"A journal is a place for thinking and feeling, for pausing in the moment, the image, the idea, the place you occupy..... Grab images, words, drawings, pressed leaves, dirt, anything that impresses you and will help you remember the time, place and events you are experiencing and creatively get them into your journal" -William Hammond.
Journaling:
Students write (or draw) about different topics: reflections on the day’s learnings, answer questions you’ve given them, write and draw about natural findings around them
Nature journals are the earliest source of information that we have about our natural world. Holding a journal in one's hand evokes emotion and awe because we innately relate to the sensory details captured in the artists words and images. The added bonus to creating our own journals? We see and enjoy more deeply and that comes with calming health benefits!
Using all our senses to enhance our observations, we leave our traditional artist fears behind and enjoy exploring nature with the time to observe.
I do a combination of a lot of things in a sketch journal the students keep for the year...
There is a program that was started at the University of Calgary that focuses on sketch journaling. Campus Calgary - Open Minds . I was fortunate to be selected to attend a few times (City Hall School, Bird School, and this year to Community Arts Commons). We get to go to that space for a full week to learn by talking to experts, interacting with the space, and sketch journalling.
Sometimes students are given thinking routines to help them organize their work;
(such as Up Down All Around. Six Directions from Lynda Barry's book What It is: Do You Wish You Could Write?
Or Six Room Poetry from Georgia Heard's book Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School.
There are also some amazing ideas from Harvard through Project Zero and Visible Thinking Routines, that show how to use these to note take.
We practice, and I model a lot! The students are pretty comfortable journaling anywhere and often ask to have time to journal!
Sometimes the journal is to document information we are listening to. This is a CBC podcast we were listening to about climate change in different cities:
Sometime the students are asked to add information and research add to their journal. There is a page of them drawing observations (not shown) and then the next time we did the following page:
Sometimes it is so I can understand their thinking better and we can do an analysis in more depth:
Sometimes it is more so they can remember their thoughts and ideas:
This is a journal page from an explorer in residence who came to talk to us. This is one students traits of an explorer ideas:
I find the students are very proud of their journal.
Many of my english language learners can show their understanding and develop vocabulary.
I have a better understanding of the students thinking.
I do have clear intensions when we work in our journals because I don't want them to become an art project only (unless that is my specific intension on that lesson). I also don't want them to become glorified worksheets/ colouring pages, but learning tools.
When I taught younger students I found a few things helpful:
-I started printing out sticker labels that had a title and description of what we were working on that I could get students to stick onto their page (so when parents looked through they'd know what we were working on) since the younger ones sometimes did not have the writing to describe.
-I often took photos of an experience, or of them in an environment, and we glued those in and they could write around it and describe, or we could write descriptive words and they choose a few to add onto their page.
-Students loved getting a "window" to draw and focus on one spot (I think it is less overwhelming for them)
Sometimes working together is better. In grade 1/2, we did a giant journal page that the whole class participated in. I then took a picture and printed out copies for each journal and the students added notes or more ideas in their own journals if they wanted.
Journaling:
Students write (or draw) about different topics: reflections on the day’s learnings, answer questions you’ve given them, write and draw about natural findings around them
Nature journals are the earliest source of information that we have about our natural world. Holding a journal in one's hand evokes emotion and awe because we innately relate to the sensory details captured in the artists words and images. The added bonus to creating our own journals? We see and enjoy more deeply and that comes with calming health benefits!
Using all our senses to enhance our observations, we leave our traditional artist fears behind and enjoy exploring nature with the time to observe.
I do a combination of a lot of things in a sketch journal the students keep for the year...
There is a program that was started at the University of Calgary that focuses on sketch journaling. Campus Calgary - Open Minds . I was fortunate to be selected to attend a few times (City Hall School, Bird School, and this year to Community Arts Commons). We get to go to that space for a full week to learn by talking to experts, interacting with the space, and sketch journalling.
Sometimes students are given thinking routines to help them organize their work;
(such as Up Down All Around. Six Directions from Lynda Barry's book What It is: Do You Wish You Could Write?
