Getting to Know the Real Florida should span a five-day period. During each of the first four days, you will present a PowerPoint slide show to your class and involve them in suggested activities and projects described in the teacher’s manual. A manual is provided to all schools participating in the program and is to be shared amongst the teachers. On the fifth day, your class will partake in a field trip to Archbold Biological Station.
PowerPoint Slide Shows and Classroom Activities
You will need to begin this program a minimum of four school days prior to the field trip date. More days may be required, depending on how many of the activities and projects you wish to have your students complete.
Beginning on page 7, you will find a printed version of each of the PowerPoint slide shows with descriptions of the slide contents. These pages will help you answer questions on the slides and hold discussions about the slides. (We encourage you to write down any questions that may arise and bring them with you on your Archbold field trip.)
Each of the PowerPoint slide shows will take approximately 15 to 30 minutes to present. Day 1 is the shortest program leading up to Day 4 being the longest.
Day 1: Meet the Real Florida.This presentation suggests that Florida is more than just crowded beaches, shopping malls, and Walt Disney World, but is also a land of great natural beauty.
Day 2: Getting To Know the Real Florida. The role of scientists in developing insights into the workings of the natural world is depicted, with a brief focus on the history and work of Archbold Biological Station. Photo sequences show field scientists at work at the Station so students can get an idea of how research is carried out by working professionals.
Day 3: Life in the Real Florida. This slide show introduces students to the ecological concepts of the program. The roles of plants and animals as producer, consumers, and decomposers in natural ecosystems are introduced and explained. The concept of food chains is also introduced, along with examples showing how they are put together.
Day 4: Living in the Scrub Community. The concept of adaptations of plants and animals to the special conditions of their environment, or the mechanics for survival, is presented. This filmstrip also introduces the idea of interdependence between various members of ecosystems, that there are significant ways in which plants and animals in an ecosystem benefit from each other’s activities, and that human activities can be important too.
Field Trip to Archbold Biological Station
Field trip activities will be conducted by Archbold staff and volunteers. You and your chaperones, however, will be responsible for maintaining discipline.
Because of seasonal demands on staff and facilities, field trips are primarily scheduled during the months of October, November, December, and January. The Education Office at Archbold will contact you in May to schedule field trips for your classes. Please call to confirm these dates as soon as possible. The Education Office will again contact you when the new school year begins. Field trip reminders will be emailed to the grade level team leader approximately two weeks prior to your field trip.
The parent/guardian letter (english | spanish) and release of liability (english | spanish) form may be photocopied and sent home with students. Once ALL signed releases are returned, please have administrator sign the certification form. Directions for administrator are included in the administrator letter.
Archbold facilities can accommodate no more than two classes (or 60 students) at a time.
The field trip takes approximately 3 hours (not including lunch). Try to arrive at Archbold as close to 9:00 am as possible. Restroom facilities are available, but please encourage your students to visit a restroom before leaving your school so we can get started as soon as you arrive.
When you arrive, students may unload at the auditorium (the first building you reach once you enter Station property). The bus may be parked next to the picnic tables or in the bus parking area north of the auditorium.
Several of the field trip activities require three-person field study teams. Please give careful thought to the selection of teams of students who work well together, and appoint children to teams before you arrive.
On the day of the field trip you will need:
-PENCILS and CLIPBOARDS for your students
-NAME TAGS
-DRINKS for break (snacks are optional, but recommended)
-LUNCH
-rain gear (if the weather looks threatening)
-cameras, sunglasses, and binoculars are optional
Students should wear appropriate clothing. Long pants, sneakers, hats, and sunscreen are highly recommended. Rain gear may also be necessary. Sandals SHOULD NOT be worn. Insect spray is optional.
If it is raining on the day of your scheduled field trip, please call Archbold’s Education office to reschedule. If the weather is cloudy and threatening, you may choose to come anyway. We will continue the field trip in light rain, so please come prepared. Because we have neither the activities nor the facilities to continue the program indoors, your class will return to school in the event that the rain becomes too heavy.
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