School Field Trips

The Way We Used to Live

Students will visit Verdmont or Tucker House and compare and contrast life and technology in the 18^th and 19^th centuries to life and technology today.  They will evaluate historic objects, making deductions about their function and design. They will examine the portraits and think about the challenges of wearing and caring for 18^th century clothing. They will sketch architectural features and compare them to their own homes.  The field trip will end by playing old-style games such as skittles, marbles and checkers.
Module C, SS02-ECO02, 2.SSE3

Local Environments and Adaptations

Students will learn how to distinguish between local environments, and how to categorise plants, trees and animals while exploring Spittal Pond or Somerset Long Bay Nature Reserve.  Nature walks will also focus on how plant and animals are adapted to their environment.  P2 2Be1

Become an Environmental Advocate

A field trip at Spittal Pond or Somerset Long Bay will help students answer the following questions: What can spoil a pristine environment? What do we need to do in order to protect our beautiful island and ocean? During the field trip students will identify and categorise items in their immediate surroundings, deciding whether they are natural or man-made. P2D4 SSG4

Rocks and Minerals

Students will learn about the origin of Bermuda limestone, its history and its use to people.  Spittal Pond: The Checkerboard formation is the perfect site to explore and learn about old and newer limestone deposits.

Vesey Nature Reserve: The stone quarry at Vesey Nature Reserve tells the story of stone quarrying in Bermuda.  Students will get hands-on experience with cutting Bermuda stone.  P2 2Cp1

Living Things in their Environment: Gather and Present Evidence

Visit one of the local nature reserves and understand ways to care for open spaces and the environment.  Measure water and air temperature using a thermometer and salinity using a refractometer.  P2 2Be2

Understanding the Weather

During a field trip at Spittal Pond, students will study the current weather, learn about sun exposure, tides, and the effects of rain, storms and temperature.  They will observe the effects of the tides on the ocean and the pond.  P2 2Be3

Protecting Open Spaces

Somerset Long Bay or Spittal Pond is the location for this field trip, which helps students describe how the physical environment influences human activity and how we can work to lighten our environment impact. Natural and man-made environments will be compared.
Module D, SS03-GEO01, 3.SS.G1a

Maps, Land and People

Visit Vesey Nature Reserve or Spittal Pond.  Create and interpret simple maps of the nature reserve and describe how physical environments influence human activity (i.e. the stone quarry at Vesey Nature Reserve).  Students will identify, name and locate places within the space of the nature reserves and surroundings.
Module D, SS03-GEO02, 3.SS.G1b
Module D, SS03-GEO03m 3.SS.G1c

Where did Bermuda come from?

A field trip to Spittal Pond will focus on Bermuda’s geology and origin at the checkerboard formation.  Ocean, pond, salt marshes and coastal hillside will be investigated and discussed.  SS P3 G1

Classifying Living Things

Plants and animals have different needs to grow and thrive.  Students will epxlore the upland and coastal hillside and the rocky coast to see the plants and animals in these environments.  Students will learn how to sort living things into groups, using simple features and describing rationale for groupings.  P3 3Bh1 3Bh6

From Shipwreck Survivor to Settler Society

This three-part Learning Journey can be delivered remotely or in-person.  Session 2 is a field trip to St. George’s where the students will meet Sir Thomas Gates and visit sites of historical significance in the story of the shipwrecked survivors.
Module A, SS04-CIV01, 4.SS.C2b

Bermuda’s Early Years

This lesson can be delivered remotely or in person.  Students understand that Bermuda was a company until 1684.  They will be introduced to the first three governors of the Somers Isles Company and consider the challenges they faced.  They will learn about reasons for migration to Bermuda and where the first settlers to the island came from.  They will examine the sorts of jobs people did and what daily life was like.
Module B, SS04-HIS01, SS.P4.H4a

Follow the Money: Agriculture

This three-part Learning Journey can be delivered remotely or in-person.  Students will understand how the barter system works.  They will understand the different ways people gain and use money, including the Adventurers – investors in the Somers Isles Company.  They will follow the money and learn about the importance of tobacco to Bermuda’s early economy, and about plants such as onions, cotton, bananas, potatoes and their effects on Bermuda’s social and economic development.
Module C, SS04-ECO01, 4.SS.E1a, 4.SS.E1b and 4.SS.E1d

