Watershed Dynamics and Journaling

“Journaling as a part of a school curriculum strengthens and refines students’ cognitive skills by teaching them to see, to become aware of what they saw, and to exercise their imaginations and critical skills through developing hypotheses to explain what has been observed.”
– John Muir (Jack) Laws,
Lead Instructor

Teachers from around the state gathered for two July weekends in the Sierra Nevada mountains for the 2009 Sierra Nevada Teacher Institute: Watershed Dynamics and Journaling. Here's what the teachers had to say:

“Nature journaling trains young scientists in the most fundamental skill of the scientific method – how to make accurate observations and take good notes.” - Teacher Participant

“Science teachers can build upon students’ responses to nature. Writing comments and questions alongside their drawings helps students hone their language skills. Their journaling experiences can be a launching pad for creative writing, research opportunities, making connections like cause and effect, formulating and testing hypotheses.” - Teacher Participant

“I am really grateful for the opportunity and am full of plans to incorporate links between art and science in my lessons.” - Teacher Participant

“What I didn’t realize at the time, was that kids don’t care about me discussing the factoids of the forest, as much as they care about observing and exploring the forest for themselves – especially through the process of nature journaling.” - Teacher Participant

“I benefited from interacting and learning with like-minded educators. Now I have greater insight into and appreciation for Sierra Nevada ecosystems.”
- Teacher Participant