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Improving Observation SkillsImproving Observation Skills
using Nature Journalingusing Nature Journalingfor primary school children
www.vernalpools.org
Northern California Botanists ConferenceJanuary 12, 2010
Carol W. Witham
(and ourselves and others!!!)
www.vernalpools.org
Kids need to connect with natureKids need to connect with natureand learn scientific observation skills…• Nature deficit disorder
• We need to heal the broken bond betweenour children and the natural world
• Analytical observation skills
• Too much dependence on canned opinionand too little reliance on personal and empirical observation
• Drawing, writing and other traditional skills
• Communication is more than MySpace, FaceBook, YouTube, texting and email
www.vernalpools.org
A very brief retrospectiveA very brief retrospectiveon successful place-based science education…• Sacramento Splash
• Watershed curriculum based on the vernal pool ecosystem and its plants and animals
• MAD Plants
• 3rd graders in Orange County learn how plants must move, adapt or die in response to environmental conditions
• Other notable environmental education programs
• The Private Eye, Project Learning Tree, CalAlive! and many, many others
www.vernalpools.org
Sacramento SplashSacramento Splashan elementary curriculum based on vernal pools…
Life In Our Watershed: Investigating Vernal Pools
www.vernalpools.org
Splash - 12 years and still growingSplash - 12 years and still growingmajor accomplishments and stumbling blocks…• 15,000 Sacramento area students have explored the
magic and mystery of vernal pools
• Several Splash alumni are now doing their graduate research work on vernal pools
• New programs have been added
• Exploring exporting the curriculum to other locations
• Fiscal realities
• This program costs $180,000 per year
www.vernalpools.org
Other nature education programsOther nature education programshighlights and drawbacks…
• MAD Plants
• Students design a native plant garden and learn how plants must move, adapt or die as conditions change
• The Private Eye
• Uses 5x loupes to focus observations
• The Learning Tree
• Brings the environment into the classroom
• CalAlive!
• Explores California’s biodiversity though multimedia CDs
• A collaborative effort with John Muir Laws
• Components include… • Alignment with teaching standards• Web videos of how to draw plants• Lesson plans with web videos of the lessons
in action
• Can be used by… • Teachers• Scout leaders• Park rangers• Nature area docents
www.vernalpools.org
A new CNPS education initiativeA new CNPS education initiativeNature journaling focused on plants…
www.vernalpools.org
Nature journalingNature journalingwhat is it and why is it important…
• Uses drawing and writing to hone observation skills
• It is not about making pretty pictures
• It is about accurately documenting observations
• Children’s drawing skills change at about 7-8 years of age
• Symbolic drawing is replaced by representational drawing
• Kids decide early if they are good at drawing or not
• This is an outdoor activity
• Can be used anywhere there are plants to be observed
www.vernalpools.org
Nature journalingNature journalingwhat is it and why is it important…
www.vernalpools.org
Modular lesson plansModular lesson plansgood for a single event or all year long…• Secret plant scavenger hunt
• Observation Olympics
• Comparisons and contrasts
• Making a field guide
• Plant timelines
• Zoom in, zoom out
• Nature’s treasure map
When we try to pick out anything by itself we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.
John Muir My First Summer In the Sierra
www.vernalpools.org
Secret plant scavenger huntSecret plant scavenger huntlearning disguised as a game…
• This an excellent beginning exercise in journaling
• Students are challenged to document a single plant in sufficient detail so that a partner can find the exact plant
• Requires the student to really look at the plant and not just draw a symbolic representation of the plant
• Minute details such as insect herbivory or odd petal shape become important to observe and record
• Drawers are encouraged to write descriptive observations
• Writers are encouraged to add sketches to their descriptions
www.vernalpools.org
Secret plant scavenger huntSecret plant scavenger huntlearning disguised as a game…
• Then the partner looks for the plant based on the journal sketches and descriptions
www.vernalpools.org
Observation OlympicsObservation Olympicsa team or competition exercise…
• Students explore the great variety and depth of observations that can be made of a single subject
• In the cooperative version, each student reports on what feature or features he or she found most interesting
• In the competitive version, students are asked if they think they recorded something that no one else observed
• Encourages building a complete observation record
• Students learn about how others viewed the object differently and thereby gain additional observational skills
www.vernalpools.org
Comparisons and contrastsComparisons and contrastsexplores variability within a species…
• Students find two specimens of the same species, and draw them side-by-side, noting differences between them
• By looking at two specimens of the same species, students are forced to observe more closely to find the differences
• Can be used to introduce the concepts of genetic and environmental variability
• Also explores the reason why species are described within ranges of size, shape, color, etc.
• A great way to explore variability with a species
www.vernalpools.org
Making a collection or field guideMaking a collection or field guideJosie’s favorite part of the project…
• Students make a collection of illustrations and observations of local common plants (or leaves, bark, etc.)
• Students record a small part of local biodiversity and develop the basic skills to distinguish between species
• However it is not a field guide until names are associated with the journal pages
• Can be a place to begin a discussion of common names versus scientific names
• The education and outreach benefits are unlimited
www.vernalpools.org
Plant timelinesPlant timelinesor to us botanists, understanding phenology…• Students record observations of a single plant over time
www.vernalpools.org
Additional journaling lessonsAdditional journaling lessonsgive students a variety of skills…
• Zoom in, zoom out
• Students begin to understand scale and the details apparent at a variety of observational scales
• The ant and the cat and the elephant as an example from Splash
• Nature’s treasure map
• College graduates from natural science fields can get lost in flatland even with north-south transmission towers running through the site
• Mapping creates a sense of belonging and connection with the environment
www.vernalpools.org
Products and timelinesProducts and timelinesthis project is funded and on the fast track…• Lesson plans & standards alignment
done
• How to draw flowers (web videos)
Feb 2010
• Lessons in action (web videos)
Apr 2010
• Field testing of lessons
Apr 2010
• Roll out of program
Jul 2010
• This will allow adoption of the program during the 2010-2011 school year
• Numerous CNPS chapters are in excellent positions to promote the program in school gardens that they have sponsored
www.vernalpools.org
Closing thoughtsClosing thoughtsabout the program’s importance and timeliness…• The program will have a wide appeal in schools but also in
many outdoor education program
• With the web videos and detailed lesson plans, very little instructor training will be required
• No one needs to be an expert or even know the names of plants
• The program will impart important observational and analytical skills that will have lifelong value regardless of the student’s future career path
• Everyone needs to learn to be a keen observer whether it be of nature or human behavior or economic trends
www.vernalpools.org
Our testing groundsOur testing grounds
www.vernalpools.org
Questions and comments?Questions and comments?
Carol W. Witham1141 37th Street
Sacramento, CA 95816(916) 452-5440
