Final Entry: Self-Assessment

I can't believe that this semester has gone by so quickly!  For my final entry, I was to look back on the first self-assessment I completed my first week of the course.  After looking that over, I need to reflect on how my confidence and my abilities have changed in the arena of environmental education.

On the first quiz, I felt extraordinarily confident on the content area questions that focused on biology.  Although we won't take the post-quiz until Thursday, I still feel very strongly in my abilities in that section.  I also feel that I will do better in the areas of environmental science that are based out of geology, geography, and chemistry.  I think that my skills in terms of advocacy have remained relatively the same.  I don't think that I have decreased in any of the skills and areas of environmental education.

My confidence in being able to teach environmental education has improved drastically.  By going to visit the Central Wisconsin Environmental Station, I was able to see all of the different ways that students can interact outside with their environment.  During the discussion section of the class, I was able to watch and participate in several lessons that taught me how easy it is to incorporate environmental education into the day-to-day classroom environment.  I think that the most valuable piece of information that I learned is that environmental education is truly an interdisciplinary subject.  I look forward to incorporating it into my classroom.

Riverside Park

Week 14: Wandering

The next time that Mike and I went out to explore La Crosse, I made an effort to have so unstructured time.  We had driven around the area before, but I had yet to visit one of the parks in La Crosse.  After driving around for awhile, we made a stop at the Riverside Park on the Mississippi River.

We walked along the side of the river, exploring the fountains, restaurant menus, and frozen flowers.  The lights and decorations for the Rotary Lights were up around La Crosse.  They were even pretty to look at in the daylight.  Though the Mississippi River has just about frozen over, there was still a lone duck wading in the river between the ice patches. It was lovey to just go for a walk without having a plan or an itinerary.

A child's day has a lot of structure during the school day.  They are told when they can eat lunch, when they can rest, and what they are allowed to do and not do all day.  When one add's after school-activities, many student's spend most of their day in structured activities. I will use unstructured time in my classroom to allow children to have time to let their mind wander and utilize their creativity. 

Thanksgiving

Week 13: Other Type of Journal Entry

When I was looking through one of the guides to nature journals on our D2L site, I came across a section that discussed giving thanks.  I cannot think of a more appropriate day to talk about this.

I'm thankful for many gifts in my life, but I only have space to name a few.  I'm thankful for the home that I grew up in out in the middle of the woods in Winneconne, WI.  Also, I'm thankful to have a boyfriend who is willing to drive me around to parks and natural features, even if it's cold outside. I'm thankful for all of the aspects of my life that come from agriculture: my clothes, my food, my house, and countless other day-to-day necessities. Finally, I am thankful for all of the teachers and instructors I've had along my schooling career.

Expressing gratitude is incredibly important for elementary school teachers to incorporate into the classroom.  An appreciation for nature should be especially emphasized.  This way, students can grow up with this appreciation and advocate for nature in the future. A great way to utilize this activity in a classroom is to have students think of everything they require to live day-to-day and to think about how most of those things are derived from nature. This is a great way to get children to be thankful for nature and their surroundings.

Source:

Young, Jon, Ellen Haas, and Evan McGown. "Core Routines of Nature Connection." Coyote's guide to connecting with nature. 2nd ed. Shelton, Wash.: OWLLink Media, 2010. 35-76. Print.

Grandad's Bluff

Week 12: Scientific Observation

I visited Mike's home in La Crosse one  chilly November weekend.  When we were making the drive west, I noticed very quickly when we entered into an area that was much more hilly and rocky than I am used to.  I began to wonder why exactly that was.  

While we were in town, Mike took me to see Grandad's Bluff. The view was absolutely breath-taking. There were also numerous plaques and signs describing the history and importance of the area.  One of these plaques talked about how this area of Wisconsin is known as a Driftless Area.  It's main characteristic is that the glaciers that covered Wisconsin from Canada never reached this region.  The rest of Wisconsin was carved flat, while the area that is now southwest Wisconsin retained its ridges and valleys.  

Scientific observations are important for children to do because a child's curiosity is an amazing trait. An important part of the science curriculum is teaching the scientific method.  This method includes asking questions, doing research, making a hypothesis, and making conclusions.  I plan on incorporating this method into my classroom.  Not only will students need to utilize this method during their later school careers, but it also helps to inspire and direct creative thinking and innovation. 

Robert Frost

Week 11: Literary Response

"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank go grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."
-Robert Frost

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco on March 26, 1874.  He moved out to New England and eventually attended both Dartmouth and Harvard, but never earned a formal degree.  For his poetry, he earned four Pulitzer Prizes and many other honors.  Most of his work was inspired by beautiful life and landscape of New England. 

A notable use of this poem was in the movie The Outsiders. Ponyboy recites this poem to Johnny as they glance out and look out over the sunset.  This poem reflects how beautiful nature is.  However, just like the sunset that the boys were watching in the film, the beauty of nature is often evanescent. 

It's important for students to appreciate how fleeting nature is.  By understanding how fragile nature can be, students can appreciate how important it is to protect it.  

Having students analyze poetry is an important literary skill.  While they are analyzing poetry, they can also be learning other skills.  Poetry analysis can easily be interdisciplinary, and one of the subject areas I plan on integrating is environmental education.  Students can gain an appreciation for nature through literature.  

My Backyard

Week 10: Sit Spot

I spent the weekend visiting my family.  My parents live in the middle of the woods in Winneconne, WI.  We built the house from scratch and we moved in when I started middle school.  The upper-back deck of my parents house faces an expansive yard that has a marsh as a backdrop. 

I picked the perfect time of the evening for my sit spot.   The whitetail deer that live in the woods are very used to having people around.  I was sitting outside, almost at the point of taking a nap, when I small buck came out of the marsh.  It was difficult not to breathe. I've seen plenty of deer walk around in my backyard before, but it's magical every time. 

Sit spots can be great for students. It can allow them to focus on not only their sense of sight, but the other four senses as well. I once had a professor that everyday emphasized the importance of "being present in a moment."  With all of the multitasking that children do in this day and age with video games, music, and social media, being truly present in a moment is a skill that students should refocus on. I believe that have students practice sit-spots can be a great way to get students to be truly present in a moment. 

Make a Difference Day

Week 9: Storytelling of an Experience in Nature

 Make a Difference Day is an event that the United Way - Portage County puts on.  Hundreds of volunteers sign up in teams to rake yards.  Participants range in age from the very young to the very old.  It is a great way to get a community together to help a cause.  I participated with my sisters in Delta Phi Epsilon sorority, as well as the family of one of my sisters.

The morning of Saturday October 26th I got up at 7:00 AM and it was incredibly chilly outside.  I bundled up in several layers as well as mittens, a scarf, and a hat.  I was immobilized a little bit, but I was warm. We went out to two different yards. The first was labeled as "very large" on our sheet but our team of 20 people was able to knock out that yard within 45 minutes.  The second yard we went to was a little bit out of the way and was only labeled as "large."  This yard was twice as big as the first with four times as many leaves.  It took us a bit longer, but we managed to get the yard done and have a great time while doing so.  

I want to have students be active in their community.  As a teacher, I plan on advocating for service learning projects for my students to complete.  Many great service activities can take place outside.  Another that I've participated in college was the Labor of Love.  Students would pick up trash in Schmeeckle among other service projects. Personally, I was part of a group that helped to paint a fence for an elderly woman.  I believe that these service projects are great for students and I will advocate for them as a teacher.