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Phenology is an excellent way to teach science, technology, and math standards such as inquiry, observation, creating relevant questions, making predictions, graphing and analyzing information, problem solving, conducting basic research, and communication of results.
Resources for 5-8 Grade Classroom Teachers
Phenology and Nature’s Notebook can also be used to teach subjects other than science.
Phenology can be used to teach:
- English and Language Arts such as reading comprehension, writing, speaking and listening
- Social Studies such as American History, World History, Cultural Studies, and Geography
- Healthy Living and Physical Education
- Foreign and Native Languages including communication, culture, and comparative studies
- Arts such as music, theater, and visual arts
Where do I begin?
Adding a phenological monitoring program to your classroom is easy as long as your project is well-planned. Consider involving other like-minded teachers and staff in your project to make it a meaningful, multi-year experience. Nature's Notebook is designed to be a multi-year program, for students to experience seasonal changes throughout the academic year. If you are only interested in and able to take students outside one time to make observations, you might consider another wonderful citizen science project instead.
If you can commit to establishing a site at your school for at least 2 years, take a look at our Nature's Notebook Planning Resources to help you get started.
We suggest setting up a group for your school where individual students can each make and enter observations. Plan to take students outside to make observations once a week, building the other activites and topics you are teaching around phenology monitoring. Continuing your project for multiple years creates a local record of what is happening and students in subsequent years can learn from what students in prior years recorded.
Can you take a field trip to a local nature center, wildlife refuge, zoo, botanical garden, museum where they may be monitoring phenology? Check with the local educators to see if they have other curriculum ideas and resources for monitoring phenology at their locations as well.
Helpful resources:
- Getting Started with Nature's Notebook in the Classroom
- Classroom Phenology Project Planning Worksheet (available as word doc)
- Lesson Planning Worksheet (availible as a word doc)
- Questions on how to get started? Contact our Education Coordinator.
- Jr. Phenologist Certification Program
- Have ideas or activities to share? Send them to us and we'll share them for you!
If you can't commit to a long-term monitoring program at your school, consider instead using some of our phenology activities and lesson plans to supplement your student learning. Search the table below for activities appropriate for middle school learners.
Nature's Notebook and the Next Generation Science Standards
A long-term, Nature's Notebook phenology monitoring program in the classroom can help address the following Next Generation Science Standards Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI):
More Curriculum Ideas
The table below contains lesson plans and ideas for implementing Nature’s Notebook in Grades 5-8.
View Nature's Notebook curriculum materials developed for 5th-8th grades in the table below.
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| Phenology Scavenger Hunt Activity |
Participants search phenology gardens or outdoor habitats for seasonally-available plant structures (plant phenophases monitored by the USA National Phenology Network). Once found, participants photograph, illustrate, describe, or collect and curate the plant phenophases. Created by Susan Mazer, Alisa Hove, and Brian Haggerty at the University of California, Santa Barbara, as part of the Phenological Literacy: Understanding Through Science and Stewardship Program (PLUSS). La actividad es disponible en Español tambien: |
| Phenology Gardens - Lesson Plan II |
These two lesson plans are designed to teach students everything they’ll need to know to observe plant phenology and record data for the USA National Phenology Network. Written for phenology gardens, these activities can be conducted in any outdoor setting. Created by Susan Mazer, Alisa Hove, and Brian Haggerty at the University of California, Santa Barbara as part of the Phenological Literacy: Understanding Through Science and Stewardship Program (PLUSS). |
| Phenology Gardens - Lesson Plan I |
These two lesson plans are designed to teach students everything they’ll need to know to observe plant phenology and record data for the USA National Phenology Network. Written for phenology gardens, these activities can be conducted in any outdoor setting. Created by Susan Mazer, Alisa Hove, and Brian Haggerty at the University of California, Santa Barbara as part of the Phenological Literacy: Understanding Through Science and Stewardship Program (PLUSS). |
| Phenology Relay Race |
This fun activity gets students working together and running while reinforcing their knowledge of plant phenology and monitoring protocols for the USA National Phenology Network. Created by Susan Mazer, Alisa Hove, and Brian Haggerty at the University of California, Santa Barbara as part of the Phenological Literacy: Understanding Through Science and Stewardship Program (PLUSS). |
| Flight of the Pollinators |
Experience the importance of plant phenology from a pollinator’s perspective! Adaptable for other perspectives too (herbivores, frugivores, granivores, plant pathogens). Created by Susan Mazer, Alisa Hove, and Brian Haggerty at the University of California, Santa Barbara as part of the Phenological Literacy: Understanding Through Science and Stewardship Program (PLUSS). |