Content and Learning Objectives
A main objective of this unit is to increase ‘stick-with-it-ness’ and concentration skills in my students through the practice of nature journaling. As stated in my introduction, even when I was young, I could remember having trouble with concentration and with forcing myself to commit to something long enough to get better at it. Our students have many of the same challenges that seem to have only been compounded by the effects of being separated by a screen and distance and by the instantaneous stimuli, temptations, and distractions of ever-present cell-phones, laptops, and other digital media. If using short intervals of practice has been a useful tool for me to grasp or refine technical skills that would normally be too arduous for my attention span as an adult, imagine how much it could help younger learners!
Journaling in any form is an effective way to push engagement through consistent but short intervals of time. Scaffolding into longer stretches of concentration will hopefully encourage students to push themselves to improve their stamina when it comes to bigger projects. Along with improving stamina, the drawing, along with the writing, gives the students practice sketching and fleshing out their ideas along with practicing the concepts of planning. Even the poetic process can help to support transferable skills.
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