ANatural

Intetr 'ationStudent-created field guides seamlessly

combine science and writing.

By Tracy Coskie, Michelle Hornof, and Heidi Trudel

"Your ivy is climbing all over my Western Red Cedar!" exclaimed fourth grader Davidas he pointed up the trunk."Yeah, I know. My English Ivy can kill your tree!" came Ron's confident reply."Who the heck takes care of this place anyway?" grumbled David.

T his conversation highlights some of the student learning that occurred during an in-

tegrated science and writing unit that we developed and implemented in a combinedthird/fourth-grade class. Our five-week study taught students how to write a field guidethat identified the plants in a small wooded area they passed through on their way to

their school playground. By creating this authentic genre of science writing, students came to

understand and care for the natural world in their immediate environment. They also developedimportant science, reading, and writing skills through purposeful work. Here we describe theprocess we used to develop a field guide unit (see unit overview in Figure 1). We chose to have the

students write a field guide about plants because they were easily accessible at their school, butwe designed the curriculum to work for a wide range of items, such as animals, rocks, seashells, orother readily available materials. Writing field guides that focus on local features provides studentswith science and writing curriculum that is both concrete and relevant.

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Unit overview.

ImmersionUse field guides totry to identify a vari-ety of objects smallgroup explorationstations

ImmersionModel the identifica-tion process-gettingbeyond the pictures

ImmersionOutdoorscavenger hunt.Work with partnerto identify "marked"plants in schoolyard

ImmersionField guide vocabu-lary with hands onapplication.I Spy game

ImmersionPlant selection. Visitassigned plant and

have picture taken

24 2 25 26 27 28

Gathering Gathering Gathering Gathering GatheringSketch and think- Sketch and think- Observe and think- Observe and Observe andsketching a leaf sketching another using all senses think-coming up think-zoom in with

aspect of the plant with similes and your senses(Zoom-ins) metaphors

Gathering Gathering Drafting Drafting DraftingResearch and think- Research and think- Write leaf description. Fun facts. Look Write whole plantkids gather informa- kids determine impor- Describe the leaf us- through research to description, includ-tion on their plant tant information ing new vocabulary find interesting facts ing where to find it

8 9 10 11 12

Drafting Revising Revising Revising NO SCHOOLTrying out different Revising the intro- Revising the leaf Revising the plantintroductions duction and fun fact section description

15 16 17 18

Revising/EditingRefining sketches.Fact-checkingwith editor

EditingEditing your pageswith a partner.Use the editingchecklist

PublishingShared writing-in-troduction to thefield guide

PublishingFinishing Touches-group work on cover,dedication, table ofcontents, etc.

Celebration -[Following Week]Parent/student scav-enger hunt!

Immersion and ExplorationBefore students can begin writing field guides, theyneed to learn how to read them. In this phase studentsdevelop an understanding of what field guides are, howthey are organized, what they might find in an entry,how to use a field guide, etc. We started by creating

several identification stations, each including a differentcollection (potted plants, seashells, rocks and minerals,etc.) and a few relevant field guides, including somewritten for adults and some written for children. Stu-dents rotated through the stations with a partner, tryingto identify as many of the items as they could.

As students began trying to tell the difference be-

tween two seashells or two rocks they also began to no-tice and describe different properties: size, shape, color,

hardness, texture, etc. Students found they needed torefine their descriptions to be more specific, "Well, thisrock is more like dark gray than black" or "I think thisshell is striped, not spotted." Our students also startednoticing vocabulary, "What's foliage?" and "What dothey mean by range?"

These explorations also led students to new under-

standings about the texts. They began giving each otherhints: "Look, it's organized by color," or "First you haveto figure out if it's a snail or a bivalve." We encouraged

students to use what they already knew about referencebooks, such as using the index or table of contents, tohelp them make sense of how field guides worked.

We provided partners with a simple recording sheetto log their "best guesses," and at the end of the session

we asked them to reflect on their strategies. Together,we created a list that included: using your senses, look-ing at details, using background knowledge, using both

pictures and writing, and "being persistent."One thing we noticed during this phase was that our

third and fourth graders over-relied on pictures for makingidentifications. In order to help them see the importanceof using the text, we designed a "mystery plant" lesson inwhich students had to identify a plant using two entriesthat had very similar photographs and modeled for themhow to use the text as well as the pictures. The studentshad to keep track of what information from each entry was

helpful, which they thought was the correct identification,and their reasoning behind their decision (see Figure 2).

Finally, we sent students on a scavenger hunt outinto the area of the school grounds where they wouldbe making their field guides. This helped them use theirnewfound field-guide skills in the "real world" andalso familiarized them with the plants they would laterbe describing in their own guide. Prior to the unit weworked with a local naturalist to identify both native andinvasive plants that were present near the classroom. We"tagged" the plants we chose with numbers and created

a scaled down field guide that students could use to find

Mystery Plant identification worksheet.

