Science Notebooking and Sketching

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Science Notebooking and Sketching

Science notebooking and sketching encourages students to wonder about the world and fosters meaning making. Here are some tips to start sketching in your classroom.

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Before you Begin
  • Look at examples of real scientist notebooks for inspiration, real world connections.
    • Samples available online from BEETLES at Lawrence Hall of Science. 
    • Notable Notebooks: Scientists and their Writings” by Jessica Fries-Gaither, kid-friendly book
    • Remember the purpose of science sketching: to convey important information about an observed specimen or phenomenon
    • Introduce the sketching topic with with our Example Sentence Frames worksheet
    • Texture-Drawing-Tips_5000x500
    The 5 Sketching Principles: “ABCDE”
    • Accuracy: Sketch for accuracy and descriptiveness, not beauty. Focus on the shape, outline and dimension first, then move on to the finer details.
    • Big: Use the whole page or draw the specimen at different scales to zoom in on one section
    • Colorful: add color with colored pencils or crayon if the colors help to represent the object. No colored pencils? Label the color with an arrow pointing to the specific section.
    • Detailed: After you get the outline, add noticeable details like shading and texture.
      - For example: If you are drawing a leaf, what makes this leaf different from a leaf from another type of plant?
      - Lines, Textures, and Shading Handout from Katie Bertsche
    • Explain: Add a few words to describe what you might not be able to draw, add arrows or other symbols to help explain what you are observing
    Sketching-Prompts_500x500
    Simple Sketching Prompts
    (Adapted from BEETLES
    & UC Natural History Museums)
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    Free & Local Resources
    LOGO-FOSS_500x500
    FOSS Notebook Resources

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