Contributor :
Katherine Alexander
Action Plan
Photography! I will take tons of pictures of the animals, wildlife, and various habitats we experience on the trip. I will make a point of choosing activities where I will be able to see and interact with animals first-hand.
Pre-Departure Preparation
We study animals and habitats as part of our science/social studies curriculum in our two kindergarten classes. I plan to incorporate the animals and wildlife I see and learn about in Costa Rica into our curriculum for both classes. Students will learn about the animals through my photos and information from my trip, but also through their own research. They will work in small groups to study specific animals and present information they have learned (to each other and possibly to their parents or other audiences).
We also spend the beginning of the year studying monarch butterflies. I have heard that there are monarchs in Costa Rica, and that their wings are smaller than North American monarchs because they don’t migrate. I would like to incorporate this interesting information into our study of butterflies.
I will also give a presentation to the entire school on my trip.
Preparation During Travel
I plan to do a little research on the types of animals and habitats I might see in Costa Rica before the trip so I have some context for what I will experience. I also need to find out where the monarch butterflies live and where to go to have the best chance of seeing them.