Names: Date: ,-

;'Ai • ' } Mystery Plant # IDescription from left entry that helps Description from right entry thatto Identify this plant. helps to Identify this plant:

No te iýc e'_I.1

We think this plant is 01 .•'• because C , onC• 4b•CI•!•4

Mystery Plant # 2Description from left entry that helps Description from right entry that

to identify this plant: helps to identify this plant.

S4,p)erNOT

We think this plant is 0, ri• ' - because "

FWords we don't know that would help us identify the plants.

and identify the plants. On the last day of the Immer-sion part of the cycle students were introduced to andphotographed with their assigned plant.

Check your district policy on taking stu-dents outside during the school day or away asfrom the school grounds before doing the CAUTION

outdoor activities. If poison ivy or oak is presentin the area you are working, teach students how toidentify and avoid it first. Also be aware of any othersafety hazards.

Gathering InformationSeven days were spent gathering information, bothdirect observation of the plant and research. For thefinal assignment, we required four written sections ona two-page spread: an introduction, a description of thewhole plant, a detailed description of a leaf, and a "DidYou Know?" section. Students also had two blank boxesto draw pictures of their plant. We reserved one spaceto include a photograph of the student with his or herplant (see Figure 3), which encouraged students' senseof ownership in the process and also provided a senseof plant size. These decisions helped us plan lessons forthe gathering- information phase, by giving us a focus

28 Science and Children

f'Or what students would need to be prepared to write.Students completed lessons that supported their

investigati m of their assigned plants. Lessons includedhow to observe carefully, how to sketch realistically,and how to paraphrase when researching in a writtenresource. Forexample, as we watched students sketchingtheir plants, we realized that they were having trouble no-ticing an I recording details, so in one lesson we showedthem how many field guides include "zoom-ins." Wecreated a recording sheet for them and modeled how tozoom in to draw different parts of the plant by creating apage that had one large box andi three smaller boxes nextto it. Students drew the whole plant in the large box thenzoomed in by choosing a small part of the plant, setting itin a new box, and making it much larger. As we modeled,we used half of the sheet to record our thoughts, suchas connect ions, inferences, and questions. Throughouteach ofthe lessons we continued to encourage studentsto stop and record their thoughts about their discoveries.

)ne student, for example, said "On my first zoom in Isaw that the buds looked like baseball bats."

When students began thinking and talking about theirplahts, asking questions about what they saw, and locat-ing information in books and on the internet, we realizedthat they needed some basic scientific vocabulary. Wecreateed our own vocabulary guide, using examples fromfield guides on online resources, which helped studentslearn the words for leaf arrangements (e.g., whorled andallcrnaotc) and leaf shapes (e.g., palmate and toothed).Sludents also neededi a chance to practice using thevocabulary, so we provided each with a field guide vo-cabulary booklet where they could draw pictures and tryout sentences using their new words. This booklet wasuseful during the writing stages.

Using the Writing Processi)uring the next stage of the project-writing-we

guided students through the process of organizing andrefining the information they had collected so that itlooked and sounded like a real field guide. We scaffoldedthe student writing (and sketching) by breaking downthe process into manageable steps. Students wrote onlyone section pcr day, and they wrote each section in a textbox that exactly matched the final project's text box. Foreach section we rnodled writing by displaying the textbox on the overhead proljector and "thinking aloud" aswe dletermined what to write. We showed the processof referring back to the notes from the gathering stageto find the information we needed for each section. Forexample, we showed students how we went into ournotes and highlighted any information that specificallydescribed the color, shape, or size of the leaf.

When students finished their draft, they spentseveral days revising. During this time, we taught spe-

FF 7- re3

Sample field guide page.

Common Name:&eP_%N \&C CU

ourdar e ins"-& J)av?,ke Laon?No,Ats L ffe

Scientific Name: Rinu,•CLýL•, eTeA _

April/May 2007 29

Leaf: Pak .. . oVUq "'

Pý-had5,-Md Dt5 of LLt-cjyeen Where

di a r~ve oL. q C jLWkn ci-ovi L4 or L! ,h--Lae ir e

CLbu:` ýcW W L i ýecýac jp

Sample field guide rubric.

Inquiry Skills

Plant Vocabulary

Communication

Conventions

"* I asked questionswhile observingmy plant.

"* I recorded myobservations andthoughts.

"* I used additionalresources to learnabout my plant.

* During vocabu-

lary lessons I tooknotes in my wordbook and did allthe practice pages.

* In my field guideentry I accuratelyused at least 3 spe-cific plant vocabu-lary words.

* My entry included

all necessary infor-mation for iden-tifying my plant,including helpfulsketches.

* I used my introduc-tion and fun factentry to interestthe reader.

* My entry is neatand easy to read.

* There are no spell-

ing or grammaticalmistakes.

"* I asked few ques-tions while ob-serving my plant.

"* I recorded only

observations andno thoughts.I used only oneadditional re-source to learnabout my plant.

*During vocabulary

lessons I took fewnotes in my wordbook and/or didn'tfinish all the prac-tice pages.In my field guideentry I accuratelyused at least 1 or2 specific plantvocabulary words.

