Field Trip Overview
A field trip to the Koshland Science Museum is a unique experience. The museum is not a collection of artifacts. Rather, it presents scientific data and explanations so that students can make decisions about vital public policy issues based on the information they acquire.
Structured field trip visits to the museum:
- Focus on either the Global Warming Facts & Our Future exhibit or the Infectious Disease: Evolving Challenges to Human Health exhibition in detail.
- Are designed to model established learning and teaching practices and adhere to the National Academies’ National Science Education Standards.
- Use the Jigsaw method, in which your class is divided into smaller groups as they simultaneously visit different exhibits within the museum.
- Allow students to become “experts” as they seek out information to be shared with their classmates during small-group and whole-class discussions.
- Encourage students to collaborate in evaluating evidence and formulating ideas, much as scientists do in their daily work.
- Give students a chance to see the “textbook” facts that they have been learning about in class come to life as they discuss the real world issues surrounding global warming or infectious diseases.
- Last approximately two hours and are limited to classes of 12-36 students in grades 6-12.
Alternative field trip formats are available to accommodate larger class sizes and specific interests. While available to all schools and education programs, the field trip program is free to Washington, DC-area student groups. All field trips must be scheduled in advance due to limited space availability. Please use the online reservation form or call 202-334-1201 to make your reservation. Detailed information about the field trips is available in the field trip guides. Classes that are not participating in the field trip program should use the group visit overview.
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