The unit is a very basic introduction to phenology geared for the littlest of learners, preschool children ages 3-5. Over the course of five weeks we embrace winter fatigue and set our sights on Spring hoping to spy our very first signs of the season—we spend time looking for the first green shoots, explore the forest floor (moss, lichen and fungi), welcome back the robins, celebrate the spring beauties, embark on a frog hunt and observe the dancing dragonflies!Week One—On the hunt for greenWeek Two—Beneath our feet…Week Three—Birds!Week Four—Spring ephemerals and awakening bugsWeek Five—Pond StudyPrior to introducing phenology to my students and implementing this unit, we had been using simple journal prompts at the end of each week as an assessment tool. My students are primarily in the pre-writing stages—the bulk of our entries are fantastic imaginative crayon sketches that we have each student describe for us. I am incredibly fortunate to teach in a garden-based program where we are outside for the majority of our learning time together and teachable moments abound. For this unit, I really wanted our Sprouts to take a closer look at the things we see every day.

This unit includes five nature journaling experiences implemented at High Marq Environmental Charter School during the 2021-22 school year. They are a bit of a grab bag in terms of subject and skills focus, but all included practices from How to Teach Nature Journaling by Emilie Lygren and John Muir Laws. Please Remix this template for your purposes.

The purpose of this lesson is to show learners how to keep a nature journal. How to reflect, respond, and question the observations they see in the world.

Author: Ned Dorff, Teacher, Aldo Leopold Community School, Green Bay Area Public SchoolsUnit Title: Nature Journaling Indoors and Outdoors for the Primary GradesGrade Level: 1st and 2nd gradeContent Area(s): Writing, ScienceStudents learned how to nature journal in the classroom during the late winter and then used our skills to head out into our neighborhood for outdoor journaling experiences. With the aid of an eagle cam, we were able to explore science concepts of life cycles over the period of several months. Our practice indoors also allowed us to transfer knowledge to what we were seeing outside.

Content Area(s):Environmental LiteracyWisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Addressed: ELS.C1: Students develop and connect with their sense of place and well-being through observation, exploration, and questioning.Context: Individual children participated in observing nature outside the public library (or online or natural exhibits inside the library). Observation Experiences:1) Daffodils2) Painted Lady Caterpillars and Butterflies3) Tree frogs4) Mosquitoes5) One Square Foot Observations