Journal #15

At the beginning of the semester, it was my goal to improve my environmental literacy to benefit myself, and my future students. Coming into this year, I did not have very much experience or education when it came to the environment and environmental education. After taking the survey during the first week, I was able to get an idea of what I needed to become more knowledgeable about. As a result I can honestly say, of all the courses I took this semester, I learned this most in this course.

In an early class lecture, there was a PowerPoint slide that indicated 80% of Americans are heavily influenced by environmental myths. At that point in the semester, I was definitely in that category. However, now that the semester is concluding, I feel I have moved past that. I really feel the guest speakers and discussion activities have a lot to do with this. I also think the Resource Collection activities were very effective as well. Finding dependable resources such as the resource guides and online really was beneficial, and the fact that each of the collections related to the current class unit helped me gain further understanding of the content. As a result, I was able to slowly gain insight on how to educate students of all ages on these environmental topics.

Finally, I felt the peer teaching was a great teaching activity. Not only was it beneficial for the pair of students teaching the lesson, but for the students witnessing the lesson. I definitely gained some ideas about teaching through the lesson I taught, and from the lessons my classmates taught. The feedback was very helpful as well, as it helped me look at my lesson in a different way and think of ways I could have extended it. Overall, I feel I am miles ahead of where I was in the beginning of this semester, and am ready to incorporate environmental concepts in my future classroom.

Journal #14: Nature Journal Guide

                       

     

I took a vacation to Florida in late July 2013. Clearwater Beach, Orlando, and Vero Beach were among the places I visited. As you can see, there were some beautiful sights, especially early in the morning, like in the sunrise photo. A few of the days on this trip, I experienced the warmest temperatures in my lifetime. There was one day in which the temperature was 109, and that didn't include the heat index! This was one of the greatest vacations I ever took for a number of reasons. It was with my family, we visited some close friends down there in Tampa, and it was a nice relaxing getaway. I look forward to more trips like this in the future.



I picked up this idea from a nature journal online by a calligrapher and graphic designer from California, Lisa Holtzman. In her nature journal, she detailed a trip she took to Alaska, by displaying 3 photographs she took while she was there. She also drew a few photos of some images she saw while on her trip. Underneath each photo, she included a caption that described the image. She also wrote down her feelings her experiences on this trip to Alaska.

I feel this can be a very powerful journal prompt to use with young students. I also feel it cuts across several different disciplines, such as English, Art, and Social Studies, as it involves writing and possibly drawing and coloring. I personally really like this type of journaling because it draws on personal experiences that students may find very memorable. In addition, there really is no right or wrong answer, just the feelings and experiences students had on their trip. Overall, this can be a fun activity for students that allows them to be creative and possibly create a show and tell or full class discussion.

Journal #13: Scientific Observation

A recent scientific observation I had involved typical Wisconsin winter weather, and that was snow. More importantly, I observed the effect that snow has on people and their environment. When the temperatures drop, and snow begins to fall, it has an effect on how people both young and old live their life.

The most common example people think of when thinking of the effects of snow is winter driving-will it be safe to drive? However, I feel snow has even deeper impacts, such as people having to account for the amount of time it will take them to drive to a particular location. Also, from a college student's perspective, it may force us to account for the amount of extra time it may take us to walk to a particular class. In both cases, it is likely that people will have to take some extra time and leave earlier than normal.

In my classroom, I feel I can connect this Wisconsin weather phenomenon to the lives of my students. I believe there are many possibilities for discussion and collaboration when it comes to this topic. One possibility that jumps out at me is that I could divide students into small groups and have them discuss how snow effects their daily decision making. From here, we could have a large group discussion and compare and contrast students' ideas. Also, students could create stories, either fiction or non-fiction, of people dealing with large amounts of snow. This could be in small groups, or done individually. While doing this, I could encourage students to draw pictures of their stories and add color.

Journal #12: Questioning/Wondering

With our recent class unit including information about the rock cycle, I wonder what the best strategies are when it comes to teaching students about igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. Students see these types of rocks around them, yet it difficult for them to distinguish between the types.

 Recalling my elementary school days, I remember talking about these types of rocks, and being asked questions about their definitions, etc. However, I do not recall ever having a hands-on or visual experience with them. Students at all grade levels can benefit from seeing and being able to touch these different types of rocks. Understanding what makes rocks igneous or metamorphic will not only help students understand these types of rocks, but their role in their environment.

In my future classroom, I feel I could help my students become comfortable distinguishing between these three types of rocks. After exposing students to the definitions of the rocks, and having several lessons, I feel I could conduct a formative assessment to check their understanding. As part of this formative assessment, I would take several live samples of each rock and place them on tables around the room and number them. Students would then be able to walk around the room, and make their guesses based on the rocks they observe.

Journal #11: Story Telling of an Experience in Nature

Recently, over the holiday weekend, I had an experience in nature. Although it wasn't a typical experience, as it was at a shopping mall, I feel it really ties in to our classroom content. For instance, Tanger Outlet Mall in WI Dells is an outdoor outlet mall, in that aside from being inside the stores, the customers are walking around outside. Aside from having a roof, Tanger's customers must be prepared to dress for the weather. I traveled to this outlet mall on Thanksgiving evening, with temperatures in the 20's.

I think a construction like the Tanger Outlet Mall can be analyzed in the context of our class. One connection is that the mall will save money and energy. During the summer months, the outdoor portion of the mall will rely on the sun for its heat, rather than indoor heating. As a result, this saves money, not just on heat, but on lighting, air conditioning during the summer, etc. Although it has its disadvantages, such as not attracting as many customers during the brutal Wisconsin winters, I feel the positives outweigh the negatives for places such as Tanger Outlet Mall.

As a teacher, I feel I could use this to make a connection to my students. One task that I could use to relate to them is to discuss their feelings of a construction such as this. Also, I could incorporate small group work by having students discuss the pros and cons of an outdoor shopping mall. In the end, we could make a class list of the positives and negatives on the board, and talk about both categories.

Journal #10: Sit-Spot/Environmental Photo

I decided to reflect upon these two photos for two reasons. The first is that the holidays are approaching, and both of these photos can represent the holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Second, these are two things that students will most likely see outdoors during this time of the year. As a result, I feel as a teacher I can link these two topics and their holidays to Environmental Education. In the classroom, this definitely allows me to conduct some creative activities. First, this allows for many different writing prompts, both fiction and non-fiction. I could encourage my students to imagine themselves as a pilgrim during the time of the first Thanksgiving, and write a story about their experiences on the Mayflower, etc. I also could allow them to write a non-fictional narrative about going to get their family's Christmas tree, either from this current year or year's past. When conducting activities such as this, I must remember to be conscious of all my students however. For instance, some students may not celebrate these two holidays, and I must be respectful of that. 

     

Journal #9: Art-Based Entry

This is a drawing of a deer. Although this is most likely more detailed than an elementary student would be able to draw, I think it is important to allow students to express their environmental views and experiences through art. I chose this particular picture because deer hunting season is coming up very soon, and this may be an interest of the students and their families. I feel I can use art activities in my classroom, but I also believe it is very important that students are allowed creativity in these activities. For instance, I do not want my students to feel they have to draw a particular animal or part of nature. I want to emphasize that there is no right or wrong answer, but that students need to have fun and do their best, and be prepared to discuss their experience in nature and drawing of it with the rest of the class.