Field Trip Rationale

In grade 5, the social studies standards include the following:

USI.3 The student will demonstrate knowledge of how early cultures developed in North
America by
b) locating where the American Indians lived, with emphasis on the Arctic (Inuit),
Northwest (Kwakiutl), Plains (Lakota), Southwest (Pueblo), and Eastern Woodlands
(Iroquois);
c) describing how the American Indians used the resources in their environment.
USI.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of European exploration in North
America and West Africa by
b) describing cultural and economic interactions between Europeans and American
Indians that led to cooperation and conflict, with emphasis on the American Indian
concept of land
USI.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the factors that shaped colonial
America by
b) describing life in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies, with
emphasis on how people interacted with their environment to produce goods and
services, including examples of specialization and interdependence;
USI.6 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes and results of the American
Revolution by
c) describing key events and the roles of key individuals in the American Revolution,
with emphasis on George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick
Henry
USI.9 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes, major events, and effects of
the Civil War by
a) describing the cultural, economic, and constitutional issues that divided the nation.
(VDOE, 2017).
The class will take a field trip to Ferry Farm in Stafford in the spring to engage in
activities and tours that explain major concepts we discuss toward the end of the year in social
studies. Ferry Farm was the home of George Washington and his family when they moved to
Virginia (The George Washington Foundation, 2015). This land was also in possession of
American Indians at one point, as they used the rich land to cultivate crops and fish (GWF,
2015). In the midst of the Civil War, these peaceful activities were disrupted when the land
became staging ground for the Unions attack on Fredericksburg (GWF, 2015).
Ferry Farm is a well-known landmark in this area, and serves as a useful educational site
to visit to make our learning relatable to the community our students live in, as Moll suggests we
do to create opportunities for students to make meaning of the content they learn (Moll, Amanti,
Neff, & Gonzalez, 2001). To encourage parent involvement at school, I will invite parents to
volunteer as chaperones for the field trip. This facilitates parent-school relationships that
Whitaker and Fiore discuss throughout their book (2016).
Before we go on this field trip, the class will be introduced to George Washington as an
important historical figure. We will have already done our unit on American Indians, so we will
use our prior knowledge from that unit to brainstorm ways in which American Indians could
have used the land we are visiting. After our field trip, we will transition into the civil war. We
will discuss how Ferry Farm changed during the war from a peaceful, prosperous area to a war
zone, which will lead us into a look at other battles during the civil war that caused similar
changes to other places.

Permission Slip
On Friday April 13th, the fifth grade will be visiting Ferry Farm in Stafford, VA. We
previously wrapped up our unit on American Indians, and we are transitioning into the Civil War
unit. This historical landmark helps link these two units to create a better understanding of our
history as a nation.
Lunch will be provided by Ferry Farm, and we will be outside for most of the day, so
please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. We will be leaving the
school at 9:30 and returning around 3:00 pm. The cost of this field trip is $5 per student. Please
turn in the bottom portion of this form by April 6th. Thank you!

Childs Name__________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Name__________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature_______________________________________________

_____ I would like to chaperone this field trip!

References

Moll, L.C., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N. (2001). Funds of knowledge for teaching:

Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice,

XXXI, 132-141.

The George Washington Foundation. (2015). Ferry Farm History. The George Washington

Foundation. Retrieved from http://kenmore.org/ferryfarm/farm_history.html

Virginia Department of Education. (2017). United states history to 1865. Standards of Learning

(SOL) & Testing. Retrieved from

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/history_socialscience/next_versio

n/stds_ushistory_to1865.pdf

Whitaker, W., & Fiore, D.J. (2016). Dealing with difficult parents: Second edition. New York:

Routledge