How to Teach Nature Journaling: Curiosity, Wonder, Attention

Expanding on the philosophy and methods of The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling, John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren have developed the first-ever comprehensive book devoted to helping educators use nature journaling as an inspiring teaching tool to engage young people with wild places. In their workshops Laws and Lygren are often asked the how-tos of teaching nature journaling: how to manage student groups in the outdoors, teach drawing skills (especially from those who profess to have none), connect journaling to educational standards, and incorporate journaling into longer lessons.

This book puts together curriculum plans, advice, and in-the-field experience so that educators of all stripes can leap into journaling with their students. The approaches are designed to work in a range of ecosystems and settings, and are suitable for classroom teachers, outdoor educators, camp counselors, and homeschooling parents. Full-color illustrations and sample journal pages from notable naturalists show how to put each lesson into practice. Field-tested by over a hundred educators, this book includes dozens of activities that easily support the Common Core and the Next Generation Science Standards--and, just as important, it will show kids and mentors alike how to recognize the wonder and intrigue in their midst.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Foreword by Amy Tan
INTRODUCTION

• Why We Teach Nature Journaling
• Why Nature Journaling?
• You Can Do This, and It Is Worth It MANAGING THE OUTDOOR CLASSROOM
• Taking Students Outside
• How to Lead Journaling Activities
• Nature Journaling In Different Contexts THE NATURE JOURNAL QUICKSTART GUIDE

NATURE JOURNALING ACTIVITIES
GETTING STARTED: INTRODUCTORY JOURNALING TECHNIQUES AND ACTIVITIES

• Use Words, Pictures, and NumbersMix It Up

I NOTICE, I WONDER, IT REMINDS ME OF
MY SECRET PLANT
TO EACH ITS OWN
COMPARISON
ZOOM IN, ZOOM OUT OBSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY

• Look Big, Look Small
• Make Comparisons and Study Categories
• Get Lost in Wonder

COLLECTION OR FIELD GUIDE
TIMELINE
STRING SAFARI
ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS
SPECIES ACCOUNT
FOREST KARAOKE: TRANSCRIBING BIRDSONG
SOUNDSCAPE MAPS
INQUIRY, INVESTIGATION, AND SCIENTIFIC THINKING

• Intentional Curiosity and Inquiry
• The Crosscutting Concepts
• Who, What, Where, When, How, and Why
• International Baccalaureate Key Concepts
• How Do You Answer Your Questions?
• Ask Questions and Think Like a Scientist
• Practiced Precision
• Nature Puzzles
• Follow Curiosity Chains

MYSTERIES AND EXPLANATIONS
QUESTIONING QUESTIONS
MAPPING
LANDSCAPE CROSS SECTION
PHENOMENON MODEL
TEAM OBSERVATION
WORDS: ARTICULATED THOUGHT AND STORYTELLING

• Writing
• Find Poems within and around You
• Reflect, Connect, and Find Joy
• Practice Scientific Storytelling
• What Pictures Cannot Show

WRITING TO OBSERVE, WRITING TO THINK
EVENT COMIC
EVENT MAP
POETRY OF PLACE AND MOMENT
SIT SPOT

PICTURES: DRAWING AND VISUAL THINKING

• Drawing
• Observational Drawing, Step-by-Step
• Building New Skills: Basic Drawing Exercises
• Drawing Tricks and Tips: Instruction for Students
• Page Structure and Layout

THINK WITH PICTURES
BALANCING FLEXIBILTY AND STRUCTURE
LOOK, AND LOOK AGAIN
INSIDE OUT
NATURE BLUEPRINTS
INFOGRAPHIC
PHOTO, PENCIL, AND FOUND-OBJECT COLLAGE

NUMBERS: QUANTIFICATION AND MATHEMATICAL THINKING

• Numbers and Quantification
• Making Quantification Tool Kits

SHOW WHERE THE NUMBERS COME FROM
USE NUMBERS TO FIND THE PATTERN
HIDDEN FIGURES
BIODIVERSITY INVENTORY
TIMED OBSERVATIONS
CHANGE OVER TIME

INCORPORATING JOURNALING INTO LESSONS, FRAMEWORKS, AND ASSESSMENTS

• Journaling Over Time
• Developing Skills: Ideas, Practice, and Feedback
• Grading and Evaluation
• Evaluation Rubric
• From Activities to Longer Lessons
• Journaling and Education Standards
• Teaching Science and Inquiry: A Deeper Dive

FINAL THOUGHTS

APPENDICES

• Tools and Materials
• Activity Summaries and Possible Phenomena
• NGSS Connections
• Evaluation Rubric
• Cut-and-Paste Nature Journal Essentials
• Cut-and-Paste Quantification Tool Kit

Notes
Acknowledgements
About the Naturalist Journal Contributors