Writing About Nature

Classroom Activities

Activity 1: Introduction

The first activity is designed as a hook to get the students to engage with the themes that will be covered throughout the unit. As described in the Student Background Knowledge section of this unit, my students are coming to this unit having completed nine-week unit of study on Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands in which they learn in detail about the biodiversity of this country, native flora and fauna, the life cycle of the Amazon Rainforest specifically its effect on the global water cycle, native predators and prey. Many of these students then took advantage of the opportunity to travel to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands with me to experience first-hand what they had read and studied about this biodiverse country. This activity consists of three parts: Access Prior Knowledge, Review of Nature in previously read literature and travel experiences, and the Introduction to Nature Journaling.

Access Prior Knowledge – Nature in Spanish Literature

To assess what the students already know I will present the students with questions in the target language like “What do you remember about Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands?” “How does the water cycle affect plant and animal life in the Amazon Rain Forest?” “Why are the Galapagos Islands considered to be special?” Students will record their responses on paper. I anticipate that some students will mention capybaras, monkeys and iguanas, pumas and jaguars, the water cycle and, the novel El Capibara con Botas. Some students will express the water cycle in terms of the puma and the jaguar wanting to disrupt it in order to prevent the capybaras in the story of Carlos the Capybara from escaping.  A few students who traveled to the Galapagos Islands will share that these are very biodiverse.

Students then share their responses with a shoulder partner. Then I will direct a whole class discussion related to the questions. I suggest conducting a class poll related to the questions having the students create a bar graph or pie chart of the results. This will give students visual data indicating the similar opinions and experiences of classmates.

Review of Nature

The next part of this lesson will extend and refine student understanding of observation of nature through the use of videos and photographs. These types of media work well in my curriculum as a large percentage of my students acquire information visually, from charts, illustrations, photographs and videos. Before delving into nature journaling, I suggest using photographs or a video to review aspects of nature included in previous units of instruction to provide the students some context. Having traveled to Ecuador and Galapagos Islands this summer with students, I recorded a few videos and took many photographs of the flora and fauna of this very biodiverse country which I will share with my students. Using visuals, such as videos and pictures, is especially helpful for students with special needs as they help these students to acquire background knowledge and put the elements of the lesson into context. After watching the videos, or as students look at photographs, I will ask my students to complete these sentences in the target language, “I notice . . .” “I wonder . . .”  “It reminds me of . . .” These sentence starters will prepare the students for nature journaling activities. Students will record their responses using a Google Form.

Students then share their responses with a shoulder partner. Then I will direct a whole class discussion related to the questions. Using the answers recorded on the Google Form, I can share the class results in the form of a graph or chart. I will be interesting to note similar and differing observations.

Introduction to Nature Journaling

Once students have observed aspects of nature from prior lessons, the goal is for them to apply that skill of observation to nature journaling. However, I anticipate that my students will inquire as to why they are nature journaling in Spanish class. They will likely state, “Nature is a subject in Science class.”  For the purposes of the explanation of why nature journaling in a world language class, our discussion will be conducted in English.

I will pose to my students the question that I anticipated they would ask me, “Why in the world are we nature journaling in Spanish class?” I will provide each student with three Post-It Notes on which they will record their own speculations on this question. Once they have recorded their responses, they will post them on the white board at the front of the classroom. I will ask for volunteers to share their responses with the class. Some students will say, “To learn nature vocabulary in Spanish,” others may say “To practice writing about nature in Spanish,” and there will be students who say, “I have no idea.” As a class, we will then read the written student responses to the posed question. Once we have shared student responses, I will sort out those similar/close to the five reasons for nature journaling included in How to Teach Nature Journaling by John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren and keep them posted on the board

In order to prepare my students to journal about nature in the target language, I want them to know and to understand why we are taking on this endeavor. In the How to Teach Nature Journaling: Curiosity, Wonder, Attention Laws and Lygren, discuss seven reasons to journal about nature. For the purposes of this unit, I have selected five of the reasons: to observe and learn; to build transferable thinking skills; to connect with nature; to practice mindfulness, and to build community. Students will be provided with a note sheet, in English, to record the benefits of nature journaling along with a brief explanation of each one as I introduce and discuss them. For example, when discussing how nature journaling helps us to observe and learn I will explain to my students how writing down their observations aids them in formulating and verbally illustrating their ideas. The act of writing strengthens their memories.³⁹

Activity 2: Nature Journaling

This second activity is the heart of the curriculum unit in which students will actively engage in the nature journaling process. This activity consists of two parts: Setting Expectations and Journaling in Nature.

