Writing

Grade 2: Writing

Generate, gather, and organize ideas and information to write for an intended purpose and audience; draft and revise their writing, using a variety of informational, literary, and graphic forms and stylistic elements appropriate for the purpose and audience; use editing, proofreading, and publishing skills and strategies, and knowledge of language conventions, to correct errors, refine expression, and present their work effectively; reflect on and identify their strengths as writers, areas for improvement, and the strategies they found most helpful at different stages in the writing process.

Nature Journaler: Aspen Orr

Nature Journaling: I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of...

IF YOU ARE NEW TO NATURE JOURNALING PLEASE LOOK AT OUR NATURE JOURNALING PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

A major part of nature journaling is using words to document what is being observed and experienced. This can be done using multiple types of text for example simple sentences, point form thoughts, lists, etc.

At this age all three prompts "I notice..., I wonder...?, and "It reminds me of..." become very intuitive. However the last statement becomes very important for connection making. Encourage them to begin writing themselves using single words or simple sentences. Please note that spelling is not a focus in the nature journal. At this age you may start to see art fears - please ensure you are re-iterating it is not about a pretty picture. It is about their observations. Please see the link feedback at the bottom of this lesson for tips on this. Using words, pictures and numbers allows the students multiple tools to document their observations. With permission Bethan Burton has allowed us to link to her website as she has written a blog post for Teaching nature journaling at all ages.

Here are some more ideas to get you started.

Engage the fives senses (whenever possible)
Make leaf prints ( paint the leaf and press the print into the journal)
Make leaf rubbings
Trace the items they are looking at
Add leaves into the journal using tape
Count the birds/squirrels/insects etc.
Measure as much of the phenomena as the students can using non standard and standard units of measurement.

Here is a downloadable lesson from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. All resources shared with permission. "I Notice..., I Wonder...?, It Reminds me of..."

GIVING FEEDBACK here is a fantastic resource from Jack and Emilie

NOTE: You are encourage to spend time in the outdoors Nature Journaling. However, you can also bring nature inside, look out your wonder window, have a refrigerator Safari or even observe a house plant or pet.

Photo by: @billiejooutdoors

Nature Journaling: Event Comic

In the activity Event Comic from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren's book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. "Students use words and pictures to create a true-life “nature comic” and tell the story of an event they have witnessed in the outdoors."

All resources shared with permission.

Nature Journaler: @billiejooutdoors

Nature Journaling: Sit Spot

In the activity Sit Spot from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren's book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. "Find your sit spot and see what comes.” This activity offers students the opportunity to engage with the outdoors on their own terms."

All resources shared with permission.

Nature Journaler: @billiejooutdoors

Nature Journaling: Writing to Observe, Writing to think

In the activity Writing to observe, writing to think from John (Jack) Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren's book: How to Teach Nature Journaling. "Students focus on a subject in nature and practice using different writing approaches to capture their observations and thinking."

All resources shared with permission.

Photo by: @billiejooutdoors

Planting -Journal

Go outside into the garden or use containers indoors to plant some seeds. Document how the plants grow and change over time in a journal. Write your journal in letter form to include the following:

Example: Dear journal
What did the seed look like?
What was the weather like on the day you planted and each day after? Example: warm, cool, rainy, cloudy, sunny, etc.
What time did you make note of the weather? Record to the nearest quarter hour
What changes do you notice daily about the plant growth?
Sketch the plant daily naming the parts and show how it is growing and changing
Keep track of the days you watered the plant or it rained
Why did you choose this plant? Is it good for you and your family, the animals or both?

Curriculum Links:

See Visual Arts - Flower Fun
See Measurement
See Data Management
See Writing - Procedural Writing

NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.

Photo by: @billiejooutdoors

Planting - Procedural Writing

Write a step by step instruction on how to plant a seed. Your writing piece should include the following headings:

A title
Materials list
Series of steps
Conclusion

Curriculum Links:

See Oral Communication
See Measurement
See Data Management & Probability
See Writing - Planting - Journal

NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.

Photo by: @baxterperson

Shapes Walk - Journal

Go for a walk or look out the window. What geometric shapes (circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, etc.) can you find outside? What non-geometric shapes can you find?

For each shape you found, write about how you think it was formed: naturally or unnaturally (by a human). In either case, in your writing, describe how you think this happened for each shape

Curriculum Links:

NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.

Shapes Walk is an activity that originated from Gillian Judson's A Walking Curriculum. Source

Picture by: @baxterperson

(Sur)faces Walk - Journal

Go outside for a walk or look out a window. Look for “faces” of all kinds. What (sur)faces do you encounter?

Write about: what the surfaces feel like? How do they feel different to the touch of a finger? How do they feel to the touch of your forearm instead of your finger?
If you cannot touch the surface, describe what the texture looks like and what other characteristics it has

Curriculum Link:

see Geometry & Spatial Sense
see Visual Arts

NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.

Surfaces Walk is an activity that originated from Gillian Judson's A Walking Curriculum. Source

Photo by: @baxterperson

Word Walk - Writing

Go on a walk with a family member and find signs as you walk (stop, caution, welcome, etc.) or look out a window for words. Spell the common words out loud and then practice reading the signs out loud. Write the common words down as you go (and take pictures of the signs if possible). After your walk write each word in a sentence that you create. Make sure the sentence fits with the word you are using.

Curriculum Links:

see Reading
see Media Literacy

NOTE: This can be used with the Nature Journaling activity at the top of the page.

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