This document outlines a nature journaling activity for first graders, focusing on leaf sorting and observation of plant characteristics. It emphasizes the importance of connecting with nature through personal exploration and the development of scientific inquiry skills. The lesson includes guidelines for teachers, materials needed, and ways to structure outdoor experiences for students.

1. NATURE JOURNALING
Grade Level: Grade 1
Introductory Activity: LEAF SORTING
Description
In this activity students will look closely at leaves to see the many variations in shape, size, margins,
venation, etc.
Guiding Question
How do leaves vary in shape, size, margins, vein pattern, etc? Can plants be classified by these
different leaf characteristics?
Big Idea
The leaves of each type of plant have similar characteristics. Scientists use these characteristics to
identify plants in the wild. Leaves are one if the things that scientists observe.
Learning Objectives
To look closely at leaves to learn some of the different characteristics that can be observed. To sort by
these characteristics.
Materials
* Leaves of many different plants from the garden, classroom, your home or a local park.
Procedure Total Time approximately 25 minutes.
In the Classroom
1. Discuss with students the concept of sorting things by the qualities that they have in common. Let
them know this is how scientists classify plants and animals.
2. Gather students around a large table and pile leaves atop the table. Invite them to begin taking
individual leaves and sort them into pile. Let them choose their own criteria for sorting. (10 minutes)
Wrap Up
Ask students to guess what criteria each of the other student used when they were sorting their piles of
leaves. (10 minutes)
Assessing Student Knowledge: Ask students what are some of the characteristics of leaves that
scientists might use to separate and classify the leaves of plants. (5 minutes)
Lesson supported by a Specialty Crops Grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources.

2. Part 2: THE NATURE JOURNAL
Developed by Jean Bailey of the Cutler School, South Hamilton
Overview
We live in a world where children and adults rarely take time to connect with their natural world. Both
children and adults find the experience calming, focusing and stimulating. Harvard biologist, E.O.
Wilson, calls this innate inner connection “biophilia.”
Keeping a nature journal offers an opportunity to experience wonder, discovery and authentic inquiry
based science. It is a portal to view the natural world through the eyes of an artist, scientist, writer,
and naturalist all at once. The process of creating a Nature journal offers opportunities for direct
contact with nature, personal reflection, and practice of skills common to many disciplines: observing,
recording, measuring, discerning essentials, pattern recognition, attention to detail, focused attention,
and patience.
A trip to a wildlife reserve or even a forest is not necessary. A vegetable garden, a yard, a tree, or even
a small patch of weeds peeking through a crack in a pavement can reveal wonders to those who take
the time to look.
Basic Guidelines
• Start with simple brief experiences to create a sense of wonder and establish appropriate habits.
• Add content appropriate to your curriculum needs and students
• Keep the experience open ended enough to allow students to explore and discover, but structured
enough to help them focus.
• The goal is to observe deeply and record what is observed with all senses (taste only when safe).
• A nature journal can include drawings, labels, notes, poetry, and ideas for future study or ideas for
creative writing.
Introducing Nature Journals to yourself and your students
- Collect and examine nature journals by artists, naturalists, scientists, poets, writers, etc. Ask your art
teacher to share a sketchbook. (A list of possible resources and references is attached)
- Examine, enjoy, compare and contrast the journals of artists, scientists and writers. Think about the
purpose of each journal and how the purpose guides the form.
- Make a list or venn diagram comparing how artists and scientists differ in their approach to nature.
- Collect field guides and other resources for students to research their discoveries. Field guides with
drawings are more useful that those with photos. A discussion of why this is true may provide some
interesting insights about the decisions an artist must make in deciding what is important to include.
Lesson supported by a Specialty Crops Grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources.

3. - Keep collections of interesting specimens and magnifiers available in the classroom.
- Consider team teaching a first lesson with your art teacher
- Find out if there are writers, naturalists or scientists in your community who might be willing to
share their journals. Nature journals can incorporate all of these points of view!
Creating Nature Journals with Your Students
Teacher preliminary preparation:
- Check to see if students have bee sting allergies or other medical issues.
- Let some one in the office know where you will be.
- Check the area you have chosen for poison ivy, hornet nests, or other potential hazards.
- Take a few minutes to peacefully experience the area alone. See what you find interesting, inspiring
or puzzling. This is the core at true scientific inquiry, will help you model a sense of discovery for
you students as well as to predict useful resources for further study. AND…this just may be the
most restorative part of your day!
Useful materials to Assemble:
For students: (For loose materials that are easily lost, tape an envelope to the back of each clipboard
or create ziplock “kits” for small groups and appoint one student in the group accountable for the
group’s supplies.)
- Clipboards
- Journal pages fit the size to your need
- Pencils, sharpened with erasers
- magnifying glasses, on cords to be worn around the neck
For Teachers: Create a tote bag with
- Extra sharpened pencils and/or hand pencil sharpeners
- Cell phone or walky talky to for office contact in case of emergency, if you are distant from the
classroom
- Camera
- Pruning shears or a strong pair of scissors to take specimens
- Ziplock baggies for specimens
- Measuring tape or rulers if you are making measurements
- Reference materials, such as field guides or charts, if that is the focus of the experience.
Lesson supported by a Specialty Crops Grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources.