Or Six Room Poetry from Georgia Heard's book Awakening the Heart: Exploring Poetry in Elementary and Middle School.
There are also some amazing ideas from Harvard through Project Zero and Visible Thinking Routines, that show how to use these to note take.
We practice, and I model a lot! The students are pretty comfortable journaling anywhere and often ask to have time to journal!
Sometimes the journal is to document information we are listening to. This is a CBC podcast we were listening to about climate change in different cities:
Sometime the students are asked to add information and research add to their journal. There is a page of them drawing observations (not shown) and then the next time we did the following page:
Sometimes it is so I can understand their thinking better and we can do an analysis in more depth:
Sometimes it is more so they can remember their thoughts and ideas:
This is a journal page from an explorer in residence who came to talk to us. This is one students traits of an explorer ideas:
I find the students are very proud of their journal.
Many of my english language learners can show their understanding and develop vocabulary.
I have a better understanding of the students thinking.
I do have clear intensions when we work in our journals because I don't want them to become an art project only (unless that is my specific intension on that lesson). I also don't want them to become glorified worksheets/ colouring pages, but learning tools.
When I taught younger students I found a few things helpful:
-I started printing out sticker labels that had a title and description of what we were working on that I could get students to stick onto their page (so when parents looked through they'd know what we were working on) since the younger ones sometimes did not have the writing to describe.
-I often took photos of an experience, or of them in an environment, and we glued those in and they could write around it and describe, or we could write descriptive words and they choose a few to add onto their page.
-Students loved getting a "window" to draw and focus on one spot (I think it is less overwhelming for them)
Sometimes working together is better. In grade 1/2, we did a giant journal page that the whole class participated in. I then took a picture and printed out copies for each journal and the students added notes or more ideas in their own journals if they wanted.
A COMPANION TO National Geographic's Explorer's Geo-Inquiry Process:
The Explorer’s Guide
About:
Building on the geo-inquiry process developed by National Geographic, this booklet introduces a beautiful new set of journaling tasks to inspire and guide educators and youth. This guide is meant to help with finding new ways of which to inspire geographical world views that are awakened from the land around you.
Written to be used as a journal, painted in brushstrokes that call to the forest, field, riverbank and also to the heart, The Explorer’s Guide to the Geo-Inquiry Process, celebrates a sense of wonder, bearing witness to nature’s power to amaze, console and bring joy. Above all, it inspires protection and action on behalf of the natural world.
The Journaling Guide provides a wide range of suggestions to embrace an interdisciplinary approach, encouraging emergent curiosity and suggesting a variety of ways of communicating and responding creatively. This Guide is for celebrating the magic of journaling through nature and the magic of language to foster stewardship and action. It is for teachers, librarians, and children. It is for anyone with an interest in the natural world who wants to explore The Geo-Inquiry Process through journaling activities. This Guide is for use in classrooms, at home or in an outdoor space of your choosing. The various activities and challenges included can be dipped in and out of or used consecutively as a cross-curricular scheme of work. There are limitless opportunities for learning across all subjects – from researching, writing and storytelling, to science and conservation projects.
A journal to think: to ask and answer questions, to observe, reflect, understand, create and share. Time to create a sense of personal responsibility with regard to protecting and cherishing our natural world and the creative opportunities to do so.
Suggestions are made for student and educators working in journaling the process to inspire them to become keen observers of the wildness in their own backyards, and to foster in them a desire to protect wild habitats.
Create a journal to record your own ideas in response to the art and music and the environment around you.
Remind yourself that this is a journal to observe, record, and fully appreciate. This is not an art exercise and not judged on your art skills.
I hope you enjoy them,
written and illustrated by Alison Katzko
Create a mood board. It is an arrangement of images, materials, pieces of text, to evoke or project the essence of the land around you through music, art and words.
Add wonder words to your journal: build up a treasure-chest of words for nature, weather, plants, animals, colour.
