Writing About Nature

Classroom Activities

The classroom activities in this unit are sequenced over the course of four weeks, each focusing on specific aspects of language development—such as exemplars, journaling, interviews and reading the works of various writers.

Family Interviews and Narrative Writing Exemplars

Week One of the unit begins with an emphasis on narrative writing exemplars and participating in an interview with family members. To start this process, each student will receive a graphic organizer with interview questions designed to collect an immigration story from a relative. To structure the familial interview, the students will use the Folklife website as a resource, considering the types of questions, the timeline, flexibility during the interview, and obtaining permission to use the story in their narrative project.¹⁹ The students will arrange a meeting time with the family member, planning for an hour-long visit. During the interview, students will inquire about traditions, key demographic information, community experiences, and the various places their relatives have lived. Based on the gathered interview information, students will have the option to create a story based on their interview or their self-authoring narrative.

In the first week, students will also explore narratives written by immigrant students featured in the book Making Americans by Jessica Landers. By engaging themselves in these personal stories, the students will have a chance to connect with families like their own, enabling them to gain valuable insight into their own lives. Each student will have the chance to read or listen to selected stories from Making Americans.²⁰

After reading these narratives, my students will engage in reflective exercises using a conversation and thinking guide prepared by Re-Imagining Migration, a non-profit education organization. This guide will help them explore and express their thoughts, feelings, and connections to the stories they have encountered. They will be encouraged to write about their life and how it resonates with the example stories they have listened to. The aim is to enable a deeper understanding of their past and help them draw parallels between their own experience and those shared by the students in these essays.

By the end of week one, students will have connected with the emotions and struggles of their contemporaries through storytelling examples. They will have explored how these stories relate to their own lives, creating a meaningful connection to their past experiences. This exercise will foster empathy and encourage a sense of belonging that they are not alone.²¹ 

Sit-Spot Journaling

In the second week of this unit, the focus shifts to becoming better observers of nature through a sit-spot activity. Each student will select a specific spot in nature where they can sit quietly and observe their surroundings while becoming aware of their internal and external sensations. During their sit-spot time, students will be encouraged to focus on the sounds they hear in their surroundings, such as bird songs and rustling leaves. They will be provided with a nature journal in which they can describe the sights and sounds, reflecting on how they contribute to the overall experience of being in nature. Additionally, students will be prompted to make sketches and visual representations of the plants, animals, and other natural elements that catch their attention. This activity serves to enhance their artistic skills while deepening their connection with the natural world.

After spending time in their sit-spot, students will reflect on their experiences and write about their thoughts and emotions in their journal. They will explore how being in nature makes them feel, any insights or discoveries they have made, and any personal connections they have developed with the natural world. As students immerse themselves in the process, they will consciously and subconsciously begin to process their own journey across space and time through the connective lens of nature, fostering an invitation to heal their fractured identity.

To facilitate this journaling process if supplies are scarce, students will create a nature journal using simple materials such as spare paper and a stapler. A printable journal template will be provided, incorporating guided questions to help draw on memories of childhood or their natural surroundings of their homeland. The journal will feature daily questions presented in poetry form, incapsulating different nature focused themes.  My students will use these scaffolded prompts to form ideas for their final narrative essay. By engaging in this nature journaling practice, students will develop a stronger connection with nature and gain insights into their own journey contributing to their understanding of their identity from their native land to their life in Oklahoma.

Reading and Analyzing Nature Writers

Our reading goal is to engage students in literary works that focus on one’s experience in nature, guiding them toward a comprehensive understanding of a variety of styles and themes present in these writings. Every morning, we will engage in reflection on our unit readings, identifying key elements that will serve as building blocks for developing our narrative story. We will explore what writers are looking for in nature, what they specifically observe, and what techniques they use to gain their insights. We will focus on nature as it is connected to universal symbolisms. We will compare these authors' points of view and perspectives. The readings are paired together over each week to highlight key themes and skills.

The first section of readings will draw attention to the transformative aspects of nature using rich imagery, symbolism, and the power of childhood memories, all found in poetry. During this week we will be pulling excerpts from writers like Wordsworth, Yeats, Dickinson, and Atwood and the relationship between each poem’s “speaker” and nature. We will be considering the connection the poems create between non-human-animal lives and humans. Through this analysis, we will develop skills in connecting common themes, tone, and mood, as well as exploring symbolism, which will illustrate distinct perspectives and foster a deeper appreciation of the diverse ways writers celebrate the wonder of the natural world.

In the second section of readings, we will delve into Native American literature, which aims to open our awareness to Native American connection to the natural world. We will be exploring the writings of M. Scott Momaday and Luci Tapahonso. We will examine relationships and the connection to the land, exploring their significance to Native Americans. For instance, a selection of prose from Momaday’s book, Way to Rainy Mountain beautifully states, "The stories that I am speaking of are about the Kiowas who lived in the southern Plains; about the Yellowstone River and the Black Hills and the Bad Lands; about the country of the Crows and the country of the Cheyennes and the country of the Arapahos and the country of the Apaches. All of these places, which are so intimately associated with the identity of the Kiowas, are to be found at the rim of the world.".”²²

The last section of readings will have students reflect on their personal relationship with nature and their expanding awareness of environmental stewardship. We will be reviewing selections for the following books: The Earth Knows My Name by Patricia Klindienst,²³ paired with readings from Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard²⁴ and quotations from The Sense of Wonder by Rachel Carson.²⁵

During Week Four of the curriculum, the focus is on crafting a compelling narrative essay titled "A Moving Story." To do so, students will draw inspiration from various sources, including journal entries, exemplars, and techniques from studied writers. They will be guided through the writing process using a framework that emphasizes the thoughtful exploration of personal experiences while safeguarding the emotional well-being of each student. A crucial aspect of this unit is the choice given to students, allowing them to decide whether they want to write about their own story or the experiences of someone they interviewed. The teacher and school staff will be highly sensitive and aware of the potential emotional impact, and they will be prepared with social emotional resources to provide support and counseling services to any student dealing with trauma or difficult emotions.²⁶