Journal

 

This part of the class will help you develop your communication skills and involves buying a specific type of notebook and dividing that notebook into 2 sections plus a table of contents. Don’t forget to number the pages. The sections are:

 

a. VOCABULARY: Defining 10 new vocabulary words (that are relevant to ECOLOGY), short definitions are fine. Select the bold faced words in the chapters we will be studying in a given week. Improve your understanding of the word by not only defining the word, but also redefine the word, elaborate on the word, exemplify the word, and illustrate the word.

b. FIELD JOURNALING: Each week make several dated entries as directed by the currently assigned journaling technique.

 

 

*All graded entries must be stamped weekly by me.

*Assessment of journal: On a scale of 100 the following is the scoring rubric; 10% for neatness, 10% for following directions in assembling your journal, 20% for thoughtful completion of self eval., 10% for relevance to ecology, and 30% for completeness, and 20% for demonstrating the use and implementation of the elements of thought and intellectual standards in your journal entries

 

Technique #1 The Observational  Diary

by Kerry S. Kilbum

 

"Anyone with a genuine love of nature, an insatiable

curiosity about life, a soaring imagination, devilish

ingenuity, the patience of Job, and the ability to read

has the basic ingredients and most of the necessary

accouterments to become a first class biologist"

---- Vincent Dethier, To Know A Fly

 

All science begins with observation.  Observations lead us to ask the questions science tries to answer; in many cases, careful observations can provide the answers themselves.  To be able to carefully observe and accurately describe natural phenomena is the most important skill a scientist must acquire.

For most of us, observing the natural world is not part of our everyday lives.  Yet, we ourselves could not live in the absence of the organisms that surround and support us.  Equally importantly, the natural world around us can provide an endless supply of beauty, inspiration, and wonder -- but only if we take the time to observe it.

This exercise will help you become more Aware of the natural world.  Each week, you will make and record your observations according to the guidelines provided by the instructor.  By the end of the semester, you should have acquired the "basic ingredients and necessary accouterments" of the first class biologist.

General Instructions

During the first week of classes, you will select the location you will observe throughout the semester.  The location can be anywhere that is convenient -- on campus, near your workplace, or near your home. it must be outdoors, and must contain at least three different kinds of plants within reaching distance of where you sit (with several kinds of plants, you should have several kinds of animals as well).  You can visualize the "core" of your observation site as a cylinder as wide as your outstretched arms, extending down through the ground and up to the sky.

Each week you will spend a minimum of 30 minutes making and recording your observations.  As a general rule, you should plan on 15 minutes for observation alone and 15 minutes for writing.  I encourage you to set aside a specific time each week for this activity, and to include a "backup" for emergencies.  Don't leave your observation until the last half-hour before class -- not only will your work be of poor quality, but you may wind up having to sit out in the rain or snow!

Recording your observations:

The entries you turn in each week will be of two forms as indicated on the schedule.  All entries should be typed (preferred) or neatly written (if I can't read it, I won't grade it) on lined notebook paper.  Each must begin with your name, the date and time at which you made the observations, a brief note about weather conditions (amount of sunlight, temperature, moisture), and the topic (from the schedule).

The "standard entry" will be two or three paragraphs describing the observations you make.  I expect you to use complete sentences and proper spelling.  I will grade you based on thoroughness and the care you used in making and recording your observations.  As a rule, each standard entry should be one page long.

The "haiku" entries will consist of one haiku poem accompanied by a brief paragraph (three or four sentences) explaining the observations that led to the development of the poem.  As you may know, haiku is a Japanese form of poetry used to evoke a specific mood, often referred to as "the haiku moment." To write haiku, you must be sensitive to your surroundings, a careful and accurate observer, and concise and disciplined in the choice of words you use to express the "haiku moment."

A haiku poem always takes a specific form that consists of three unrhymed lines.  The first line contains five syllables, the second line has seven syllables, and the third line contains five syllables.  The poem itself usually makes an explicit reference to a season.  Here are two examples:

                                                      Clouds of Queen Anne's Lace

                                                                       Rise above green summer fields,

                                                                                 Floating in the sun.

 

                                                                                         ----------

 

                                                                                A titmouse watches,

                                                                         Gray wings like winter skies

                                                                           Above fall's harvest moon.

 

Sketching should be done with an eye for accuracy, scale is important and has to be noted. You are about to embark on a journaling adventure. This journal has the potential to become a special treasure for you. You will have a table of contents, each page will be numbered, you will date your entries, you will record climatalogical data, cloud cover, temperature, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation amount, precipitation type and I hope oh so much more. I have included a couple of sample pages from a journal using sketches. This is an example, I expect your will be better especially as you develop your skills of observing, recording, and interpreting.

Technique #2: Stepping Stones

A.

Who are we? Where did we come from? How did we get here? What is our relationship to the landscape. What is our relationship to nature? Are they the same?

 

Use what ever definitions you own for landscape and nature?

 

I want you to close your eyes, take a deep breath, take another deep breath, and concentratre on your breathing for just a moment.

 

Each one of us was born, some place, some time. That is our beginning point for this exercise. Right now we are where we are.

 

To get to where we are now there has been a host of events that have crystalized our relationship to the landscape, nature, the earth.

 

I want you now to think about what some of those events were and make a list of them in your journal.

 

There is no wrong answer!

B.

This list then becomes an index for you to use in further explorations of the link between you and nature.

 

You can do this for anything. The Stepping Stones of _____?_____

C.