4. Classroom Resources and References:
- Keeping a Nature Journal and other books by Claire Walker Leslie
- The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden
- In and Out of the Garden by Sara Midda
- Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide by Laurence Newcomb
- Tree Identification Book by Symonds
- Shrub Identification Book by Symonds
- Peterson’s First Guides (field guides)
- Golden Guides Series (field guides)
- Private Eye Materials
- Grass Sandals, The Travels of Basho by Dawnine Spivak (a picture book about a 15th century
Japanese poet.)
- Last Child Left in the Woods: Saving our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
- Erica Sonder’s Portable Herbarium (on line)
• Ground Rules for “Outside Classroom:”
The transition from indoor classroom to outdoor classroom (vs. recess) is a challenge for some
children. Discuss these and other items you find necessary, each time before going outside. You
will need to remind and enforce the ground rules at first but, they will eventually become habits and
children will come to monitor and remind themselves and others. Here are some to start with and adapt
to your needs.
- Stay within the ‘invisible walls’ of the outdoor classroom area. (The teacher will show you where
they are.)
- Once you are in your study area spot stay there
- Quiet bodies and quiet voices
- Be careful not to damage nature - plants or insects
- Take specimens for further study, only with permission and with care. Any specimen should be
small and taken with out causing damage.
A Basic Pattern for an Outdoor Nature Journal Experience:
Adapt this to your students and curriculum. You will want to focus your first experiences on
learning how to observe and record and on savoring the experience. Once you have established the
routines add more curriculum content.
Lesson supported by a Specialty Crops Grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources.

5. Before you go outside:
1. Review ground rules to respect nature and each other.
2. Review outdoor classroom expectations
3. Discuss the focus for today’s experience e.g.: general exploration, looking for insects on plants,
revisiting a previous study site, collecting a specimen etc.)
4. If you have a specific focus such as descriptive words or plant anatomy, this may be a good time to
review or brainstorm a word bank.
5. Prepare materials for going outside. ( Attach papers to clipboards or get out sketch journals,
distribute pencils, place magnifying glasses on cords around the neck. Write name , date, time,
weather info and other important data on the page.)
Outside:
1. Gather in one central meeting area
2. Establish the boundaries of the study area, the “outdoor classroom walls.” Everyone should be
within sight of the teacher.
3. Allow students a few minutes to explore the area then identify and settle in their study area.
4. 10 to 15 minutes is usually a good amount of time in the beginning. You may want students to
observe and record in more than one area. As they make their transition, they should avoid
distracting others. Occasionally someone will find something very exciting and it will be irresistible
for everyone to see (possibly record) and discuss. Seize the moment! This is real discovery! It may
be inspiration for later research.
5. Give students a warning when only a few minutes remain before ending. Allow at least 15 minutes
for debriefing and moving inside.
6. Re-gather at the meeting area.
7. While gathering encourage students to share their findings and experiences.
Debrief: (inside or outside) some possible guiding questions:
- What was your favorite/ most interesting observation?
- What did you discover that you never noticed before?
- What do you wonder about?
- What did you learn?
- What was hard?
- Is there anything we should investigate in later observations?
- Is there anything we need to look up or research to find out more?
Lesson supported by a Specialty Crops Grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources.

6. Inside:
- This may be a time to use resources to add labels, tidbits of social history, folklore, or other
information.
- This may be a time for making identifications using field guides or other resources, etc.
- This may be a time to prepare and attach small specimens (The scotch or packaging tape works well
for small specimens. Small envelopes or folded waxed paper work also. Some plant material may
be pressed and added later or rubbings may be taken from leaves.)
- This may be a time to add personal reflections and connections or those reflections could be a
homework assignment.
- If you use clipboards, papers are detached only inside (to avoid papers “accidentally” blowing
away).
- Put away materials and supplies.
- Make a note of anything that needs follow up.
Putting it All Together:
You will want to join each student’s pages to form a journal. It is interesting to use them as reference
for change. Establish a storage system. Some possibilities:
- Loose pages in a pocket portfolio or a binder
- Loose pages in a large envelope to be bound later
- Make all entries on large index cards to file or hole punch and bind together
- Make all entries on a small handmade book
- Hole punch the edges of a series of envelopes to store pages and later bind together
- Use a commercial sketchbook, a spiral binding and a hard back cover eliminate the need to use a
clipboard and loose pages.
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks to consider as you design lessons:
Science: Earth Science Strand, Life Science Strand, Physical Science Strand, Technology/Engineering
Strand
Arts: Visual Arts Standards, Connections Strand
English Language Arts: Discussion Standards; Questioning, Listening and Contributing Standards;
Vocabulary and Concept Development Standards; Understanding Text Standards; Nonfiction
Standards, Style and Language Standards; Research Standards
Math: Measurement, Geometry Standards
Please visit the Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom website at www.aginclassroom.org
to tell us how you used this Nature Journaling Garden-Based Lesson
Lesson supported by a Specialty Crops Grant from the Massachusetts
Department of Agricultural Resources.