Dear Parents,

On April 20th the class will be going on a field trip to

American Village in Montevallo, AL! The students will get the
chance to participate in simulations where they will feel like a
colonist involved in the events of the American Revolution! It
will be an exciting day!
It will cost $15 to attend this field trip
o This cost covers admission fee and transportation
Field trip money and permission forms are due April
6th.
The bus will leave TCES at 8:30 in the morning,
students need to be in class by 8:00
The bus will return to TCES at 1:00 pm and the
students can be picked up at regular dismissal time,
3:00
Students will need to pack a lunch in a brown paper
bag with their name written on it
Students can bring money to spend in the gift shop if
they wish but they will be responsible for it
Students should not bring any electronics on this trip
Students should wear their TCES Bucs shirts and
tennis shoes on this trip
5 parent chaperones are needed for this trip
Please cut out
permission
and
return to
it by
Attach
o the
Chaperones
areslip
also
required
payApril
the 6th.
$15 fee
an envelope with the field trip fee to the slip.
_________________________________
Student Name:________________
____ I agree to let my child attend the field trip to the American
Village on April 5th.
____ I am interested in attending the field trip as a chaperone
Parent Name: ___________________
Parent Signature: _________________
Emergency Contact Number: ________________

Preparing for the Field Trip

I will prepare the class for the field trip by showing them
the The Liberty Experience video from the American
Village website. This video gives an introduction to the
American Village and reviews historical content that will
be mentioned while the students are at the American
Village. After watching the video the students will turn
and talk to a neighbor about what they are most excited
about for the field trip. I will then go over the rules for
the field trip. After going over the rules I will explain to
the students that following the field trip when they get
back to school they will be required to complete a 3, 2,
1, response card listing three things they learned, two
things they found interesting, and one question they still
have about the American Revolution based on what they
learned at the American Village.
Rules the class will go over prior to leaving for the field
trip:
1. Be respectful to all teachers, chaperones, American
Village staff, and classmates
2. Stay with your group and chaperone at all times
3. No running
4. No shouting
5. Respect American Village property
6. Keep your hands and feet to yourself
7. Do not bring any electronics on the field trip
8. Follow all instructions given by teachers,
chaperones, and American Village staff while on the
field trip
9. Keep up with everything you bring on the field trip
ex: jackets, money, water bottles, etc.
10.
Participate in all field trip activities

Safety Plan
Medical: The teacher will review each students
medical records before attending the field trip. The
teacher and each chaperone will keep a first aid kit in
their backpacks at all time. Student medication will
be clearly labeled in a plastic baggie with student
name, dosage, and instructions. Student medication
will be kept in the students chaperones backpack
and will be given to the student at the instructed
time. In the case of medical emergency chaperones
or the teacher will call 911.
Emergency: In the case of emergency all students
and teacher will meet at the designated meeting
spot in the circle outside of the National Veterans
Shrine. The teacher will give students and
chaperones further instructions when they meet. In
the event that there is an emergency where the
students and teacher are unable to meet up, the
teacher will communicate with the chaperones via
cell phone to give instructions.
Lost Student Procedure: All students will wear a
nametag around their neck. The nametags will list
the students name, the school they are from,
chaperone group color, and the teachers phone
number. Students who are lost will be instructed to
find the nearest American Village worker. Chaperones
who realize a student is lost will be instructed to alert
the teacher and then wait for the student at the
designated meeting spot in the circle outside of the
National Veterans Shrine.
Management Plan

Wear: The students will be instructed to wear their TCES

Bucs shirts and tennis shoes on this field trip. Students will
also be given name tags to wear around their necks.
Groups: The students will be divided into five groups of
four and there will be one chaperone per group. The
teacher will create these groups prior to the field trip. Each
chaperone will be given a backpack with a first aid kit and
a packet of field trip instructions and student information.
The teacher will spend time with each group while on the
field trip and will make her self available to help assist a
chaperone whenever she is needed.
Bus: The students will sit with one other classmate on the
bus. When the students enter the bus they will fill the
seats in the back of the bus first. The chaperones will be
allowed to sit by themselves if they wish. The students will
not be able to get up while on the bus and must stay
seated the entirety of the bus ride. The students will be
allowed to talk in quiet voices while on the bus.
Behavior: The teacher will follow the same behavior
management plan on the field trip that she does in the
classroom. The students earn stars for good behavior and
can spend their stars in the class store. The students get
stars taken away for poor behavior. The teacher will carry
a clipboard on the trip to keep track of stars and the
students will add or remove stars from their baskets when
they return to school. Student consequences such as
referrals to administration, and parent contact will also still
be used on the field trip. In this case the teacher will pull
the student aside and explain that she will contact a
parent when they get back to school or will send the
student to administrators upon returning to school.

