This year for the end of the school year, I decided to try something different. Normally, I show a video or lead students in games, but I wanted to end this year with something they could take with them.
Something they could use…
I had recently attended the Wild Wonder Nature Journal Educator Workshop (HIGHLY recommend!!!) online and thought I would try sharing a little of that domain with my students. I had not drawn as much this year with them, due to the projects I took on and the general stress of teaching I was feeling.
I decided to adapt some of the lessons that John Muir Laws had shared during his presentations about how to approach teaching nature journaling – a fact which I mentioned in my slides (it is important to model giving credit for students). I went with the approach of encouraging students to record three types of information – words, pictures, and numbers – as they sat outside and observed.
Did the activity go as planned? – Nope… But did I learn some valuable lessons in the process? – Absolutely!
So here are a few of my reflections:
WHAT WORKED:
1. Give students the materials they need for the activity.
Anyone who has ever been a teacher knows that before you can get a student to do an activity, they need the materials to be successful. Most often, this is in the form of a pencil, which I admittedly bought a giant new box of for this activity. But to give students a place to journal and as a little end of year gift, I bought each of my students a little blank journal. Nothing too fancy, I opted for one with a basic brown cover so they could decorate it. The size/structure would probably depend on long term plans for the journal – Is it a one time activity? Or will students be using it throughout the year? And if so, how often?
2. Be prepared and be vulnerable.
Having a slide deck to work off of was really helpful, through I sometimes almost skipped ahead. With a topic like this, it is nice to have something they can see, in addition to what is being said. It also helped keep me on track, as I only had a set amount of time to complete the activity with my students.
I also thought it was important to show students that this was something that I practiced too. I shared a couple pages from a recent entry in my own journal, though I wish I could find my nature journal from when I was around their age so they could see that it is a practice that takes time. That it is not about drawing the perfect “pretty picture”, but about capturing the things that make us curious and what we learn and wonder about.
3. Get them outside.
I know it probably seems obvious, but for an activity like this to work, students need to be somewhere other than their desk. This was also a major reflection I had from running my school’s Outdoor School program, but you kind of need to not be afraid to have kids outdoors regardless of the weather (unless there is a health concern). I worried for a bit that my grand plans would be derailed by some unexpected rain after a hot weather spell, but I got lucky in the end.
There was also something a bit magical about seeing some of my students in a different setting. Or seeing a group of them lying on their stomachs in the grass debating how to best draw something. It didn’t click for all of them and some were definitely more into the activity than others, but it was a nice change.
WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY:
1. I should have had them sketching or doing something active a lot sooner.
I spent WAY too long setting the stage during the activity and going over the background information I wanted students to know. Even in middle school, students can only take in so much without a little break. I think I should have given them their journals sooner (more on that later) and done some activities with them. One idea I had was to use a bird webcam (like one of those from Cornell Lab of Ornithology) or some photographs to have students practice using words, pictures, and numbers to communicate their learning.
I also think I should have spent some time showing them some skills that are helpful, like looking for basic shapes, how to sketch lightly and then go back to add details, how to deal with the inner critic (though I’m still working on this myself). Which brings me to reflection number 2.
2. One day/class period was not enough.
And in my district, Science classes are currently longer than most other classes. To do this work well, it takes time to build these skills and to build confidence in nature journaling. I think three days would probably be a minimum to start with, especially since no class immediately starts and you need time to meet students where they are. I think I probably would have broken it down as follows, if I had the chance to do this again:
Day one: Observation – what is it? How do we capture it? Maybe practice using a resource like this one that I have folded in the front of my own nature journal. And maybe some time to make their journal their own.
Day two: deep dive into words, pictures, and numbers strategies
Day three: questions – different types of questions, finding comfort without instant answers, question chains
And I think for it to be as effective as possible, students would need to get outside each day to work on the skills.
3. This would a great place to START a school year, not end it.
Observation and scientific communication are essential skills that take time and practice to hone. I wish I had started my year with an activity like this and had students work on these skills throughout the year within our curriculum. I think it would have led to a deeper understanding of some of the content we covered. And I think it is valuable to work on the practice of capturing how we see the world in different ways and sharing them with one another. There is so much we can learn from others and I wish I had brought that into my classroom more.
I also think it would be so valuable for students to have something they could use to track their growth, as scientists, artists, and naturalists.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Teaching, like nature journaling, is a learning process. I have yet to do a single lesson or activity that I couldn’t think of something to improve upon in some way. I also think that there is something to be said for adjusting to one’s audience. I would likely change certain aspects if I was presenting to adults, rather than 12 year olds. And I would definitely make shifts to work with a younger audience.
But ultimately, I think being present outside and having time to sit…to be curious…to try something different from the norm… are all valuable and so important to building a better tomorrow. And taking the time to appreciate the beautiful things today.
Fernheart Designs 