We encourage the student to read the texts carefully, and think about the principles employed by the authors of those texts in their study of animals. The student will be asked to do a project in the second semester which will employ similar techniques, and he will write a report for the project about what he has learned. There is an Animal Project Student Guide in the syllabus resources that the student should review to help complete this project correctly. He is also encouraged to keep a journal for the recording of data, and as a repository of the natural history information he acquires.

Start a notebook for ‘naming nature’. Pick out three natural things each week, all year long, from your reference book. (The Reader’s Digest North American Wildlife is one such reference text that would be helpful in your search for naming information.) Choose objects that you are likely to be able to find in your own neighborhood. Look at trees, flowers, insects, birds, and rocks; in short, anything natural in your environment. Today your assignment is to pick out the three objects for this week and put them in your notebook, with a sketch and notes of pertinent information. Then try to find them outside.

We recommend that students watch this presentation by one of our MODG teachers for tips and insights on completing their nature journal. https://vimeo.com/478600899/9b5b4b2446

Note: Please take a moment to review the resources, attached to this syllabus, that are generic to the grade level and/or subject, e.g. the rubrics (these are found to the right of week 1, day 1). Some of the PDF files found here are taken from the printed copy of the corresponding syllabus, if there is one. There are also resources specific to the particular course that will be assigned or referenced within the syllabus assignments. We also encourage students to review the Letter about Plagiarism and the Letter about AI and Academic Honesty at this time. Answer Keys or Assignment overviews for the syllabus, if applicable, are only found via the parent log-in; the student log-in may access all other syllabus resources. 

Write a proposal for your project. List the questions that interest you and how you propose to gather data that might answer them. (For example: For twelve weeks I will observe the birds that inhabit my neighborhood. I will determine which species like what food, what their feeding times are, whether different species compete for the same food, and whether they prefer to feed at one level or another. I will do this by placing various feeding dishes with different kinds of food at several locations in my backyard. I will make regular observations of the feeding locations, and keep notes of my observations. At the end of the twelve weeks I will write a report of my findings, listing my data and answering the questions initially proposed.)