The visit should not be isolated from school work
Help your learners to make connections between their learning here and elsewhere by making the zoo visit an integral part of school work. Everyone is more likely to learn at the zoo if they have already thought about concepts that they will be engaged with here.
If you have booked a taught session, use the teachers' notes to help you and your class prepare. These are available for Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 here . Notes for Secondary classes are available here and post-16 studies here .
There are innumerable ways of making links with the curriculum. We offer just a few suggestions here .
A memorable shared experience is a great hook on which to hang future work. It's a good idea to encourage students to collect materials whilst at the zoo. They might make notes (in writing or in pictures), take photographs, make sound recordings or collect things like dropped feathers and fallen leaves.
It is just as important to follow up the visit
when you get back to school.
Involving students in all stages of preparation for your visit really makes them powerful learners. One way to use the zoo resources during your visit is to set up open-ended tasks with a range of possible outcomes. Find help with planning the day here .
