The Practice of Nature Journaling & Field Sketching
Audubon Expedition Institute at Lesley University
Ecological Teaching and Learning Program
Summer, 2009
Faculty: Coleen O’Connell and Cloe Chunn
GINTD 6012
1 credit
A child's world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our
misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is
beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.
Rachel Carson, A Sense of Wonder
Course Description
Scientists and naturalists throughout the ages have gone out with pencil, charcoal, pen,
paper, paints, and colors recording and documenting their impressions of the landscape
and its inhabitants. These nature journals and field sketch books have become the initial
data for much of what we know about the natural world. This course provides students
with the opportunity to journey into the realm of nature journaling as a way to record
learning and observations building their own course textbook.
The learning objectives in this course are:
 Students will experience the benefits and outcomes of nature/field journaling
first hand.
 Students will use the nature/field journals as an authentic assessment tool.
 Students will develop a strategy for teaching field journaling within their
teaching practice.
 Students will learn how journaling fulfills aspects of the Massachusetts
Curriculum frameworks for Science and Technology.
Resources Needed:
Each student will receive the attached supply list to bring with them to the course.
Appendix I at end of syllabus
Areas of Focus and Inquiry
I. Rationale and history of Field Journaling
A. Journals as historic records (Lewis and Clark)
B. Biological inventories without killing animals/plants
II. The role of nature/field journal as textbook
A. student’s journals become their product or textbook of the course
B. students will develop critical thinking skills and demonstrate them
C. practice a diversity of approaches and style in keeping the journal
D. rubric for evaluating learning
III. Techniques for journaling
A. drawing techniques - exercises to practice
B. free writing exercises as way to encourage writing
C. collage as a way to incorporate found objects
D photography as another way to capture learning - the Photo journal
IV Making your own journal
A. the tools needed
B. techniques to employ in the process
Course Requirements
 Participate in daily nature journaling activities - free writes, sketch exercises, field
notes from resource experiences, documentation of new learning, reflection, and
species lists
 Using journal rubric, (see attached) give feedback to cohort group on their field
journals
 Research a local species and represent it in the Cobscook Council of Beings - the
research should trace the ancestry of the species ie. Kingdom, Phylum, Class,
Order, Family, Genus
Assessment
Using the Journal assessment rubric (See Appendix I) each student and faculty will
read and assess each journal.
Daily practice of journaling. This will be obvious in the entries in the journal around
each experience.
All of the following books will be available for use at the Field Station during the course.
Required reading (To be completed before the Field session begins.)
Walker Leslie, C. & Roth, C. E. ( 2003). Keeping a nature journal. North Adams, MA:
Storey Books.
Recommended reading – These will be available at the Field Station during our time
together in Cobscook.
Hinchman, H. (1999). A trail through leaves: the journal as a path to place. NY, NY:
WW Norton & Company.
Hinchman, H. (1991). A life in hand: creating the illuminated journal. Salt Lake City,
Utah: Peregrine Smith Books.
Huskamp, T.L. (2009). Nature inspired: Mixed media techniques for gathering,
sketching, painting, journaling and assemblage. Beverly, MA: Quarry Books.
Johnson, C. (1997). Sierra club guide to sketching in nature. San Francisco, CA: Sierra
Club Books.
Walker Leslie, C. (1995 revised). Nature drawing: a tool for learning. Dubuque, Iowa:
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
Walker Leslie, C. (1995 revised). The art of field sketching. Dubuque, Iowa:
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company.
Thomlinson, S. (2010). How to keep a naturalist’s notebook. Mechanicsburg, PA:
Stackpole Books.
Massachusetts Department of Education. (1997) Science and technology curriculum
frameworks.
Appendix I
ETL Ecological Perspectives Field Journal Scoring Rubric
The following evaluation rubric has been developed for the field journal. Each student and
faculty will read everyone’s journal and they will fill out a scoring sheet using the rubric. They
can jot notes to each other about their observations and critique of the journal. Peer review is an
important outcome of this type of evaluation.
When using the scoring rubric, each column is evaluated and a determination of where the student
work falls on the rubric is made by each student.
All the score sheets are then collected and tallied for a full accounting of the evaluation of the
field journals.
The faculty scoring sheet counts equally to the other student scoring sheets.
Rubric for Natural History Journal
GINTD 6012 The Practice of Nature Journaling
Limited
Criterion
Partially Met
2pts
.
Great first
Good try –
General
An accomplished attempt at
beginning to
Impression of
beautiful, inviting, nature
document
presentation of informative, well
journaling. Well experiences,
journal
organized, rich in
organized
sketch but did
detail and
documentation not do this
synthesis, useful
filled with lively thoroughly.
and a great
and inviting
Needs work to
documentation
sketches,
make it inviting
of field program.
reflections of
to read.
experiences.
Student details
Student details Student is more
Documentation specific naturalist most of the
general in their
of content
information
experiences in
documentation
knowledge
gleaned from
the field
of content.
lectures, direct
program
Many
experience,
through
experiences
books, etc. from
detailed
were not
all of our field
explanations of documented
experiences.There learning.
and the overall
are multiple
presentation is
explanations for
weak.
various species
and geophysical
elements
experienced in
the field course.
Student has
Student has
Occasional
Applied
reflected and
reflected often reflections on
Ecology
expanded on
during field
the ideas that
Reflection
most ideas that
course on the
were
were presented
ideas that were presented
during field work.
presented.
during the field
Many
Some
course. Very
connections are
connections
little if any
in evidence.
were made
connections
Higher order
with higher
were made.
thinking is in
order thinking.
evidence
Assignment
Component
Exemplary
Exceeds Criterion
4 pts
Good
Criterion Met
3 pts
Unacceptable
Criterion Not
Met
1 pt
Didn’t try very
hard and
incomplete in
giving an
overall
impression of
our field
experiences
and the
learning that
happened.
Student has
little
documentation
and detail on
the learning
experiences of
the program.
Little evidence
that the
student has
reflected on
ideas that were
presented.
throughout.
Further
Questions
Sketching and
Field Drawings
and Notes
Evidence of
curiosity by
tagging areas for
further research
and questioning
are present
through- out the
journal.
Daily sketching of
natural history of
area. Field notes
to go with
sketching. Shows
excellent progress
in documenting
visually the
species and
geophysical
encounters.
Much
evidence of
curiosity for
further
investigation
and research
on topics.
Rare evidence
of curiosity for
further
research and
questioning of
topics covered.
No tagging or
curiosity shown
for further
research.
Consistent
sketching and
field notes
beyond those
of group
assignments.
All drawings
show progress.
Have only
included those
sketchings that
were part of
group work.
Did not do
other sketching
or field notes
outside of
group
assignments.
No sketching or
field notes are
in evidence.
Point System:
16-20 pts = A
10 – 15 pts = B
14 or less = work needs to be redone to meet graduate standards
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Appendix I
Nature Journaling Supply List
(This sounds like a kindergarten list instead of a grad school list which goes to
show you that everything you needed in kindergarten you still need now.)
A hard bound unlined journal that can be used for sketching, notes, reflections
and other information you wish to add. The most useful size is 8 1/2 by 11.
Pens to write with/various colored ink if desired
Sketching pencil/eraser
Colored pencils – people have loved using the watercolor pencils
Pencil sharpener
Glue – Elmer’s or otherwise - glue sticks work too
Tape
Scissors
Some kind of container to hold all your supplies that can be thrown in a pack
If you love to paint or do pastels, please bring those too. (optional)