Madisyn and her classmates took their ideas about fairness with them on a field trip. With a little preparation and guidance, students in a variety of circumstances can “read” for social justice wherever they go. This toolkit gives you before, during and after tips to help your students experience field trips with a social justice lens. After experiencing a field trip this way, your students’ enhanced critical literacy skills will also help them see the world around them differently.
Essential Questions
- What kinds of learning happen on field trips?
- Whose stories, bodies and experiences are most frequently represented in museums and scientific or historical landmarks?
- How can we teach about justice when we are away from the school building?
Procedure
Before
Prior to a field trip, ask students to work in small groups to answer these questions:
- What do we expect to learn or experience on this trip?
- What stories, pictures or knowledge do we expect to see?
Note: You can adjust this question to make sense in the context of a particular field trip and based on the extent of students’ prior knowledge. For instance, if you are going to a local park or nature center, you might change the question to, “What view of nature and the natural world do we expect to see represented?” If you are visiting a historical landmark, you might ask, “Whose stories and histories do we expect to see represented?” The important aspect of this question is to ensure that students articulate their expectations.
- What specific things can we keep an eye out for to make sure that the place we visit is accessible, enjoyable and educational for all people?
Bring students together and make a chart that reflects their answers to these questions. Explain that the answer to the third question is in some ways a reading lesson: They are preparing themselves to critically read the place they are visiting. Bring the chart with you on the field trip if possible.
During
During your field trip, remind students of their previously articulated expectations. Get them talking in small groups or partnerships about what they notice. In particular, you might prompt them with these questions:
- Is the place we are visiting more accessible or interesting to some people than others? Why or why not?
- Who might feel more or less at home in this place? Why? What aspects of the place might feel foreign or unwelcoming to some people?
- Whose stories or beliefs are represented by this place? What messages does that send about fairness?
After
Back at school, or the following day, show students the chart they made prior to the visit. Remind your students that Madisyn, the girl from the story, found that one whole group’s experience was unrepresented on her field trip to the museum. She and her classmates wrote letters and organized and researched a campaign to right this injustice.
Ask your students to assess their field trip through a social justice lens. What changes would make the place more accessible, interesting or educational to a wider range of people? What actions can they take to make those changes a reality? For instance, students might:
- Write a letter to someone who manages the place.
- Create a brochure or poster that they believe would make the place more appealing to a wider audience.
- Research ways of accessing the place that cost more or less money or rely on different levels of physical ability.
Your students might also have their own ideas; allow them to pursue what they think will work!