Maps, Land and People

Visit Vesey Nature Reserve or Spittal Pond.  Create and interpret simple maps of the nature reserve and describe how physical environments influence human activity (i.e. the stone quarry at Vesey Nature Reserve).  Students will explore how the outdoors can be a source of entertainment and compare this to the other activities they do, recognising the benefits of each.
Module D, SS04-GEO03, 4.SSG1c

Bermuda’s Birdlife

Students will visit Somerset Long Bay or Spittal Pond and investigate the birds of Bermuda and learn about their habitat adaptions.
P3 3Bh1; 3Bh6

Threats to the Environment

On this field trip to Vesey Nature Reserve or Spittal Pond, students will identify various threats to open space, learn about habitat loss, biodiversity loss, pollutants, global warming, and shoreline erosion.  They will also learn about recycling, reusing and reducing waste.
P4 4Be3

Governing Early Bermuda

Students will undertake a field trip to St George’s where they will learn about the structure of Bermuda’s early parliament and the roles and responsibilities of the island’s leaders.  They will visit St. Peter’s Church and State House as the sites of Bermuda’s first Assemblies, learn what and how Assizes worked, be introduced to some early forms of criminal punishment, and discuss some of the laws designed to oppress non-white islanders.
Module C, SS05-ECO01, 5.SS.E1a, 5SS.E1b and 5.SS.G2a

From Slavery to Emancipation

This is a three-part Learning Journey that can be delivered remotely or in person.  During Session 1, students will learn about the development of slavery in Bermuda.  Session 2 is a field trip to Verdmont, where students will meet Rachael, an enslaved woman owned by the Smith family.  Students are guided through a comparison of the lives of the past owners and owned, who lived there and understand why Verdmont is a part of the African Diaspora Heritage Trail.  Session 3 asks the students to reflect on their experience through the use of primary sources of evidence.
Module B, SS05-CIV03, SS.P5.C1
Module B, SS05-CIV04, SS.P5.C2d

Follow the Money: Maritime

This is a three-part Learning Journey that can be delivered remotely or in person.  During Session 1, students examine the development of Bermuda’s maritime economy and the significant role of the island’s enslaved population in generating wealth.  During Session 2 students will undertake a field trip to St. George’s to explore historically significant sites, including stores and the docks.  A visit to the Globe Museum, centre of the Confederate supply chain, will introduce the students to blockade running and the wealth gained from this dangerous occupation.
Module C, SS05-ECO01, 5.SS.E1a, 5SS.E1b and 5.SS.G2a
Module C, SS05-ECO02, 5.SS.E3a

Bermuda’s Global Connections: The Gunpowder Plot

During a visit to Tucker House in St. George’s, students will learn about the significant role Bermuda played in the American War of Independence.  Through portraiture, they will be introduced to the Tucker family, and listen to readings from the Tucker family letters, which bring to life Bermuda’s dire situation at the time.  They will discover how the Gunpowder Plot was carried out, and the short and long-term consequences it had to the island and the global world.
Model A, SS04-GEO01, 5.SS.G2a

Remembering Our Past

The account of the brig Enterprise is brought to life during a field trip to St. George’s, where students also visit sites on the African Diaspora Heritage Trail, including the Free Black and Slave Cemetery at St. Peter’s Church, Mitchell House, Pilot Darrell’s House, Tucker House kitchen, and the Bermudian Heritage Museum.
Module B, SS05-CIV02, SS.P5.C2c, SS.P5.C2a and SS.P5.C2e

Following Emancipation: Friendly Societies

A field trip to St. George’s includes a talk about emancipation and the period following 1834.  The legacy of the Somers Pride of India Lodge founder, Joseph Henry Thomas, will be introduced.  Students will learn the vital role played by Friendly Societies in bringing education to newly emancipated children.
Module B, SS05-CIV03, SS.P5.C1
Module B, SS05-CIV04, SS.P5.C2d

Victorian Times at Verdmont

A field trip to Verdmont with a tour of the garden will have students learning about Bermuda during the Victorian era.  They will be given an overview of the economic situation in the 1800s and think about some of the policies put in place by Governor Reid to improve the economy and wealth of the island and its inhabitants.  Emphasis will be given to the story of Portuguese immigrants brought to the island to assist with sustainable living and agriculture.
Module C, SS05-ECO01, 5.SS.E1a, 5SS.E1b and 5.SS.G2a