Setting Expectations and Routines

When taking students outdoors to observes and journal about nature it is important to provide structure and clearly communicate the expectations otherwise, they may become confused, discouraged, or overwhelmed. Without any direction, it can be tough to choose what to focus on in nature as it offers so many possibilities for observation. Students need structure to guide their attention and focus and scaffolds to aid in their decision-making process of what information to include in their journals.

As we venture out into the natural world it is important for me to communicate to my students that the rules of our indoor classroom apply to our outdoor learning space and that I clearly state any additional expectations that apply to our outdoor learning situation. Establishing boundaries and expectations for my students will provide them with a feeling of safety and sense of direction. It also allows me as the teacher to manage other aspects of our outdoor learning space more easily.

In order to set expectations and develop a routine from the start with my students, I will implement the activity I Notice, I Wonder, It Reminds Me Of recommended in How to Teach Nature Journaling. This activity will provide my students with a framework for observing nature and gathering information that they can include in their journaling. It will supply my students with the tools they need for exploring nature throughout the entirety of this unit and it is simple.⁴⁰

Incorporating routines fosters student engagement and focus during the nature journaling process, establishes expectations, and provides a sense of safety. One such routine I will establish with my students is outdoor classroom jobs which will help me manage the outdoor learning space while actively engaging my students. For those extra energetic students, these added responsibilities help them to focus their energy positively and engage more fully in the group experience. I will assign the roles of Journal Handler (this student is in charge of distributing and collecting the nature journals), Hydrator (responsible for making sure everyone drinks water), Time Keeper (this person keeps track of when the class begins and ends journaling), and Photographer (digitally records our experience with a photo). I will begin the unit assigning these four to individual students and I will rotate them weekly. I envision that more jobs will be added to this list as needed throughout the unit.

To provide structure to the journaling process, I believe it is important to establish beginning and ending practices. These set the tone for journal writing and signal a clear start and end. Once we are in our outdoor learning space, to settle into our journaling process I will have students take three deep breaths in through their noses and out through their mouths. This is a signal for my students that it is time to settle in and begin the journaling process. As time expires, we will gather together at take a few moments, no more than ten, for student to share with the group something from their journaling experience. This provides closure to the activity. I anticipate as we progress through the unit that our opening and closing routines may evolve and we will adapt and change accordingly.

Journaling in Nature

Students will explore various aspects of nature with each week of this unit focusing on a different element: week one the focus will be line (linea); week two, color (color); week three, shape (forma); week four, form and texture (forma y textura); week five, sound (sonido); and week six, taste (gusto). Each week of journaling will build upon the previous week’s entries making the journaling process cumulative. This will require each student to employ the necessary vocabulary for each area of focus and incorporate that vocabulary in future journal entries. To provide consistency throughout the unit, as a class we will follow the same format for each weekly area of focus: introduction to the vocabulary needed for journaling that week, explanation of the weekly journaling activities, and post journaling discussion. In How to Teach Nature Journaling, John Muir Laws lays out nicely and in detail how to lead journaling activities. I will employ some of his strategies in this section of the unit.

Vocabulary – Access Prior Knowledge

To get the lesson started I will provide each student with a knowledge rating scale chart, prior to any instruction of the terms. The chart will have a list of twenty or so vocabulary words in the target language related to the topic of focus. My students will rate themselves on their level of familiarity with each term by placing a check in a column under one of the following headings: “Have No Clue,” “Have Seen or Heard,” and “I Know It Well.” I will instruct the students to provide the English meaning of the word in another column labeled “Definition” if they know a word on the list enough to provide their own definition. If a student has seen or heard a vocabulary term from the list, I will direct them to write an educated guess as to the meaning of the word in the column labeled “I Think It Means.” It is important to encourage them to be honest, as their responses will determine how much time will be devoted to the instruction of each vocabulary term.

