Practice how to make field notes (8th grade assignment OPTION A)

Biology 8th Grade (Option A)
Practice your observations
Write Convincing Details

8th graders have begun last year to make field notebooks. This month we will be in charge of filling those field notes.
There are 3 reasons for the class to keep field notes:

1. To learn to make observations outdoors.
2. To help you remember the animals (and other events of natural history) you encounter outside and where you saw them.
3. To document behaviours or study differences among individuals.

Seven Steps to good details
1. Always carry a notebook to write details. Your notebook needs to be small enough to be carried wherever you go. Start every page with the date and time of your observations, a reference of the weather that day is always helpful.
2. Write details immediately. Short-term memory holds specific details for a very short time. Memory may also start to add details that were never seen if left too long.
3. Do drawings and write notes.
4. Describe only what you see. A mistake often made is listing characters of other animals, that are not shared by the observed . Save the elimination of similar species for formal details written later.
5. Don't forget to describe leg colors, bill colors and behavioral details like tail wagging and wing flicking (when you observe a bird).
6. Where possible, call in other observers (family or friends).
7. Write a description from your notes.
If you need more information on how to keep your field notebook (look for HOW TO MAKE FIELD NOTES in the blog's teacher's publications). You will find a more detailed document