Curriculum Work
Who: L.P.Brown Elementary 4th graders in Julie Mickelson's classroom
What/When/Where/How: I made paper journals for each of the kids with some lined writing pages and some blank drawing pages. I read a book to them, that Aila had helped me pick out, called Brother Eagle, Sister Sky about Chief Seattle's famous poem. The story highlighted our interconnection with all of the plants and creatures on the earth. The paintings in the book were highly detailed and thought provoking; Aila and I decided to gift the book to her class. They are studying Native Americans now, so it will be a good resource for them. After the book, Aila passed out the journals and I explained that we were going outside to write or draw in their new journals. I told them they could do what they wanted, that no one was going to correct or even look at their work if they chose to keep it private. I asked them to spend just a moment listening to the trees and the rocks and the wind, like Chief Seattle talked about in the book we had read, and if they wanted to they could write or draw about that. Once we got outside, I reminded them that there was no right way to do this activity, that it was a chance for each of them to be creative just for themselves. I reminded them that Thanksgiving was coming and that it was a good time to think about abundance and what they were thankful for. Before I set them free, I asked them to each bring back to the classroom a leaf or two that we would glue onto the front of their journals. Their playground has huge cedars and many other native plants, so it was the perfect location for nature journaling.