Vocabulary – Direct Instruction

After the students reflect on their knowledge of the target language vocabulary, I will use a vocabulary chart made up of two columns, one with the vocabulary terms and the other with their English meanings, to clearly teach the vocabulary. Using this chart makes certain that all students have the needed vocabulary to participate in class discussions and activities. Students use the definitions to complete a graphic organizer based on the vocabulary terms in the target language by writing a definition or meaning of the word in English, writing a sentence in the target language using the term in context, and sketching the vocabulary word. Initially I will instruct the students to complete each section of the graphic organizer for every term with the end goal in mind of each student determining which option -- definition, sentence, or sketch -- is the most effective tool for him/her to learn and remember the vocabulary.

In order to provide consistency throughout unit, I will use the same procedures for accessing prior knowledge and direct instruction of vocabulary each week with the exception of the completion of a graphic organizer for vocabulary definitions. In order to differentiate instruction, instead of using the graphic organizer I will have students create digital flashcards using the website Quizlet or a similar site. On sites such as Quizlet students can create their personalized study stack of vocabulary terms allowing the students to be active participants in the learning process. Digital media works well in my curriculum because of it has multisensory appeal and will engage my visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.

Explanation of Weekly Journaling

Before each journaling activity it is helpful to review the expectations and instructions with students as it provides them with the clarity needed to successfully complete the activity. In addition, I will explain to my students the purpose of our activity for the day. I might say, “Today as we journal, we will work on developing our observation skills. Our focus will be noticing lines in nature.” Identifying a skill will allow my students to see this activity as an opportunity for growth not only in observation but also in the use of the target language as they will be recording their observations using the target language vocabulary related to the focus or theme of the week, in this instance lines.

Previously, I discussed the importance of establishing routine when journaling in nature. Another excellent routine to incorporate into the journaling process is the recording of metadata. According to John Muir Laws, “Metadata is the data behind the data of every journal entry.”⁴¹ I will require my students to record in the upper right-hand corner of each journal entry page the date (fecha), time (hora), location (locación), weather (tiempo). I will encourage my students to be creative in their recording of metadata using illustrations and/or embellishments, or they may enter their metadata using a simple bulleted list. However, my students choose to enter their metadata, the entry of this data provides important context to their journal entry and it marks the passage of time. Metadata will help my students to focus on the bigger picture as it relates to each journal entry.⁴²

When beginning the actual journaling on paper, I anticipate that some students will have troubling beginning, not knowing where to start or what to do as this is all new to them. To guide my students, I will employ the teaching strategy of modeling by doing a quick demonstration of the journaling activity using a portable whiteboard. In my demonstration I will include sketches and vocabulary in the target language to label each sketch.  This will provide a visual for my students of how they can lay out their journal entry for the activity and it clearly illustrates my expectations allaying any fear or anxiety my students might have regarding the activity.

Because my students are novice language learners, they will very likely find it difficult to record detailed descriptions of their observations in the target language. I predict most will find it easier to sketch, paint, or draw what they are observing and I will encourage them to do so. Once they have completed the visual reproduction of their observation, I will instruct them to use the target language vocabulary that was introduced for the week to label their drawings. By using the target language to label their drawing my students will be clarifying their visual representations by identifying and describing important features. Including labels helps build and reinforce target language vocabulary because my students see which elements of their work they have the vocabulary for and which they do not. I will direct my students to use lines and arrows when labeling their drawings.

Another technique that can facilitate recording observations in the target language is writing using bulleted lists. A typical novice language learner easily provides information in list form. A bulleted list will provide sufficient structure for my students to share their observations on paper. Once they have on item down another one will likely be not to far behind. John Muir Laws suggests that students use an open circle for each bullet point rather than a closed one, then they can come back later and fill in the circles next to the most compelling ideas.⁴³ 

Many novice language learners communicate using phrases and sentence fragments. Recording observations and/or describing observational illustration using phrase/sentence fragments in the target language allows my students to communicate an idea or information like a brief observation about the subject of a journal entry. They can also use these to ask a quick question. Writing in phrases or sentences fragments provides my students the opportunity to get their thoughts down on paper in the target language as they come. It allows them to quickly capture observations and ideas. Students can go back and combine phrases and fragments about one subject in their entry.

