Nature Journal Assignment

Every person in this class has a unique opinion of his or her own world, a view that has been shaped by many factors during your upbringing.  This assignment is designed to encourage you to explore your view of nature in new and creative ways.  I would like for you to spend the semester putting together a nature journal that is descriptive of some of the organisms we will be learning about in lab.

Each week in lab, you will be presented with a variety of specimens representative of the major groupings of animals we are discussing in lecture. Unless otherwise directed, you are to choose 5 different species that you are interested in learning more about each week from the displayed organisms. You will need to write down the names of these specimens, draw or take pictures of them, and then go to the library to research more about how these organisms once lived.  The majority of the facts you choose to present in your journal are up to you, but you should be sure to include basic information such as the name of the organism, where one might encounter the organism, and a few of its distinguishing features.  You may use creative license in describing your organisms, but the captions should still be fact-based and supported by references that are clearly cited somewhere in the journal.    

The journal format is up to you--it could be a bound journal, or pages put together in a 3-ring notebook, a powerpoint show, an internet website, etc.  You may choose any background mood for your journal; it may be sentimental, purely factual, comedic, so long as it in some way exemplifies your views of yourself and the world around you.  The basic requirements are that you include both written and pictorial elements, that each major grouping of organisms are clearly represented, and that you have spent a significant amount of time (at least 1 hour per lab period) engrossed in your project. Neatness is required to receive full points (photos should be clear, writing should be legible, etc).  Please see the grading rubric below: