outing is difficult this can be a good opportunity. The scholarships cover the transportation and the tour fees

Jessica Siegrist The Eastern State Penitentiary : Philadelphia, PA http://www.easternstate.org/ Since I will be teaching psychology next spring, one of the places that would be great for a field trip would be the Eastern State Penitentiary. This historic prison is located in Philadelphia, PA and is not too far from Avon Grove High School. Eastern State was one of the first prisons to try and reform or change the behavior of their inmates through isolation and labor. While an interesting site to visit, students can also learn about the psychological affects that reform and attempts at social development had on individuals. Is behavioral change possible? How did isolation affect prisoner’s behaviors? What methods were used at Eastern State and did these methods fail or succeed?

Elizabeth DeCataldo National Liberty Museum : http://www.libertymuseum.org/index.html This would be an actual field trip taken to Philadelphia. This museum’s purpose looks at American history from an angle that shows the difference one person can make. It also has exhibits aimed at putting an end to bigotry and discrimination. It has many different exhibits, but the ones that I would make sure students visited are the ones that focus on American History and our civic duties. These include the “Let Freedom Ring Gallery,” which discusses the rights and responsibilities of Americans and 200 renowned Americans of the 20th century. The “Coming to America” exhibit is an immigration exhibit, which is an important aspect of American history; because it will show students the types of people that helped shape our society. There is also a 9/11 exhibit that will help educate students on an event that affected America during their lifetimes. Additionally, there are two exhibits that discuss bigotry and discrimination and have activities that teach students peaceful ways to solve conflicts and honor young civil rights heroes and humanitarians.

Kelly Welsh http://archives.delaware.gov/ **The Delaware Public Archives** is one of the oldest public archives programs in the country. The Delaware Public Archives collect and preserve public records of enduring historical and evidential value. The Archives allow access to public records for present and future generations of Delawareans and holds more than 40,000 cubic feet of government records and historical documents. Also, the Archives maintains a library of Delawareana. The collection includes state publications, books, genealogies, pamphlets, maps, and newspaper clippings. I could bring my 10th grade US History students to the The Archives to use these valuable historical resources and explore Delaware's past, from early settlement to recent times.

Chris Clarke A good local field trip site that would help students learn about geography, and in particular military geography, would be a trip to Pea Patch Island and Fort Delaware. This site is only slightly more than forty minutes away from many Delaware high schools and offers great historical and geographical value. As far as the study of military geography is concerned, students would study the strategic location of the fort on the Delaware River. This would be one part or our continued discussion of Geographic "choke points" and the importance of rivers for transportation. The fort is a living history museum so there would be a lot for students to do and see. This tour and trip would be an interesting addition to both their knowledge of history and geography.

Maria Guarni My brick and mortar field trip is to the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. This trip would be great for a Civics or History class. You can see how spies were trained, see the role played in the Cold War and other really awesome things students (as well as teachers) would find fascinating. Group Rates are $16 dollars. There's even pdf's for teachers. http://www.spymuseum.org/about/exhibits.php

Katie Torres Cultural Geography Ellis Island For my Cultural Geography class, the students learn about immigration. What better place to experience immigration than the 20th Century Immigration haven, Ellis Island! They exhibit the conditions in which the recent immigrants lived when they came through Ellis Island. There are exhibits on the bunks they stayed in, the health care they recieved, and the things they thought were so important that they brought them from abroad. It also showcases maps to show where the immigrants came from and in what large numbers they fled to America while Ellis Island was open. Ellis Island also offers films on immigration that are both educational and enjoyable. It is also near the <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Statue of Liberty, which since New York is approximately 2 hours from Delaware, many students would not have seen by high school. It is a little far for a field trip from Delaware and would need to be executed carefully and parents would have to be involved in every step since traffic may pose a problem in getting them back in time for the end of the school day.

Shane Jensen http://www.usmint.gov/mint_tours/index.cfm?action=philadelphia The bricks and mortar site that I have chosen is the Philadelphia Mint. The site states that tours are provided that provide an opportunity to watch money be made, as well as to see exhibits displaying "information about the United States Mint and its history, coinage and current programs." I think this veering away from the abstractness of economics and into the realm of history would interest students and it would hopefully allow me to supplement a lesson about the history of our currency specifically our currency when we were on the Gold Standard, and our currency now when we aren't.

Doug Selfridge<span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;"> Link: [|www.ushistory.org/index.html] < http://www.ushistory.org/index.html > This website describes all of the historical places and artifacts in the city of Philadelphia. I understand that Philadelphia is a rather typical place to take a U.S. history class, but it is truly the best option in the entire nation if your focus is on the <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">American Revolution or the formation of the country. Plus, it is closer, less expensive, and more convenient than Washington, D.C. (which is the only other city that could possibly rival it). While I do agree it would be neat to take the student’s to a more concentrated area (I was considering the American Labor Museum in North Jersey), I figured that it is rare to get them out of the classroom to begin with so you should enable them to see as much as they can. On this trip, I would make sure to hit the main sights ( Liberty Bell, Independence Hall , etc), but there are many other less known things (the Constitution Center is great) that are incredibly important to this nations history. I do not think I would be using this trip next semester due the time period I would be taking over the class in (WWI era) and the fact that it would fit much better into an American History curriculum. However, I think it is difficult to find a place that stresses <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">World History over U.S. History unless you go to a particular exam. Regardless, any trip to a large city like Philadelphia can be tweaked to get it to fit a certain curriculum, I just wouldn’t recommend it.

Michelle Emond Earth Balloon http://www.earthadventure.org/earth_balloon.cfm Earth Balloon is a 20’ diameter inflated globe. The globe has an opening on the international dateline where students can enter, and up to thirty can fit in the balloon. Students sit on Antarctica and are able to look up at the Earth from the inside, giving them a better view than a traditional globe and a more accurate view than a map projection. One of the programs, “Hello-Meet the Earth” is recommended for grades K-12 and altered for the specific level. It covers physical geography, plate tectonics, and the inner Earth. The program comes directly to the school and can run up to twelve sessions between twenty and fifty minutes each. The content delivered is also designed to fit with geography standards. The program is offered by the Delaware Children’s Museum and costs about $1200 a day. The Earth Balloon would fit in splendidly with my curriculum for next semester. I am teaching ninth grade Global Studies. I definitely think that experiencing the Earth in this manner would interest and engage the students. I experienced the Earth Balloon at the Social Studies Conference and thought it was absolutely amazing, I am sure my ninth graders would too. The standards based lesson would help my students better understand the physical geography of each place we are covering and be able to visualize it.

Debbie Strnad Field Trip:A major unit of human behavior is socialization. Socialization starts at a very early age when the child is unaware what they are even experiencing. Since my students have to complete community service hours, a field trip could take them to a local preschools to work with children. There, the students can see how they may have been socialized right when they started going to school and how it helped them develop into who they are today.

Guest Speaker: http://www.choosehypnosis.com/ozzie.htm My teacher is currently in the process of getting a hypnotist to come to the school for her classes. It relates to the material the students learn about altered state of consciousness and other aspects of thinking.

Julie Fowler For a tenth grade economics class I propose taking my students to a cite that is located here at the University of Delaware. I want to take my students to the Exelon Trading Center that is located in Purnell Hall. It is a great way for my students to "experience hands-on professional applications of (the financial) industry." The center has trained faculty that work there and offers workshops that I might be able to arrange for my students to attend. In general, it is a fairly low cost field trip that provides my students with the opportunity to experience the energy and fast paced nature of financial trading. It also demonstrates the real life application of the stock market. ( [|www.lerner.udel.edu] .etc)

Adrienne Saltz The National Constitution Center, Philadelphia This is a great site for a field trip because it is interactive and the content is familiar to most students, but presented in a new way. There is a theater where they show a brief video and award-winning performance entitled //Freedom Rising//, followed by a large exhibit on the development of the constitution throughout the years. It portrays the United States constitution as a living document and shows all the changes the document has gone through since it was first written. There are interactive exhibits interspersed throughout that require individuals to answer questions such as how old are you, where were you born, and what race you are, among others, and it keeps track of if you are able to vote yet or not. This would be great for a U.S. History class because it shows not only the origins of this famous document, but its evolution and continuing relevance today. There is also an exhibit entitled Signers Hall where life-size replicas of all the signers stand all over the room, and visitors can put their own ' John Hancock ' onto a piece of history. http://constitutioncenter.org/

Adam Holstein One great real field trip a class could go on in this area would be the <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Udvar Hazy Center in northern Virginia. It is about 45 minutes away from DC and is an extension of the Air and Space Museum in DC. The museum holds a large collection of airplanes, missiles, and an actual space shuttle. In addition, there is an <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">IMAX theater inside the center which plays both educational and non educational movies. Tickets are only six dollars through the group rate they offer. One of the best aspects of the museum is that admission is free. Here is the link: http://www.nasm.si.edu/UdvarHazy/

Randy Von Steuben
== A reasonable field trip for my 11th grade U.S. History students at Middletown High School (Delaware) is going Washington D.C. One of the first stipulations would be that it would be an extended day field trip, meaning that the students would have to be prepared to return to school at a later time than they are use to, most likely around 5 or 6 pm. For the actual field trip, I would focus on the National Museum of American History (which is now open.....finally). Prior to the field trip, I would have a class (of approximately 25 -30 students) get into groups of five. From that point, I would assign students a particular exhibit in the museum to research. For instance, I know that in the National Museum of American History there is a WWII exhibit. The groups of students would research their exhibit and when we were in the museum give a presentation on it. In essence, the class would be taking a tour of the museum that the students would be conducting. The students would be teahing each other various exhibits in the museum and important parts of American History. For a homework assignment (which would be due by the end of the week), I would have the student write a reflection paper summarizing each group's presentation. I have already found one problem with my field trip, which is that all of the students may not be able to attend. Reasons for a student not being able to attend the trip include: -lack of funding -after school activities (sports, music, etc.) -in school activities (Ex: A student may have an exam in another class that they are not allowed to miss.)==

Mark Erdosy <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: rgb(220, 238, 255) none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Mobility Command Museum When I started my search for a field trip I was looking for a local trip that was inexpensive, interactive, fun, and most importantly had an impact locally and globally. The Air Mobility Command Museum is located at the U.S. Air Force Base in Dover, DE in Hangar 1301. The hanger was used during WWII as a secretive site for the development of rocket propelled missiles. It later became the home to a variety of aircraft that have been restored for public display and interaction. These aircraft represent a variety of periods in United States Aviation History from bi-planes to B-17 flying fortresses. Students will be able to interact with the aircraft and the tour guide learning about the role each individual aircraft played in each war from WWII to Iraq. The museum also features flight simulators, movies, and a variety of exhibits. Admission and parking for the museum are free making it an attractive offering for a low budget educational trip that can complement any unit on war.

Melissa Zakalik It is a little far, but Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty in New York City. A trip here would be great for world history. It can be used as evidence of the massive immigration to America during the late twentieth century and the middle of the twentieth century. Prior to going, a lesson on Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty would be a great introduction. While there, students can be required to ask questions, fill out a worksheet or just take it all in and then write an assignment for homework that night. One homework assignment could be to have students write a journal entry as if they were an immigrant including their plans, whom they were meeting, how they felt etc. This trip is a great way to bring history to life.

Benjamin Reiss Actual Field Trip > Fort Delaware http://www.destateparks.com/fdsp/ Fort Delaware Prison would be an excellent location for local Delaware students to experience when studying the Civil War. Located on Pea Patch Island, Fort Delaware was the largest military fort in the U.S. when the Southern War for Independence began. Union forces used the fort for military training and the housing of confederate prisoners of war. By the end of the conflict, Fort Delaware contained roughly 40,000 prisoners which, was the second largest population in Delaware at the time. Fort Delaware presents a unique opportunity to for students to experience a Civil War garrison and engage in local history. The fact that so many Confederates and southern sympathizers were housed at Fort Delaware speaks volumes about Delaware’s own history as a “border state.” Geographically, the fort served as a strategic resource at the North/South parallel. Though the Civil War was clearly a North vs. South battle, Fort Delaware can expose students to a more complex understanding of the conflict.

David Anderson The Brick and Mortar field trip that I have planned for my US History class is to <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Fort Delaware. It was a Civil War prison camp and I think it would provide a great opportunity for students to see some local physical history. I know that Delaware itself is very big on its own state's history and this trip would touch on the state standards. The trip is not that far of a bus ride and the financing would not be too pricey. http://www.fortdelaware.org/

Jennifer Janssen Actual Field Trip > Fort Delaware http://www.destateparks.com/fdsp/ Fort Delaware Prison would be an excellent location for local Delaware students to experience when studying the Civil War. Located on Pea Patch Island, Fort Delaware was the largest military fort in the U.S. when the Southern War for Independence began. Union forces used the fort for military training and the housing of confederate prisoners of war. By the end of the conflict, Fort Delaware contained roughly 40,000 prisoners which, was the second largest population in Delaware at the time. Fort Delaware presents a unique opportunity to for students to experience a Civil War garrison and engage in local history. The fact that so many Confederates and southern sympathizers were housed at Fort Delaware speaks volumes about Delaware’s own history as a “border state.” Geographically, the fort served as a strategic resource at the North/South parallel. Though the Civil War was clearly a North vs. South battle, Fort Delaware can expose students to a more complex understanding of the conflict.

Grace Patterson Bricks and Mortar: The Reginald F. Lewis Museum http://www.africanamericanculture.org/ This museum chronicles the story of African Americans in Maryland, which will give my African American Studies students a local perspective on what they have been studying in class. The museum places special emphasis on how African Americans formed families and communities despite trying circumstances, and how slavery both enriched and desecrated Maryland. The museum explores how African Americans rose out of slavery to become artists, musicians, and lawyers, and how they worked together to end segregation. Hearing about African Americans from their home state will make students better able to relate to what they are learning in class, and the museum will provide information (particularly through images and object) that the students would not be exposed to in class.

<span style="color: rgb(217, 18, 18);">Virtual
<span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: text; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;"> Adam Plaiss Cyberspace field trip: American Memory's September 11, 2001 Documentary Project http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/911_archive/ The <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: text; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Library of Congress is in the process of accumulating photos, narratives, interviews, &c., that relate to the Sept. 11 attacks. This website could help make the attacks feel "real" to high school students who were too young to remember them well. The most useful part of the collection is the personal narratives of people who witnessed the attacks in New York City and Washington, although there are only 13 of them. The photography section could be used by both a history or a psychology class as there are many pictures of children's drawings, makeshift memorials, and signs that people made in the wake of the attack.

Matthew Lewis The web offers myriads of virtual field trips from minor, local communities and histories to larger, more general history. A website that I found that would be absolutely perfect for my U.S. History class in the spring is located here: http://www.virtualjamestown.org/siteindex.html The site is dedicated to Jamestown, Virginia, specifically the events occurring during the colonial period. The site index offers thirteen different categories that take you on a virtual tour of Jamestown, gives original maps of the Atlantic colony, provides primary and secondary sources including interviews, censuses, and Virginia Company records, and even has a timeline of important events. Not only does it offer all of this interactive material, but included is a link to teaching resources which provide ideas and stepping stones for planning possible lessons after the Jamestown experience. This website would connect greatly to a unit on early settlement and European colonization in the Americas, and it would allow me to do use the site as a source for a project, a paper, or just a homework assignment. The features on the website are cool and exciting and can keep a student interested in the material.

Julie Eller “Exploring Maryland’s Roots” http://mdroots.thinkport.org/default_flash.asp (High Bandwidth Version) http://mdroots.thinkport.org/default_low.asp (Low Bandwidth Version) This site is called “Exploring Maryland’s Roots” and it covers the founding of Maryland up to 1700. The site has simulations and videos for the students to watch. There are interactive parts to each section like adding up how much it would cost to make the voyage and there is even an archaeological dig (I had fun doing that one!). If you are teaching in Maryland or are covering the colonial period somewhere else this site would be a fun and educational virtual field trip that most students would enjoy.

Alicia Montalbano http://www.taj-mahal.net/ This site is great for students to take a virtual tour of the Taj Mahal. Since I am teaching a unit on South Asia it would be a fun lesson for students to explore the remarkable architecture and beauty of this mausoleum in Agra, India. This site provides a 360 panorama of the Taj Mahal along with many pictures, music, and videos. The website allows visitors to click on different parts of the mausoleum and explore each aspect in whatever order they would like. This site also provides rooftop views from the Taj Mahal giving students an amazing virtual experience.

Amanda Hulme The Ancient Historical Society Virtual Museum- http://www.ancienthistoricalsociety.org/ This is an overall phenomenal site that deals with a variety of historical topics. I was first intrigued with the site when it covered such subjects as Ancient Egypt and the Aztecs through a series of web-pages with really interesting graphics. While based mostly on world history, the site still offers its fair share of American history as well. This site should serve as an effective resource while teaching seventh and tenth grade world history during the spring. As stated before, topics such as the Egyptians and the Aztecs will have already been covered in class, but it offers greater detail about these societies via the various pages. Furthermore, the site would have been particularly useful when it comes to studying the major world religions that the classes recently covered. This site contains a thorough overview of major world religions and gives them the option of examining either a brief overview or a more in-depth study of each. Some of the vocabulary throughout the site may be challenging for students, especially those in seventh grade, but with appropriate scaffolding they will be able comprehend important details. The site provides detailed and varied pictures throughout whatever topic is being covered, and students are shown both secondary and primary source images. This is also a good resource for teachers, as it provides interesting graphics that may be utilized during PowerPoint presentation and other parts of lessons. This website would have been especially useful while teaching some of the earlier topics of the year. However, I would still like to use it when it comes to the topic of slavery and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. The site dedicates and a good amount of space to slavery in the United States, including such things as the slavery system through the Emancipation Proclamation. However, it also has a lot of information about the international slave trading system, and the interactions between all major players of the slave trade. This allows students to see that the slave trade was a global occurrence, and that many different societies were responsible for enslavement and bartering for human beings. This will be particularly useful during out unit on the Columbian Exchange and global interactions in the Americas, as slavery is a major focus of these lessons.

Moira Lertora http://www.historyglobe.com/jamestown/ This website takes students to Jamestown. It prompts students to place themselves in the position of the settlers and make decisions such as where to land, how to respond to the natives, what type of structures to build, what activities to pursue, and what food to plant. As students are prompted with questions they can consult the London Company’s instructions or get advice from fellow colonists and Native Americans. At the end based on the decisions you make it tells you how the colony stands up regarding food, health, wealth, and morale. It then compares your version of events with what Jamestown colonists chose. This website allows students to place themselves in the shoes of colonists and make decisions. By making it into a game perhaps students will be more engaged with the material. Also the comparison between what actually happened and their own choices could help them better remember the course of events.

Jessica Siegrist The Virtual Body http://www.medtropolis.com/VBody.asp When learning about psychology it is important to understand the different parts and functions of the brain. The various sections and systems of the brain can be complex and hard for students to grasp. While textbooks have pictures and descriptions of some of these functions, I found an interactive site that allows students to explore the brain on their own. The Virtual Body website has a segment devoted to the brain that is divided into three parts: “The Brain Book,” “<span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">The Brain Parts,” and “Narrated Neurons.” Students can click on the various parts of the brain to learn about what that particular area controls and can also see simulations of the neuron system.

Elizabeth DeCataldo Smithsonian Online Exhibit: http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/ This is a website students can visit that is an online exhibit viewed from the Smithsonian website. This exhibit is very interactive and will take students through the major wars taking place in the United States. Students can either pick a war, or be taken through all of them. The exhibit includes photos, letters, short films with a narrator, and pictures of materials that students would be able to see if they went to the museum. The screen moves horizontally at the student’s pace through the chronological events of the wars, but the students can click on the images at the bottom if they want to skip around. The images range from advertisements to pieces of equipment soldiers wore. It is easy for students to use and gives a lot of relevant information about wars that would not be found in a student’s textbook.

Kelly Welsh http://remember.org/auschwitz/index.html Auschwitz Virtual Tour Exhibition The virtual tour is a Quick Time Virtual Reality Films. No matter how powerful a single photo, the observer is still outside the scene. This technology puts the viewer in the camp with a 360 degree view. The most haunting images are the Krematorium where bodies were burned. the virtual tour would be extremely beneficial resource to anyone teaching about WWII and the <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Holocaust. The <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">concentration camp complex of <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest killing center in Nazi-occupied Europe. Located in Southern Poland, The camp was established in 1940, less than a year after Germany occupied Poland in WWII, and grew over the next few years into an entire complex providing slave labor for the German industrial facilities in the area. In 1942, it became the largest death camp, carrying out Hitler's "final solution" - the plan to systematically kill all Jews in <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Europe. It is estimated that between 1.1 and 1.5 million people died here. The camp continued operation till its liberation by the Soviet Army in January 1945.

Chris Clarke Although it is one of the most widely used map tools on the planet already, I still believe that as far as <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">virtual field trips for geography, there will never be a greater site than <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Google Earth. By going to [|www.earth.google.com] you can download the program that allows you see just about anywhere in the world with the click of a mouse. You can take students to earth's major cities to see the monuments and culture, or for a more <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">physical geography course you could take the student to the mountainous terrain of Asia and the <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Middle East. This is an extremely useful teaching tool when it comes to showing students what other parts of the world are like without actually going there. It is even more useful because it is so captivating and addicting to use, whether you have an interest in geography or not. Every geography teacher should use or at least be familiar with Google Earth.

Maria Guarni My virtual field trip is to Egypt. This website can be used in a geography or history class when covering the pyramids. You can explore tombs with 360 degree cameras, take tours of different pyramids and examine mummies. http://guardians.net/egypt/cj98/pans/panindex.htm

Katie Torres Salem Massachussets the Comprehensive Guide http://www.salemweb.com/ This website could be used in any history classroom. It gives the students a handson view of Salem. The site has a page of the historic characters in Salem and explains the events that occured during the Salem Witch Trials. It also has a page with links to the attractions in Salem with historic value and plenty of pictures to keep the students engaged and quickly clicking for the next page. It would be a wonderful way to teach the witch hunt without doing any lecturing at all! It would tie in nicely for any colonial history class or cultural geography.

Shane Jensen http://www.newyorkfed.org/education/interest_rates.html My web based Field Trip is a lesson provided by the New York Federal Reserve Bank website on <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Interest Rates. I picked this site because the Fed's role in Interest Rates is something that is talked about quite a bit, but not understood fully by a lot of people. I think it would be a good supplement for my Unit on Money and <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Monetary policy as it provides information that could assist students in arguing for or against the <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Federal Reserve system.

Doug Selfridge Link: www.uen.org/utahlink/toursFames.cgi?tour_id=14717 < http://www.uen.org/utahlink/toursFames.cgi?tour_id=14717 > This website provides a virtual tour through the <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Japanese internment camp during World War II called “Topaz: The Jewel of the Desert” located in Utah. The website begins with the background information of Pearl Harbor and then takes you through what it may have been like to be in the camp. The reason I like this is that website doesn’t tell you what to feel and what conclusions you should make. It lays out the facts and then asks questions to help guide your thought process. For example, there is a picture of Japanese boys playing baseball at Topaz, and it is followed by the question: Are these boys much different then the people in your own class? This website could fit into the curriculum that I will be teaching in the spring because I will be picking up my World History class at the beginning of <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">World War I. The Japanese internment camps are an important part of American History, especially for Japanese-Americans, but it is something that rarely gets stressed in a <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">high school curriculum. Taking a day to examine this website and contrasting what the United States did to the Japanese compared to what Hitler did to the Jews could be a very effective exercise.

Michelle Emond Auschwitz/Birkenau http://remember.org/auschwitz/index.html This website allows students to virtually tour both Auschwitz and Birkenau including the entrances, cell blocks, crematoriums, gas chambers and graveyards. Each 180 degree view includes a short explanation of its significance. It was created by The State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Cybrary of the Holocaust. This virtual field trip could be appropriate in a few different courses. It could obviously be used in a World or European History course in order to help students visualize the events of the Holocaust. It could also be used in a Global Studies course during the study of Europe, Jewish diaspora, immigration, and genocide. Concentration camps are something that many of the students will probably never have a chance to visit in person therefore a virtual trip is a perfect opportunity. The Holocaust evokes so many emotions, and that drives passions. I think visiting this site will significantly enhance this process.

Debbie Strnad Psychologists study the brain and its functions. Taking a virtual tour of the brain may help the students better understand what parts control the different functions of their body. http://www.thethinkingbusiness.co.uk/braintour.htm

Juile Fowler Along the same lines as my real field trip, I would want to have my students experience the <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">New York Stock Exchange via the web for my virtual field trip. They can log onto [|www.nyse.com] and <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">track stocks, markets, and financial centers here in the US and around the world. They can also get stock quoted for them, view interactive maps, and read financial articles. This field trip provides a great introduction to financial markets and trading by allowing students to explore stocks, bonds, equities, etc.

Adrienne Saltz <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer; background-color: rgb(220, 238, 255);">Google Lit Trips This is an awesome website that uses the already popular tool <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Google Earth. Here students can explore books they are reading in English and History, such as //Night// by Elie Wiesel, and visit either real or fictional locations with Google Earth. Students can also create their own lit trip. This is a great virtual field trip because students can explore the many places and events at their own pace and can discover new information that they find interesting and relevant. Some of the other books that have already been made into lit trips are <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, My Brother Sam is Dead (about the American Revolution ) by <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">James Lincoln Collier and <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Christopher Collier , and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hossein. http://www.googlelittrips.org/

Adam Holstein A great virtual tour a class could go on would be to <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: medium none; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;">Easter Island. PBS developed a website which allows for virtual tours of the island through video. The site also provides historical background to the lost civilization which once lived there, and the mystery which surrounds their disappearance. Here is the link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/easter/civilization/

Randy von Steuben ==* The unit that I am covering is U.S. History during the 1960's. Obviously, this was a time period when the African American Civil Rights movement was an important issue. What I would do is using websites, such as Youtube.com and Teachertube.com, or from finding clips from historical documentaries, I would find film clips of important civil rights events and show those clips to the students during class. For instance, I may show a film clip of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech. The virtual field trip part of the trip comes by having the students use their imagination. I would have students research a historical event concerning the African American Civil Rights movement. I would suspect that the most prominent event would be the March on Washington and Martin Luther King, Jr's "I have a dream" speech. However, I would encourage students to try to find original events. From that point, I would ask students to visualize themselves at that event. For instance, I would ask students to set the scene. Who is there? Is it safe or dangerous? How effective do you believe that the event is towards spreading the message of African American Civil Rights? Do you believe that the people at the event know how important it is? The assignment that I would give the students is to answer those questions in a reflection paper. I would grade their paper on how well written the paper is, along with the student's ability to incorporate facts about that time period in history. Below, I have listed more specific links for film clips that I have found on-line: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk (Martin Luther King, Jr.)== http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENHP89mLWOY (Malcolm X)

Mark Erdosy Tour of Ellis Island, New York Via [|History.com] [] name=americanhistory&bcpid= 1681694255 &bclid= 1716449937 The History Channel ’s official website has a variety of interactive sites that allow for immersive experiences without leaving the classroom. One of them is their virtual tour of <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Ellis Island given by a park ranger from the National Park Service. Students will take an interactive trip by watching a series of videos ranging from two to five minutes in length. The videos follow a path an immigrant took on their journey to America, seeing the <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Statue of Liberty, registering, and passing medical examinations. The videos offer a detailed look into the facilities of Ellis Island as well as first hand accounts and pictures of immigrants who went through the actual process. Accompanying videos detail the plight many immigrants faced in American cities as they struggled to earn a living to support families abroad and domestically. Also, there are videos detailing the Ellis Island of today through pictures and video from the view of a photographer. This interactive tour fits perfectly into a United States History course. The tour can accompany a unit on industrialization or progressive reform because immigrants were at the heart each period. Through this site, students can gain a unique perspective of the hardships and discrimination many immigrants faced as they came to our shores. Students will also see this virtual tour as a way of connecting with some of their ancestors who may have taken the journey to America and gone through the processes on Ellis Island.

Melissa Zakalik http://www.virtourist.com/europe/france/index.html This link has a few virtual tour options (including Paris, Orleans, and Lyon). I selected the one for the Palace of Versailles. This can be used during the Age of Monarchy unit. It would be a great way to show the extravagance of the Sun King. The great thing about this site is that it takes you through the palace as if you were walking through it, but the downside is that there are other people in the pictures who were actually on the tour. In some pictures it prevents you from seeing all of the details in some pictures.

Benjamin Reiss Virtual Field Trip > The Jefferson Monticello http://www.monticello.org/jefferson/index.html This website offers a lot of great information about Thomas Jefferson as well as his Monticello estate. Students are able to take a virtual tour and learn about the Monticello house, garden, and plantation. Students can learn how Monticello’s house and grounds changed throughout Jefferson’s life by using interactive maps. The website also includes a social history perspective and visitors can learn more about the daily life of Jefferson during his retirement, or about Martha Jefferson’s role in managing Monticello. One feature that is especially fascinating is the “Oral History Project” link within the website, which traces the histories of some of the plantation’s slaves and laborers as well as their descendents. The Jefferson Monticello website not only provides a full online experience of the physical location of Monticello, but also tackles the tough issues surrounding politics, race, and the Jefferson legacy. Its honesty and full disclosure regarding controversies surrounding Jefferson make it a real historical resource with the bonus effect luring visitors to read and learn more about the estate.

David Anderson The <span class="yshortcuts" style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;">Virtual Field Trip is to the European Immigrant Journey Museum page. Through this website, students would have the ability to interactively see the process of coming to America. The website is full of valuable information that would be easy enough for students to comprehend. There are also a ton of great photographs of immigrants in the beginning of the 20th century. This is also a great way to differentiate instruction for the students without losing the important content. http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/immigrant/

Jennifer Janssen Virtual Field Trip: Cornell University’s online exhibit, “The Triangle Factory Fire” Site: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire This online exhibit is an excellent site for teachers to use as a virtual field trip because it provides numerous images, stories, documents, etc. that tell the story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Teachers can use this site to target topics such as turn-of-the-century sweatshops, working conditions, strikes, Progressive Era Reforms, immigration, and the urban working class. The documents include photographs and descriptions of working conditions, newspaper articles about the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, political cartoons about the incident, lantern slides depicting the scene at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, images and transcriptions from the investigation, and trial transcripts and oral histories of people who experienced the fire. This is a really rich website which students will find engaging and which will be an excellent supplement classroom learning.

Grace Patterson Virtual: www.monticello.org I would send my students on this virtual field trip during our unit on slavery in African American History. This site describes the lives of some of the slaves who worked on Jefferson’s plantation, and the work they did. It also has a series of documents that reveal Jefferson’s conflicting views about slavery. This site would give students a chance to discuss the daily lives of slaves on a large plantation, the paternalistic attitude of many white slave owners, Jefferson’s conflicting views, and the ways in which southern museums interpret slavery for the public. This website dances around some of the hard aspects of slavery, and practically does contortions over the Sally Hemmings issue. Students should be able to discuss how history changes depending on who is telling it and who the audience is. This site also includes interesting images of Monticello.