When journaling, I will encourage my students to use specific and precise language when possible (for example, azul claro, light blue, instead of azul, blue). This is when the weekly vocabulary graphic organizer or flashcards can be utilized. I will provide them with sentence starters in the target language to aid in the writing process. For example, Tal vez . . . (Perhaps . . .), ¿Es possible que . . .? (Is it possible that . . .?), and Parece que . . . (It seems that . . .) are sentence starters that my students can employ when recording a journal entry. Since they are all familiar with the numbers zero through one hundred in the target language, I will urge them to integrate numbers with words and pictures into their entries. Of course, I will remind my students they can always utilize Me Doy Cuenta De (I Notice), Me Pregunto (I Wonder), Me Recuerda A (It Reminds Me Of) which was previously introduced as a framework for observing and gathering indormation when journaling.

Post Journaling Discussion

Class discussion post journaling is not just an afterthought but an integral part of the learning process. I plan to spend about 15 minutes in conversation with my students after their journaling in completed. I will begin this activity having students engage in a shoulder partner discussion about each question before initiating a whole class conversation. Pair sharing allows every student to process their thoughts and speak their answers. This in turn increases the likelihood that more students will engage in the whole group discussion. From our shoulder partner discussion, we will transition into a whole class conversation, affording my students the opportunity to listen to each other’s thoughts, ideas, and observations and build upon them. This will also provide me with an idea of what my students understand and in what areas they may need further support.⁴⁴

To begin the post journaling discussion, John Muir Laws suggests starting the conversation with general questions guiding students to reflect on the process of journaling and to collect their thoughts about observations made. Laws states, “We begin our discussion with these questions to support students’ growth with journaling and to reinforce the observations students made while journaling”⁴⁵ Included in How to Teach Nature Journaling are recommended discussion questions which I will be using in the target language during the post journaling discussions with my students. Also included in the book are “big idea” questions referring to cause and effect, patterns, scale, proportion, and quantity, structure and function, and stability and change. These questions, according to Laws, boost student to the next level of learning using their observations to move towards a larger understanding of abstract concepts⁴⁶. I will be incorporating some of these questions as well into our discussions.

Activity 3: Reflection and Assessment

To conclude the unit, each student will select an entry from their nature journal as the culminating entry of the unit. This will require each student to complete a reflection on their journal entries each week which will aid them in the selection and completion of their concluding entry. I will provide students with a set of reflection questions in the target language along with helpful target language vocabulary and phrases, and the rubric that will be used to assess their work. Students will share their final journal entry with their classmates digitally using a learning management system like Schoology.

Reflection

At the end of each week, my students will reflect look back at their weekly journal entries reflecting upon what they learned about the topic (i.e. line, color, shape, texture, etc.) and what helped them to learn. Then using their journal entries, they will answer reflection questions in the target language. I will provide the reflection questions and students will record their answers on the next blank page in their journals.

Preguntas para la Reflexción (Questions for Reflection)

1. ¿Cuáles son las cosas más interesantes que observé durante la semana?(What are the most interesting things I observed during the week?)
2. ¿Cuál es la imagen más excepcional de mi diario? (What is the most exceptional image in my journal?
3. ¿Por qué esta imagen es única? (Why is this imaige unique?)
4. ¿Qué aprendí sobre ___________ (la linea, el color,etc.) de las entradas de esta semana? (What did I learn about _______________ (insert weekly topic) from this week’s entries?)
5. ¿Cuáles son algunos ejemplos de los de mi diario? (What are some exaples of those from my diary?)
6. La proxima semana trabajaré para mejorar ________________. Yo lo haré por ___________________. (Next week I will work to improve _______________. I will do this by ______________________.)
7. ¿Cuál de mis observaciones me gustaría compartir con la clase? ¿Por qué? (Which of my observations would I like to share with the class? Why?)

Once the written reflections are completed, in order to provide consistency throughout the unit I will have my students employ the shoulder partner method of sharing their reflections. We will then transition to whole group discussion allowing my students their personal reflections with the class and build upon them using the constructive feedback they receive from their classmates. My students will in turn use their weekly reflections as a tool to select journal entries to submit to be formatively and summatively assessed.