Create a mind-map or time line of your natural area.
ASK
seek, query, question, exhort, request, invite, put forth
A Geo-Inquiry Question is a query that asks us to think about where things are and how they are connected to other things spatially and why that is important.
Student task:
Quest-cussion: This is a discussion made of only questions. The students write all the questions they can think of. This works well as a group activity (as often questions inspire other questions).
Who lived here in ancient times?
How was this land formed?
What creatures live here?
What makes it the place that it is?
Close-Up Observations:
Wandering, looking closely, observing...
As you walk, look at the ground. What small things to you notice? Draw them down in your journal. Make sure you label the size (either estimation based on referent like the size of my thumb nail, or using a small ruler). Write down one question for every object.
Where does it go in the winter?
Follow your own curiosity:
Going on a wonder-walk and observe. Afterward draw down the journey and discoveries you noticed outside.
Add wonder words to your journal: build up a treasure chest of words for nature, weather, plants and animals.
Educator task:
A Geo-Inquiry Project will start with a good Geo-Inquiry Question. This should be developed from the students own ideas, questions and interests. The teacher role is to help guide and support them with developing this.
Explore topics in your local community. What interesting news is happening? Who can you connect with to help?
Make a web or brainstorm of interconnected ideas
Sound Mapping:
As humans, we perceive much of our world through our sense of sight. In this creative activity, however, students focus on the sounds of nature, and try to draw what they hear.
Tell the students that instead of drawing a regular map they will be drawing a sound map. In a bottom corner they should draw the map’s key. Each new sound heard will be represented with a symbol and recorded in the key. Ask students to also draw an X and their name in the centre of the map. As each new sound is heard, the symbol is recorded on the map at the where it was heard relative to the X on the map. Have fun making as zany a map as ever was seen!
Discussion: What happens to the map if you move the ‘centre of hearing’ (you) to one of the corners of the map? Try drawing it. How many people had similar symbols? Why? How did you feel about the human sounds you heard? Why?
Character strengths
The Explorer’s Guide
About:
Building on the geo-inquiry process developed by National Geographic, this booklet introduces a beautiful new set of journaling tasks to inspire and guide educators and youth. This guide is meant to help with finding new ways of which to inspire geographical world views that are awakened from the land around you.
Written to be used as a journal, painted in brushstrokes that call to the forest, field, riverbank and also to the heart, The Explorer’s Guide to the Geo-Inquiry Process, celebrates a sense of wonder, bearing witness to nature’s power to amaze, console and bring joy. Above all, it inspires protection and action on behalf of the natural world.
The Journaling Guide provides a wide range of suggestions to embrace an interdisciplinary approach, encouraging emergent curiosity and suggesting a variety of ways of communicating and responding creatively. This Guide is for celebrating the magic of journaling through nature and the magic of language to foster stewardship and action. It is for teachers, librarians, and children. It is for anyone with an interest in the natural world who wants to explore The Geo-Inquiry Process through journaling activities. This Guide is for use in classrooms, at home or in an outdoor space of your choosing. The various activities and challenges included can be dipped in and out of or used consecutively as a cross-curricular scheme of work. There are limitless opportunities for learning across all subjects – from researching, writing and storytelling, to science and conservation projects.
A journal to think: to ask and answer questions, to observe, reflect, understand, create and share. Time to create a sense of personal responsibility with regard to protecting and cherishing our natural world and the creative opportunities to do so.
Suggestions are made for student and educators working in journaling the process to inspire them to become keen observers of the wildness in their own backyards, and to foster in them a desire to protect wild habitats.
Create a journal to record your own ideas in response to the art and music and the environment around you.
Remind yourself that this is a journal to observe, record, and fully appreciate. This is not an art exercise and not judged on your art skills.
I hope you enjoy them,
written and illustrated by Alison Katzko
Create a mood board. It is an arrangement of images, materials, pieces of text, to evoke or project the essence of the land around you through music, art and words.
Add wonder words to your journal: build up a treasure-chest of words for nature, weather, plants, animals, colour.
