THE
HABITAT PASSPORT CONNECTION
New
Jersey Audubon Society encourages teachers and students to use
the outdoors as a learning laboratory.
To recognize the efforts of those schools and teachers
who implement this form of nature discovery education, NJAS
offers the Natural Science Award.
Likewise, a child who fulfills the requirements for
documenting outdoor discovery is eligible for the Junior
Naturalist Award.
NATURAL
SCIENCE AWARD for the SCHOOL
Using
the Habitat Passport
Send
a single class to study at least ten of the described habitats
in Bridges. Make a
class copy of the NJAS Habitat Passport
to
keep track of the habitats your class visits.
At the end of each field trip, fill in the name of the
habitat(s) studied and present the passport to the
teacher-naturalist of the park or nature center to sign. If the
field trip is on the school grounds, neighborhood site, or local
natural area where there is no teacher-naturalist, a school
administrator or teacher may sign the passport.
On completing the requirements, the school should send
the passport to the nearest New Jersey Audubon Society center
with a request for the award certificate.
Optional: Submit
student journals (and a typed list of all student names) along
with the Habitat Passport.
Using
the Schoolyard or Neighborhood
Engage
students in schoolyard and local neighborhood investigations as
a regular part of curriculum studies. Spend at least ten days or
50 hours of the school year investigating an outdoor natural
area. Keep a
Habitat
Activity Log for each outdoor investigation with a brief
description of the student's investigations. On completing the
requirements, the school should send the log to the nearest New
Jersey Audubon Society center with a request for the award
certificate. Optional: Submit student journals (and a typed list of all student
names) along with the Habitat Passport.
JUNIOR
NATURALIST AWARDS for the STUDENT
Using the Habitat Passport
Students
should complete and submit a personal journal of their
impressions about the uniqueness of at least ten habitats they
have visited. (See "How to Keep a Journal") The
journal should be submitted along with a completed
Habitat
Passport to the nearest NJAS center. Journals
may not include duplications of the habitat illustrations taken
from Bridges to the Natural World.
All work must be original or contain original responses
to teacher or parent-led activities.
Using
the Schoolyard or Neighborhood
Students
whose investigations reflect a single area are required to keep
a journal that documents that site throughout the seasons or
during a designated period of time. Journals must contain at
least ten pages of reflections but may not include duplications
of the habitat illustrations taken from Bridges to the Natural
World. All work
must be original or contain original responses to teacher or
parent-led activities.
Note:
All journals and certificates will be processed and sent
back to students in a timely manner. Send a typed list of the
students with a $5.00 check payable to NJAS for postage and
handling.
HOW
TO KEEP A JOURNAL
Keeping a record of observations can play a significant role in helping students remember what was unique about each habitat. It is recommended that a portion of the time spent at each site be given to creating a journal. Drawing or writing in nature provides a personal, illustrated record of a special event in the student's life. Nature becomes the teacher, unfolding lessons that can be taught only when paying careful attention to lines that define an object or choosing words that describe a scene.
Ideally...
Each student should have a pencil, paper, and a clipboard. At a given signal, they disperse within a designated area and are allowed to spend time alone, reflecting and recording. The teacher circulates among the students, offering assistance as needed.
But if time is limited...
After a habitat site has been visited the teacher directs the students to reflect on the experience.
Suggestions:
- What animals were seen?
- What were they doing?
- What plants were seen?
- How were they arranged?
- Describe something that was: beautiful, ugly, joyous, scary, familiar, comforting, disturbing.
- Why will your visit to this habitat be memorable?
Each student should record personal reflections on at least one page. Reflections may be written, drawn, or used in combination. We encourage teachers to duplicate the drawings and lists of flora and fauna from each habitat chapter and distribute them to the students.* The booklet, accompanied by the personal journal, can become a personal guide to New Jersey's natural treasures.
Journals submitted for New Jersey Audubon Society's JUNIOR NATURALIST AWARD must have a cover sheet that includes the student's name and address in addition to his or her school and its address. Journals will be returned to the students after review.
*NB: Photocopying for the purpose of student participation in this activity does not violate copyright.
HABITAT PASSPORT
Here is the Habitat Passport, in
PDF
format. It is approximately 20 KB in size. You can save this file to a disk, or
print it. You will need the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader to open and read this file
-- you can download this free software utility by
clicking here.
HABITAT ACTIVITY LOG
Here is the Habitat Activity Log,
in PDF format. It is approximately 20 KB in size. You can save
this file to a disk, or print it. You will need the Adobe®
Acrobat® Reader to open and read this file -- you can download
this free software utility by
clicking here.
For additional information, call, write or email
NJAS Department of Education,
Center for Research and Education, 600 Route 47 North, Cape May Court House,
NJ 08210 (609) 861-0700.
| 