Assessment

During this unit my students will be assessed on their cumulative progress in nature journaling at least three times, including but not limited to two formative assessments and one summative assessment. The Council of Chief State School Officers defines a formative assessment as “a planned, ongoing process used by all students and teachers during learning and teaching to elicit and use evidence of student learning to improve student understanding of intended disciplinary learning outcomes and support students to become self-directed learners.”⁴⁷ A summative assessment according to The Glossary of Education Reform is “used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period, and therefore they are evaluative rather than diagnostic.”⁴⁸ For both types of assessments I will be using the evaluation rubric created by John Muir Laws. It can be found in the appendix of How to Teach Nature Journaling.

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is a process rather than an end goal. This assessment takes place when students and teachers receive evidence of student cognition and use it to further student learning and therefore formative assessments have motivational as well as cognitive benefits. In this way, this kind of assessment improves student achievement of the expected educational outcome. By incorporating formative assessments into the journaling process, my students will be able to answer the following questions: What am I trying to learn? What progress have I made toward my learning goal? What are the next steps that will take me closer to my learning goal? They will be able to do this by creating and assessing evidence of their own learning. Using this process, my students will know what they need to do next allowing them to feel competent and more in control of their learning.⁴⁹

To begin the formative assessment process, I will provide my students at the beginning of each week of journaling with the evaluation rubric from the Spanish publication How to Teach Nature Journaling: Curiosity, Wonder, Attention (Diario Ilustrado De La Naturaleza: Guía De Observación y Dibujo). I will take the liberty to adjust the rubric each week changing, deleting, or adding criteria based on the journaling focus of the week. Students will have the evaluation rubric before journaling so that they know what is expected of them. As they journal, students can refer to the rubric as checklist to ensure they have included are the required elements in their entries. At the end of each week, students will select one journal entry from that week to formatively assess. I anticipate that most will select the entry that they noted in their journal reflection that they would like to share with others. Students will use their selected entry and information from their weekly reflection to complete the evaluation rubric. I will provide written constructive feedback to my students. Since my school district requires teachers to record a minimum of seven formative assessment grades per marking period I will include at least two of these assessments.

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment is higher-stakes than a formative assessment and because of this it is critical to ensure that it aligns with the aims and expected outcomes of learning⁵⁰. To accomplish this, I will employ the same evaluation rubric used when formatively assessing my students. I have chosen this rubric because it lays out for my students what an ideal assignment should look like and it summarizes what is expected of them. It offers them with a path that guides them towards completion. Using the same evaluation rubric will provides familiarity for me students. It is an assessment tool with which they have already been working which will reduce any assessment anxiety.

As a culminating activity, my students will have the opportunity to select an entry from the entirety of their natural journal entries to present as their final entry, their summative assessment. In order to provide consistency and familiarity, I will employ the procedures from this summative assessment as with the previous formative assessments. Students will use their selected entry, journal reflections, and their formative assessments to complete an initial summative assessment of the selected journal entry. Once the initial assessment is complete, each student will have the opportunity to conference with me about that assessment and discuss steps moving forward in completing the final assessment.

After conferencing, students will work on enhancing their selected entry using all of the assessment tools available to them. Some students may expand on their written observations in the target language by using the details they originally recorded in list form or in phrases and sentence fragments to create descriptive sentences. Other students may include additional details either in writing or illustration about the journal entry topic. Yet others, may add physical nature such as a leaf, a bird feather, or a blade of grass. I anticipate this assessment process to take place over two to three ninety-minute class periods depending upon class size. When each student is satisfied with their entry, they will perform their final assessment using the evaluation rubric and I will use the same assessment tool when evaluating their completed product. Students will share their end product, their updated and enhanced journal entry with their classmates digitally using a learning management system like Schoology. They will also have the opportunity to present their final product to the larger school community during one of our weekly MYP meetings.  My hope is that because the students will be sharing their journal entry with an audience, they will put forth the effort to be understood employing their observation skills and effectively communication their observations using the journaling techniques and skills they have learned.