Create a mind-map or time line of your natural area.
ASK
seek, query, question, exhort, request, invite, put forth
A Geo-Inquiry Question is a query that asks us to think about where things are and how they are connected to other things spatially and why that is important.
Student task:
Quest-cussion: This is a discussion made of only questions. The students write all the questions they can think of. This works well as a group activity (as often questions inspire other questions).
Who lived here in ancient times?
How was this land formed?
What creatures live here?
What makes it the place that it is?
Close-Up Observations:
Wandering, looking closely, observing...
As you walk, look at the ground. What small things to you notice? Draw them down in your journal. Make sure you label the size (either estimation based on referent like the size of my thumb nail, or using a small ruler). Write down one question for every object.
Where does it go in the winter?
Follow your own curiosity:
Going on a wonder-walk and observe. Afterward draw down the journey and discoveries you noticed outside.
Add wonder words to your journal: build up a treasure chest of words for nature, weather, plants and animals.
Educator task:
A Geo-Inquiry Project will start with a good Geo-Inquiry Question. This should be developed from the students own ideas, questions and interests. The teacher role is to help guide and support them with developing this.
Explore topics in your local community. What interesting news is happening? Who can you connect with to help?
Make a web or brainstorm of interconnected ideas
Sound Mapping:
As humans, we perceive much of our world through our sense of sight. In this creative activity, however, students focus on the sounds of nature, and try to draw what they hear.
Tell the students that instead of drawing a regular map they will be drawing a sound map. In a bottom corner they should draw the map’s key. Each new sound heard will be represented with a symbol and recorded in the key. Ask students to also draw an X and their name in the centre of the map. As each new sound is heard, the symbol is recorded on the map at the where it was heard relative to the X on the map. Have fun making as zany a map as ever was seen!
Discussion: What happens to the map if you move the ‘centre of hearing’ (you) to one of the corners of the map? Try drawing it. How many people had similar symbols? Why? How did you feel about the human sounds you heard? Why?
Character strengths
- Is honest and trustworthy
- Is caring, kind, and empathetic
- Helps others
- Shows loyalty
- Works hard
- Is resilient
- Shows independence
- Cooperates
- Shares, takes turns, and can compromise
- Puts effort into making friends and keeping them
- Is a good listener
- Accepts differences in others
- Asks for help when needed
- Accepts personal responsibility for actions (good and bad)
- Tells the truth and can apologize when needed
- Has a good sense of humour
- Uses words to express needs, wants, and ideas
- Participates in discussions at home, at school, and with friends
- Can change tone of voice when telling a story or asking a question.
- Tells stories that have a clear beginning, middle, and end
- Uses lots of words and likes learning new words
- Can answer “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” “why,” and “how” questions in conversation (or about a story)
- Understands jokes, puns, and sarcasm
- Understands the structure of sounds; can do tasks like rhyme
- Can sound out unfamiliar words
- Easily recognizes sight words
- Can remember details and retell stories after reading them
- Can make predictions based on what’s happened so far in a story
- Reads with expression, like the way an actor talks on TV shows
- Makes connections between reading material and personal experiences
- Has strong number sense, like knowing which is larger and which is smaller
- Sees and understands patterns in nature and in numbers
- Remembers math facts (like 5 + 4 = 9)
- Can do mental math (“in your head”)
- Uses math concepts in the real world (like doubling a recipe)
- Understands math terms used in word problems
- Solves puzzles or word problems
- Understands and sets goals; can plan ahead
- Is a self-starter
- Stays focused on tasks
- Tries different approaches (flexible thinking)
- Organizes thoughts and physical items like a backpack
- Follows rules and routines well
- Learns from mistakes and solves problems
- Is creative/artistic
- Dances. acts, sings, or plays a musical instrument
- Plays sports or games (including video games)
- Practices yoga, mindfulness, or meditation
- Takes care of animals and/or younger children
- Entertains people by telling jokes or stories
- Does community service projects