Example Student Name Tag

Student Name
Trace Crossings Elementary
205-632-4901
Blue Group
Designated meeting spot noted with blue circle

Lunch Plan

Prior to field trip: The students will be asked to pack

a lunch in a brown paper bag. The students will write
their name on the outside of the bag. Students who
do not bring a lunch from home will be given a lunch
from the school cafeteria. The students will be sent
to the lunchroom in the morning to gather their
lunches. The students will place their cafeteria
lunches in bags and will write their names on the
outside. The students will turn their lunches into the
teacher in the morning. The teacher will place all of
the lunches into a large plastic tub to take on the
school bus. Chaperones will also be required to bring
their own lunch. They may keep their lunches with
the students or can choose keep up with them
themselves.
At field trip: The lunches will be left on the bus when
the students, teacher, and chaperones arrive at The
American Village. The teacher will remove the
lunches from the bus twenty minutes prior to
lunchtime. The teacher will place the lunches in the
picnic area for the students to grab as soon as they
arrive at lunch. The students will eat lunch at 11:30.
The students will not have a snack break on this field
trip.

Field Trip Schedule

Time

Event

Location

8:00
8:05
8:10
8:15

8:20
8:30
9:10
9:15
9:30
12:00
12:30
12:35
12:40
12:45
1:15
3:00

Arrive at school

Ms. Keeters
classroom
Organize lunches Ms. Keeters
classroom and
cafeteria
Review rules
Ms. Keeters
room
Watch The
Ms. Keeters
Liberty
room
Experience
video
Load buses
Front of the
school
Buses depart
Front of the
school
Arrive at The
Visitor parking
American Village lot
Check in at
Visitors Center
American Village
Liberty Program
American Village
property
Lunch
Picnic Tables
Clean up and
Picnic tables and
head to buses
visitor parking lot
Load buses
Visitor parking
lot
Final roll call
The buses
Depart for school The buses
Arrive at school
Front of the
school
School dismissal Carpool and bus
lanes
Communication

The teacher will communicate with chaperones, bus

drivers, and administrators in person and via cell
phones. The teacher will meet with administrators in a
meeting to review field trip details a week before the
field trip date. When the chaperones arrive to school
the day of the field trip the teacher will hold a short
meeting with them to explain the field trip guidelines
and to pass out the backpacks each chaperone will be
wearing. The chaperones will receive a contact list with
the teachers, bus drivers, principals, schools, and
other chaperones phone numbers. The teacher will
ask the chaperones to call her if they have any
questions or if there is an emergency. In the meeting
with the chaperones the teacher will show the
chaperones the designated meeting spot in the circle
outside of the National Veterans Shrine on a map of
The American Village. The teacher will contact the bus
driver with a cell phone call prior to the field trip to set
up and confirm bus arrival times. The teacher will also
give the bus driver a contact list.
American Village Field Trip Contact List
Ms. Keeter
214-317-9797
Mr. Principal
321-245-3940
Mr. Bus Driver
205-143-8595
Trace Crossings Elementary
342-205-5050
School
Ms. Chaperone Right
205-143-2430
Mr. Chaperone Brown
232-582-2394
Ms. Chaperone Wilson
121-222-4933
Ms. Chaperone Gatsby
517-839-8723
Mr. Chaperone Tutwiler
932-583-1943
Assessment of Learning

The students will be asked to complete a 3-2-1

response card listing three things they learned about the
American Revolution on the field trip, two things they
found interesting while on the field trip, and one
question they still have about the American Revolution.
The students will complete this when they return to the
classroom after the field trip. The teacher will explain the
assessment to the students in the morning before the
class leaves on the field trip so the students are aware of
things to be looking for. Upon returning to the classroom
after the field trip the teacher will re-explain the
instructions for the 3-2-1 response card. The students
will be given ten minutes to complete the response card.

Name_____________
Three things you learned about the American Revolution
at the American Village:

Two things you found interesting from todays field trip:

One question you still have about the American

Revolution after today:

Follow Up
Following the field trip the students will complete
their 3-2-1 response cards and will turn them into the

teacher. The teacher will then give the students time

to share about their favorite parts of the field trip.
The teacher will ask the students what they learned
on the field trip that they did not know before. The
teacher will also ask the students what their favorite
parts of the field trip were. The students and the
teacher will discuss aspects of the field trip together
and it will be an open time where students can share
how they truly felt about the field trip. The teacher
will also send out a letter to the parents after the
field trip to thank them for allowing their student to
go on the field trip. The teacher will explain the
experience the students had and will include pictures
in the letter.

Dear Parents,
Thank you so much for allowing your child to attend
the class field trip to The American Village! The class
was able to participate in a simulation where they
expressed their position as patriots during the Stamp Act
Rally, voted on the Virginia Resolves as delegates to the

Virginia Convention, and represented their states at the

Constitutional Convention. They also responded to the
call of the Continental Army and mustered with
Washingtons troops. They even encountered Redcoats
on their way to deliver a secret message to Paul Revere.
Im excited the students got the chance to
experience the events of the American Revolution
through the eyes and ears of colonists. The students
were able to understand the seriousness of the American
Revolution when they saw it through a colonists
perspective.
This field trip was a great way to wrap up our study
on the events leading up to The American Revolution!
The students and I had a great time!
Sincerely,
Ms. Keeter