Bermuda’s Plants: Seeds and Reproduction

We can learn a lot from experiencing a walk along the trails at Spittal Pond.  Students will look for seeds dropped from shrubs and trees in the forest, and learn how the wind, birds and water help plant dispersal.  They will focus on the reproduction of flowering plants, pollen, insect pollination and germination.  Photosynthesis of mosses, ferns and flowering plants will also be discussed.
P5 5Eo1; 5Bp1, 5Bp2, 5Bp3, 5Bp4, 5Bp5

Endemics and Invasives

Take a field trip to Spittal Pond or Paget Marsh to learn about the difference between endemic, native, introduced and invasive plants.  The pros and cons of plant importation, and the effect of the introduction of plant pests and diseases, will be discussed.
P5 5Eo1

The Road to Democracy

Learn how each action increased Bermuda’s democratic governance for all:
Voting rights for women; Desegregation; Universal adult suffrage; negotiating and drafting of a constitution
Module B, SS06-CIV03, SS.P6.C1d

Bermuda’s Significant Individuals

Step into the role of major Bermuda personalities through partner skits and discussions, and learn about the importance of the actions, then and now:

Dr. E.F. Gordon; Wesley L. Tucker; Sir E.T. Richards; Gina Swainson; Roosevelt Brown; Sir John Swan; Dame Lois Browne-Evans; Sir Henry Tucker; Eugene Cox; Frederick L. Wade; Ottiwell Simmons
Module B, SS06-CIV03, SS.P6.C1d

Environmental Development since 1920: Option A 

A field trip with a talk on environmental issues and key solutions relating to the following topics:

Mowbray & Wingate – the story of the Cahow, sewage & water pollution, marine plastic debris and its effect, fish pot ban, land zoning, open space conservation efforts
Module D, SS06-GEO01, 6.SS.G4a

Environmental Development since 1920 Option B

A field trip with a talk on environmental issues and key solutions relating to the following topics: sustainable development, over-fishing, Blue Halo, reusable energy sources for the island.
Module D, SS06-GEO01, 6.SS.G4a

Environmental Development since 1920 Option C 

Maps of Spittal Pond underline the use of Bermuda’s natural resources in a variety of ways including recreation, work, agriculture and conservation.
Module D, SS06-GEO01, 6.SS.G4a

Ethnobotany

We can’t live without plants.  Learn about plants such as onions, cotton, potatoes and tobacco and their effect on Bermuda’s social and economic development.  Botany, medical uses, history, art, nutrition and commercial applications will be highlighted.

Food chains and webs

Students will learn about food chains and webs on the rocky intertidal coastline and pond habitat at Spittal Pond.  They will engage in a game to visualise a food web and understand how a disturbance of any point on the web affects the whole web. 6Be3, 6Be4, 6Be5, 6Be6

Humans and the Environment

Identify various threats to open spaces, learn about habitat loss, endangered animals, biodiversity loss, pollutants, global warming, shoreline erosion and terrestrial and marine conservation.
6Be1

Saving Open Spaces

Explore a number of ways that you can demonstrate care for the environment.  Learn about sustainable energy sources, recycling, reusing and reducing waste. 6Be2

Module A, SS04-CIV01, 4.SS.C2b
This three-part learning experience for P4 students is an introductory unit that explores Bermuda’s early society and culture. The unit covers the following key themes:

• Students learn about Bermuda’s earliest visitors.
• The listen to the story of the Sea Venture through the writing of William Strachey.
• Meet some of the important survivors and find out why they were heading to Jamestown.
• Meet Elizabeth Persons, Sea Venture survivor and find out what life was like for the first settlers.
• Play the Sea Venture Survival Game.
• Be introduced to the first three Governors and examine the role each played in establishing Bermuda. Who had the most difficult job?

Please book here.

Module C, SS04-ECO01, 4.SS.E1a, 4.SS.E1b and 4.SS.E1d
This three-part learning experience for P4 students is an introductory unit that answers the following key questions:

• What is the difference between cost and value?
• What did people do before money existed?
• What do people do with their money?
• What does it mean to invest? Case Study: The Somers Isles Company
• How did Bermuda’s early economy work? How were people paid? Where did the money go?
• Meet Daniel Tucker, 2nd Governor of Bermuda. How did he keep Bermuda alive?
• Who came to live in Bermuda and why did they come here?

Please book here.

