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How to Teach Nature Journaling (Print and free PDF download) • John Muir Laws

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"How to Teach Nature Journaling" by John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren (2020) is a free PDF curriculum guide to support educators as they model and teach science thinking by keeping a nature journal. The benefits of nature journaling are that it helps students to: • slow down and pay attention • wonder and ask questions • supporting creativity and critical thinking skills • by seeing themselves as scientists, engaging in authentic science inquiry • nurturing a connection with nature • building equity” (p. 7 of How to Teach Nature Journaling by Law and Muir, 2020)

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Formative Assessment, Learning Task, Lesson

Authors: Emilie Lygren, John Muir Laws

Recording--March 2, 2022 Spring Break Up: Shattering Our Lesson Plan Structure

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The is the recording of the online collaboration of the BEETLES and Nature Journaling WISELearn Group collaboration on March 2, 2022. Slight shifts in lesson structures can meaningfully engage learners inequitable and culturally-relevant inquiries. Experience instruction in ways that people really learn and share your ideas for implementation. Come prepared with a nature journal or paper, pencils, and colored pencils as you view and participate in these recorded experiences.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Authors: Sandy Benton, skylar primm, Tiffany Lodholz

Resources from Chats: Nature Journaling

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This is a collaborative document of resources recommended by members of the Using BEETLES and Nature Journaling for High Quality Science Instruction. It is compilation of the ongoing chats of the Zoom meetings of the group. Updates and revisions will occur throughout the collaboration by members of the group.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Sandy Benton

Recording April 6, 2022 Engaging Students in Science Discourse: Facilitating Writing and Discussion Outdoors and In

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NGSS standards require students to not only think like scientists, but to communicate in the manner that scientists do as well. Creating the conditions and providing the structures and supports for science discourse are key! Join FIELD Edventures and guest speaker, Suzy Zietlow, Discovery Charter School Teacher, and 2022 NSTA Conference presenter as she shares strategies and routines. Nature Journaling for Science Instruction.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Suzy Zietlow

Recording March 16, 2022 Feedback and Assessment: What Evidence of Learning Can Be Found in Students' Nature Journal Entries?

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Do you use nature journaling in your instruction? What evidence do students' journal entries provide on what they have learned and where they need to go next in their learning journeys? In this session, we will: connect with experts and resources on nature journaling; explore practices to give students agency in their learning through self-assessment and peer feedback; and offer ways to improve deliberate practice to grow ideas and approaches. New resources for nature journaling as well as the How to Teach Nature Journaling book.

Material Type: Teaching/Learning Strategy

Author: Sandy Benton

Remix

A Grab Bag of Nature Journaling at High Marq

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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.

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Learning Task

Author: Skylar Primm

Near Nature Exploration

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Unit Title: Near Nature Exploration Developed by Tiffany Lodholz, High Marq Environmental Charter School Grade Level:6-12 Content Area(s): Environmental Science, Science, ELAOver the course of a semester students in grades 6-12 engaged in various nature journaling activities that allowed them to connect, explore, and engage with the environment around them. Students participated in monthly phenological observations, discovered ways to use nature journaling for scientific study, and developed new techniques for looking closer and making deeper, more meaningful observations.A series of five outdoor nature journaling lessons are described:Qualitative PhenologyNature JournalingSAUNTERBug RadnessFrog Fest!

Material Type: Unit of Study

Authors: Sandy Benton, Tiffany Lodholz, Lisa Biber

Exploring Phenology—The Return of Spring

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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.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Authors: Sandy Benton, Krysta Post

Nature Journaling in Grades K-2

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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

Material Type: Unit of Study

Authors: Sandy Benton, Jeanette Rydberg

Nature Journaling Indoors and Outdoors for the Primary Grades

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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.

Material Type: Unit of Study

Authors: Sandy Benton, Ned Dorff