How to Teach Nature Journaling: Curiosity, Wonder, Attention

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, John Muir Laws and Emilie 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, expanding on the philosophy and methods of The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling 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:
TABLE OF CONTENTS THE NATURE JOURNAL QUICKSTART GUIDE (inside front cover) 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 How to Lead Journaling Activities Nature Journaling In Different Contexts NATURE JOURNALING ACTIVITIES Activity Format GETTING STARTED: INTRODUCTORY JOURNALING TECHNIQUES AND ACTIVITIES Example Journal Pages  Use Words, Pictures, and Numbers Mix It Up Activites I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me My Secret Plant To Each Its Own Comparison Zoom In, Zoom Out OBSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY Example Journal Pages Look Big, Look Small Make Comparisons and Study Categories Get Lost in Wonder Activities 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? Example Journal Pages Ask Questions and Think Like a Scientist Practiced Precision Nature Puzzles Follow Curiosity Chains Activities Mysteries and Explanations Questioning Questions Mapping Landscape Cross Section Phenomenon Model Team Observation WORDS: ARTICULATED THOUGHT AND STORYTELLING Writing to Think and Observe Example Journal Pages Find Poems Within and Around You Reflection, Connection, and Joy Practice Scientific Storytelling What Pictures Cannot Show Activities Writing to Observe, Writing to Think Event Comic Event Map Poetry of Place and Moment Sit Spot PICTURES: DRAWING AND VISUAL THINKING Observational Drawing Observational Drawing, Step-by-Step Building New Skills: Basic Drawing Exercises Drawing Tricks and Tips: Instruction for Students Page Structure and Layout Example Journal Pages Think with Pictures Balancing Flexibility and Structure Look, and Look Again Activities Inside Out Nature Blueprints Infographic Photo, Pencil, and Found-Object Collage NUMBERS: QUANTIFICATION AND MATHEMATICAL THINKING Numbers and Quantification Making Quantification Tool Kits Example Jounral Pages Show Where the Numbers Came From Use Numbers to Find the Pattern Activities 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 in Units The Next Generation Science Standards The Common Core State Standards Teaching Science and Inquiry: A Deeper Dive FINAL THOUGHTS APPENDICES A: Tools and Materials B: Activity Summaries, Learning Goals, and Possible Phenomena C: NGSS Connections D: Evaluation Rubric E: Cut-and-Paste Nature Journal Strategie F: Cut-and-Paste Quantification Tool Kit Notes Acknowledgements About the Naturalist Journal Contributors About the Authors