Module B, SS05-CIV03, SS.P5.C1
Module B, SS05-CIV04, SS.P5.C2d
This three-part learning experience for P5 students is an introductory unit that covers the following key questions:

• Why do people migrate?
• When and how did people of African descent arrive in Bermuda?
• How did their lives change once they got  here?
• What was daily life like for enslaved people on the island? A virtual tour of Verdmont through the eyes of the enslaved.
• What can we learn about the past from pictures? Using a primary source of evidence.
• What were slave spirituals? Listening to voices from the past.
• Why were Slave Laws passed in 1720? What effect did these laws have on the lives of enslaved people?

Please book here.

Module B, SS05-CIV03, SS.P5.C1
Module B, SS05-CIV04, SS.P5.C2d
This unit continues to tell the history of the lives of enslaved people, the work of abolitionists, and explores the extent of change after emancipation. There is a work booklet for each session, which will be emailed to you prior to the corresponding session. Please do not share this booklet with students prior to the session. The unit covers the following key questions:

• Were there any slave conspiracies and rebellions in Bermuda?
• How are cause and consequence linked?
• Why did opinions about slavery start to change? Using primary evidence.
• What was emancipation and how was it celebrated in Bermuda?
• How did the white people in power in Bermuda keep that power after emancipation?
• What problems did newly emancipated people face?
• Where did emancipated people find help? Talk with Dr Michael Bradshaw
• In Bermuda, how did the lives of emancipated people compare to the lives of white people?
• Over the next 150 years, who helped to improve the lives of Black Bermudians? What did they do?

Please book here.

Module C, SS05-ECO01, 5.SS.E1a, 5SS.E1b and 5.SS.G2a
Module C, SS05-ECO02, 5.SS.E3a
This three-part learning experience for P5 students explores the development of Bermuda’s maritime economy and has a special focus on the role played by enslaved men in the creation of wealth for many of the island’s white population. It covers the following key questions:

• What is an economy and how does it work?
• How did Bermuda’s economy grow between 1612 and 1684?
• How did settlers and the Somer’s Isle Company make money?
• Who did Bermuda trade with?
• Interview Governor Nathaniel Butler about Bermuda’s early maritime activities.
• What happened to The Somers Isles Company?
• How did enslaved people create wealth for many white Bermudians? Where did that money go?
• What caused the economic explosion in the 1680’s?

Please book here.

Working with Maps

Students will learn how to recognise different types of maps and identify the characteristics common to all good maps.  They will produce their own map.  Examples of early and modern maps of Bermuda will be introduced and studied. MDL1B1

Bermuda’s Geological Origins

Students will learn about the geological history of Bermuda with hands-on investigation of limestone at the checkerboard formation.  Alternatively, a field trip to Tom Moore’s Jungle will include a talk on the geology and biology of Bermuda’s caves. MDL1A.3

Classifying Animals and Plants

During this field trip students will be exploring the trails and focusing on classifying plants and animals into major groups.  They will acquire knowledge about Bermuda’s birds, insects and plants.  M1 7Bv3

Habitats and Adaptations

Students will learn how organisms are adapted to their habitat.  Local animals and plants will be used as examples.  M17Be1

Verdmont’s Hidden Past

This field trip is designed to lay bare the daily lives of the enslaved men, women and children from Verdmont’s past. By using documentary evidence, students will make inferences, and compare and contrast the lives of all those who lived there. Students will have the opportunity to participate in some domestic activities undertaken by the enslaved people of Verdmont and learn about several 18^th century resistance plots and the aftermath of them.

Module Code: SS08: HIS03 Standards: 08:SS:H5; 08:SS:H6

Working With Documents

This virtual interactive session will have students working with 3 key pieces of primary evidence: quotes from the works of both Mary Prince and Olaudah Equiano, and a newspaper article from The Bermuda Gazette dated to 1791. By developing skills of historical inquiry through document handling, students will be able to explain and make judgments about the instrumental impact Prince and Equiano had on the Abolition Movement.

Module Code: SS08: HIS04    Standards: 08:SS:H8; 08:SS:H9

Identifying Plants and Animals

Students will learn how to develop keys to identify plants and animals using field guidebooks and BNT resource guides.  M3 9Bv1

Ecosystems

Students will learn about the different ecosystems at Spittal Pond.  They will model food chains, food webs and energy flow using the rocky intertidal community and pond community as examples.  M3 9Bv1

Human Footprints

A field trip to Spittal Pond or Vesey Nature Reserve will focus on investigating the effects of human influences on the environment.  Open space and developed landscapes will be compared and discussed.  Marine pollution due to oil spills and plastic debris will be investigated on the shoreline.  Students will be engaged in a discussion about possible solutions to the problems. M3 9Be6