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Teachers, are
you ready to bring your students to the Tennessee Aquarium? Let
us help you make the most of your visit. Below are several topics
that may make your field trip planning a little easier.
SCHEDULING
A FIELD TRIP
Scheduling a field trip is quick and easy. First, choose at least
two dates that you would like to come. Next, decide if you want
to see the Aquarium, add an IMAX
movie, a free education
program or do all three. We recommend a minimum of 2.5 hours
to tour the Aquarium; 1.5 hours in River Journey and 1 hour in
Ocean Journey. Finally, call Reservations at (800) 262-0695 or
locally at (423) 265-0698 and a reservationist will assist you
with your schedule and make your reservation.
SPECIFIC
FIELD TRIP QUESTIONS
If you have additional questions about specific field trips,
you can contact our Programs Manager, George
Bartnik, at (800) 262-0695 ext. 4049 or (423) 785-4049 or
our Education Coordinator, Jennifer
Latour at (800) 262-0695
ext. 4050 or (423) 785-4050. Both of these people will help in
any way they can.
STUFF
TO DO WHILE AT THE AQUARIUM
Make your Aquarium visit a complete learning adventure for your
students. Use our AquaQuests,
a student activity page separated out by grade levels, that your
students can do like a scavenger hunt. It’s fun and educational
at the same time. You can also print out the answers and be ahead
of the game when touring the building. For more activities, we
also offer an Aqua
Guide (pdf) that will give you more tools to enhance
your field trip experience.
We also offer teaching ideas like Water
Drop (pdf), that will help you with your classroom
activities as well as other scavenger hunt
activities that students can complete while touring the Aquarium.
Secret
Reef Dichotomous Key –
this dichotomous key will help you identify fish in the Secret
Reef
Blank
Dichotomous Key – this dichotomous key is for your students
to create their own key for any of our exhibits.
When you schedule
an education program, we also offer worksheets
to enhance your experience with activities and information you
can use in and out of the classroom.
FREE/REDUCED
STUDENTS
From September through March any
school with students participating in the national free and reduced
lunch program (grades K-12 and Head Start only) receives complimentary
admission for those students to the Aquarium and IMAX Theater. Complimentary
admission for this program will not be accepted during the months
of April and May. When you call to register,
tell the reservationist that you have students in the free and
reduced lunch program. You will be sent a certificate to fill
out and have signed by your principal stating how many students
coming on the field trip are on the free and reduced lunch plan.
This certificate must be presented upon arrival to receive appropriate
credit.
OTHER
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
The Tennessee Aquarium strives to provide each visitor with an
inspiring educational experience. There is a wide variety of options
you can enjoy here and back at the classroom.
• Adaptations
A-Z tour
• Lunch ‘N’ Learn
• Behind the Scenes tour
• Outreach
• Teacher
Training
• Distance
Learning
• Interactive
Modules
Program
Information —
Adaptations
from A-Z
A 3rd through 8th Grade special opportunity
Explore the natural world close-up from the comfort of an IMAX
seat as you encounter a variety of animals and habitats. Then
learn what it takes to survive in the natural world as you travel
with an Aquarium staff member through the Aquarium galleries.
The 2.5- to 3-hour guided tour, tailored to your grade level
(3-5 or 6-8), enhances your students’ learning experience.
Note:
This special opportunity is available to groups of up to
125 students Monday through Thursday from September through
February. Limits on group size may apply depending on selected
date. A fee of $12 per student includes the IMAX film,
Aquarium admission, guided tour and the teacher information
packet ($8.75 per student if not attending an IMAX movie). Reservations
must be made at least two weeks in advance of the tour
date.
For further
information about this special opportunity, call (800) 262-0695
and ask for George Bartnik
(ext. 4049). If you are ready to make a reservation, call (423)
265-0698 or (800) 262-0695 and ask for Group Reservations.
Lunch
‘N’ Learn
Wish you had time for an education program? Need a warm, dry
place for lunch? Meet both these challenges by joining us for
the new Lunch 'n' Learn programs. You supply the lunch and we’ll
provide the education. Students view a short (20 minute) video
while they eat and then they meet one of the education animals
or test their skills in a challenging game.
•
K-2 students focus on animal senses.
• 3rd - 5th grade students investigate reptiles.
• 6th to 8th grade students explore biodiversity and its
relevance in our lives.
Lesson:
Learn about adaptations of fascinating animals found around
the world.
Conservation Message: All life on earth exists
as part of an ecosystem.
Lunch
and Learn programs are offered throughout the school year in
the Biology Lab, Think Tank and the Discovery Classroom. Maximum
student group size is 100 (students will be split between the
three classrooms) and the minimum group size is 10. Seating
is available for students and 9 adult chaperones; additional
adults may not have chairs.
Lunch 'n'
Learn programs are free of charge if you are visiting the Tennessee
Aquarium or IMAX Theater. Additional education programs can
be scheduled along with your Lunch 'n' Learn experience for
a fee of $3.50 per student. For more information call 800-262-0695,
ext. 4050 or e-mail Jennifer
Latour.
BEHIND
THE SCENES TOURS
For grades 3rd through 12th
How do we recreate habitats in the Aquarium? Food, water, shelter
and space are stressed as students in grades 3 - 12 discover what
goes on “behind the scenes” (BTS) in a specially designed
tour. From the kitchen to the filtration room, the BTS tour highlights
what it takes to convince over 10,000 plants and animals that
the Aquarium is their habitat.
The 60 to
75-minute BTS tours are offered on weekdays September through
March between the hours of 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Group size is
limited to 15 participants per tour and we can offer up to two
tours at the same time. BTS tours are available for a fee of $5.00
per student. Reservations must be made at least two
weeks in advance of the tour date.
Call (800)
262-0695 or (423) 265-0698 to book your tour Monday - Friday 8:30
a.m.- 4:45 p.m. and find out the answers to many questions. An
exclusive adventure awaits you!
SCAVENGER
HUNTS & CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
The following scavenger hunts are available. When copying, please
copy double-sided, then fold them in half to make a booklet. We
also have classroom activities you can do with your class either
before or after your visit to the Aquarium.
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