* My entry included

some necessaryinformation foridentifying myplant, includinghelpful sketches.I am missing anintroduction orfun fact or theywere not interest-ing to the reader.

My entry is mostly

neat and easyto read.

* There are no morethan 3 spelling orgrammaticalmistakes.

"* I didn't ask ques-tions while observ-ing my plant.

"* I didn't record my

observations orthoughts.

"* I used no additionalresources to learnabout my plant.

"* During vocabulary

lessons I did nottake notes in myword book or do thepractice pages.

* In my field guideentry I didn't usespecific plant vocab-ulary words or usedthem inaccurately.

* My entry did notinclude necessaryinformation foridentifying my plant.

* I did not include anintroduction or funfact.

"*-*

My entry is illegible.There are manyspelling and gram-matical mistakes.

30 Science and Children

cific skills such as rereading for clarity, using accuratevocabulary, and eliminating redundant or extraneousinfoimation. We returned to the lessons students hadlearned as readers of'field guides during the immersionstage and reminded them of the advice they had sug-gested for writers such as, "Be very descriptive" and"Give specific information."

After revising, the class spent two days editing theconventions of their writing. Students used a checklistto edit their work, and then edited a peer's paper as well.Finally the teachers took the papers home and did afinal proofreading so that the published version wouldbe fully edited. As we were proofreading the students'final work, we realized that we also needed to be "factcheckers" to eliminate inaccurate or questionable infor-ination. Checking students' facts, however, turned outto be a challenge because we did not know everythingabout the plants. We found ourselves referring back tothe students' written resources as well as referencingadult field guides and even visiting the students' plantsin the field to make sure their writing was accurate.Often we found that what students had written wassurprising but true. Did you know that the berries ofthe mountain ash have been used as a treatment fordandruff and lice?

In addition to each individual plant entry, the classdecided to compose a few additional parts for their fieldguide: an introduction, a dedication page, a table ofcontents, and an author's note. Some of these sectionswere written as whole-class shared writing lessons, whileothers were written by small groups of students who hadalready finished their entries and had extra writing time.These parts added the class's unique voice and personal-ity to the field guide.

Sharing and ReflectingFinally publication day arrived! A note was sent home tofamilies inviting them to a publication party, which wasplanned for the end of the school day. Parents and otherguests arrived and sat near the children. After a welcome,students explained the project to guests and one child

read the field guide introduction to the group. Then weorganized guest-child groups for a new scavenger hunt.This tie, students would watch (and provide help) astheir guests used the student-created field guide to findeach of the plants in the guide. It was fun to see how muchstudents knew about their own plants as well as those thathad been assigned to classmates. Parents and guests weredelighted by the field guide. At the end ofthe day studentswere able to take a copy home.

Students' written work was an excellent demonstra-tion of their learning. Developing a rubric with studentsas they discover what makes a good field guide wouldalso create a useful assessment tool (See Figure 4). The

Connecting to the StandardsThis article relates to the following National ScienceEducation Standards (NRC 1996):

Content StandardsGrades K-4

Standard A: Science as Inquiry-Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiryStandard C: Life Science-The characteristics of organisms- Organisms and environments

rubric should include criteria for both the science andwriting aspects of the project-such as accurate use ofvocabulary and using only relevant information. Wealso asked each child to reflect on his or her experienceby completing a short survey. Students said, "Peoplethat do a field guide know more about the thing they arestudying," and "I never thought I'd learn that much!"Perhaps the best assessment was a story we heard fromone student. Stephanie excitedly told one of the teach-ers on a Monday that she and her family had taken theirnew field guide out on a hike that weekend. They hadfound examples of almost every plant!

Extending the IntegrationWhile field guides provide a natural integration ofscience and writing, they also open other possibilitiesfor integration. Art instruction is a perfect support forchildren as they attempt to capture what they see in thenatural world. Technologies such as digital photogra-phy and web publishing also lend themselves to fieldguide work. Finally, developing a field guide for a localtrail, park, or garden makes a perfect service learningproject, so that when students find themselves wonder-ing, "Who takes care of this place anyway?" the answerwill be, "We do." 0

Tracy L. Coskie (tracy.coskie@wwu.edu) is a pro-fessor of elementary education at Western WashingtonUniversity. Michelle Hornof is a literacy specialistat Northern Heights Elementary. Heidi Trudel is aclassroom teacher at Evergreen Christian School. Allthree live and teach in Bellingham, Washington.

ResourcesLeslie, C.W., and C.E. Roth. 1998, Nature journaling: Learn-

ing to observe and connect with the world around you.Pownal, VT: Storey Books.

National Research Council (NRC). 1996. National science educa-tion standards. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Russo, M. 1998. Watching nature: A beginner's field guide.New York: Sterling Publishing.

April/May 2007 31

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TITLE: A Natural IntegrationSOURCE: Science and Children 44 no8 Ap/My 2007PAGE(S): 26-31

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