Pick one of the events and use it as the title on a clean sheet of paper.

 

Start your writing of your description of the event with the phrase “It was a time when I.”

 

Technique #3: LET EARTH SPEAK ACTIVITY

Learn how to create a moment that lets Earth touch you and teach you peace.

INTRODUCTION:

Although we are part of Earth and it is part of us, the global life community does not exhibit our runaway personal, social and environmental problems. The Earth community knows how to communicate and relate in ways that sustain an optimum of life, diversity and beauty without producing our runaway garbage, war or abusiveness. The activity below lets Earth communicate with you and share its wisdom. It is from the book "Reconnecting With Nature" by Dr. Michael J. Cohen and is used by permission.

 

INSTRUCTIONS: Consider what is being asked in each step that follows, and when you have achieved it, go on to the next step.

 

STEP 1. Identifying and accepting this challenge:

Human beings depend on reasoning and language to survive. We are the only species on Earth with the ability to communicate and think with words. Unlike us, the global life community sustains its beauty and balance via non-verbal attraction communications and acts, not words.

 

We cannot teach Earth to speak English or any other verbal language. We can, however, learn to participate in Earth's non-verbal ways since we are born knowing them. They are part of our natural inheritance.

 

When you sense that you will enjoy learning how to safely communicate with Earth, proceed to the next step.

 

STEP 2. Go to the most unspoiled natural environment available to you, be it a potted plant, weed, pet, backyard, park or sanctuary. Go to a real natural area or plant, animal or mineral, not to a picture, video, visualization, memory or spirit of it.

 

STEP 3. Thoughtfully try to know the natural place or thing that you choose in a non-verbal way, similar to how Earth and nature knows it. You may accomplish this by focusing your words and thinking to the word "attraction." A variety of natural attractions are what hold the Earth community ecosystem together in balance. Say "attraction" over and over again while touching, smelling, hearing, and viewing whatever attractive natural colors, sounds, shapes, motions, smells and sensations are present in this natural area. Do this with your eyes closed as well as open. Then chose one special thing that feels most attractive in this moment, otherwise choose any natural attraction that is present: a vibrant leaf, breeze or view; a delightful smell, flower or shape, a captivating bird, sound, motion or texture.

 

STEP 4. Notice that this attraction feels good. Thank it for giving you that comfortable feeling. Enjoy that good feeling for a moment. (If it does not feel good, find another natural attraction that does.)

 

STEP 5. Now translate the truth of this enjoyable natural moment into words. Write the sensory attraction experience you just had in the space provided in following sentence.

 

"My nature experience shows me that I am a person who gets good feelings (by, from, when, etc.): _____________________."

 

For example: An individual attracted to a bee in a flower said:

 

"I am a person who gets good feelings from silently watching and hearing a bee in a flower. I love watching different things in nature nurture each other. They have a special beauty. They tell me that nature can be a safe and enjoyable dance."

 

Note that, as in the above example, you may write up to 3 additional sentences about how and why this experience feels good and what it means to you.

 

STEP 6. Read your statement to yourself and/or share it with others.

 

STEP 7. Think about the experience you have just had and what value or meaning it may have for you. What does it suggest to you? How did it let Earth speak? Repeat the activity whenever you so desire. You will continually find new attractions, good feelings and meanings. Then, when the time feels right, complete the following sentence:

 

"My earth-connected good feelings motivate me to help Earth and its people by __________________________________."

 

Write what you do, or would like to do, to support the global life community.

 


 

Journal Schedule and Assignment

 

 

Week

Week of

How to observe

Form of entry

1

 

 

 

2

4/7

General description (of study site)

standard, sketches & haiku

3

4/14

No Eyes

standard, sketches & haiku

4

4/21

Quantify

standard, sketches & haiku

5

4/28

Create Stepping Stones

standard, sketches & haiku

6

5/5

Stepping Stones

a list

7

5/12

Down and Dirty

2 stepping stone entries

8

5/19

In the Air

standard, sketches & haiku

9

5/28

Stepping Stones #2

2 stepping stone entries

10

6/2

Earth Speak

Earth Speak Entry

11

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 Self Evaluation of Journal

Directions                                                                               Name ________________________

 

This format is designed to assess your critical thinking problem solving, and communication skills. Your evaluation will be judged for its clarity, relevance, coherence, logic, depth, consistency, and fairness. You are the evaluator, you will answer the following questions with more than just yes or no answers for yourself.  This is not a group exercise!!  It is part of your individual grade.  Use examples!!

 

  1.  Does the expression of ideas, observations, and concepts relate to the subject matter of the class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Do the journal entries cite relevant evidence, experiences, and/or information essential to the issue?

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Do the journal entries clarify key concepts when necessary?

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Do the journal entries show a sensitivity to what he or she is assuming or taking for granted? (Insofar as those assumptions might be reasonably questioned)?

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Do the journal entries develop a definite line of reasoning, explaining well how he or she is arriving at his or her conclusions?

 

 

 

 

 

 

  1. Does the author describe  the implications and consequences of the observations and conclusions  he or she has taken?

 

 

 

 

  1. Other On a scale from 0 to 100 rate yourself. 

Journal Evaluation Rubric

Category

Possible

Earned

Neatness

10

 

Directions for journal assembly

10

 

Thoughtful completion of Self Eval.

20

 

Relevance to Ecology

10

 

Completeness

30

 

Use of EOT and IS

20

 

 

Total