Field Trip Guides

Dive deeper into the Field’s exhibitions with activities that complement classroom learning.

Plan a field trip that's full of discovery

Make the most of your day at the Field with resources designed for school groups pre-K through grade 12. Guide your students through an exhibition with engaging conversation starters and activities. Encourage their curiosity in cultures and the natural world as they examine specimens and artifacts on display.

Your guide to exploring the Field

Use these versatile in-museum activities to design a focused learning experience for your students.

  • Exhibition Investigation Guide

    Investigate a museum exhibition using the claim, evidence, reasoning cycle.

  • Artifact Observation Guide

    Encourage close examination of a single artifact—an object produced by humans—using observations and inferences.

  • Specimen Observation Guide

    Encourage close examination of a single specimen—a collected example of a particular species or type—using observations and inferences.

Field Trip Planning and In-Museum Resources

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    Showing 18 resources

    • Ancient Americas Educator Guide

      Investigate diverse cultures across different times and geographic locations in the Ancient Americas exhibition.

    • Artifact Observation Guide

      Encourage close examination of a single artifact—an object produced by humans—using observations and inferences.

    • Chicago Before Skyscrapers | Exploring the Field Guide

      Observe a local ecosystem and infer how Native Americans of the Chicago region have traditionally used these resources.

    • Conservation in Action | Exploring the Field Guide

      Examine different ways that scientists and community members conserve the environment, then analyze the results.

    • Diversity of Life | Exploring the Field Guide

      Observe animal dioramas to compare and contrast organisms and explore the diversity of life.

    • Everything Has a Purpose | Exploring the Field Guide

      Examine why plants and birds have certain features to uncover the relationship between structure and function.

    • Exploring Artifacts from the Pacific | Exploring the Field Guide

      Observe and analyze artifacts from the Pacific Islands to develop evidence-based claims about how these cultures view the world.

    • Exploring Cultures | Exploring the Field Guide

      Look closely at artifacts to learn how culture and geography create similarities and differences between China and Egypt.

    • Families Across Place and Time | Exploring the Field Guide

      Explore similarities and differences between families across different geographic locations and time periods.

    • Grainger Hall of Gems Educator Guide

      Explore the geological and cultural significance of a variety of gems.

    • Hominid Adaptations | Exploring the Field Guide

      Investigate fossil remains of hominids to learn how humans and our relatives evolved over time.

    • Plants of the World Exhibition Guide

      Observe intricate plant models to determine the functions of their unique structures.

    • Protecting Earth's Ecosystem | Exploring the Field Guide

      Analyze methods used to address environmental issues and design strategies to protect local ecosystems.

    • Relationships in Ecosystems | Exploring the Field Guide

      Investigate an ecosystem by observing the individual organisms as part of a larger structure—a food web.

    • Societies in the Ancient Americas | Exploring the Field Guide

      Observe six types of societies that developed in the Americas in response to specific environmental conditions.

    • Specimen Observation Guide

      Encourage close examination of a single specimen—a collected example of a particular species or type—using observations and inferences.

    • Survival of the Birds | Exploring the Field Guide

      Infer whether a bird can survive in a specific environment by observing physical features such as beak, feathers, legs, and feet.

    • What Do Animals Eat? | Exploring the Field Guide

      Investigate the relationship between an animal and its environment by identifying possible food sources in each habitat.

    A group of young students gather around a stegosaurus fossil to read panels and look closely at the specimen. A mural of a stegosaurus hangs behind the fossil.

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