We use toilet paper, but you can use whatever you want. Rocks, leaves, sticks, or pretty much anything you can find around you make a great thing to sketch

 

A Few Other Great Resources For Scientific Sketching:

John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren have created tools for “How to Teach Nature Journaling.” They have also step-by-step instructional videos.

Here is a great introduction from Cal Academy in San Francisco.

Here is another from Community Resources for Science in Berkeley.

Here is a great resource from the Beetles Program at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley.

**Many of these techniques were designed for outdoor education and they all translate very nicely to the classroom**

 

 

Start by sketching what you see in front of you

This is what I see, but you might see something different.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then you might try adding labels.

This helps another scientist who is looking at your sketch tell what you were trying to draw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then you might add things you notice.

You can do that right here on the same page.

You might notice where the toilet paper is in the water. Or what color it is. Or what shape it is. Or something else.

You can begin with the sentence starter I notice….

In this case, I wrote: “I notice that my toilet paper is in lots of tiny pieces”

I only wrote 1 thing I noticed. But you can write as many things that you notice as you want!

 

 

You can also write questions that you have.

Those might be questions like: I wonder what would happen if I left this jar overnight, would my toilet paper change?

I wonder what would happen if I shake the jar for a really long time? Will my toilet paper eventually disappear?

I bet that many of your questions are things you can try right now!

You can begin with the sentence starter I wonder….

In this case, I wrote: “I wonder what would happen if I flushed my toilet paper for a really long time?”

I only wrote 1 question. But you can write as many questions as you want!

 

This is also a great opportunity to make some connections to what you have seen before.

You can begin with the sentence starter it reminds me of….

My toilet paper reminds me of clouds…or

My toilet paper reminds me of cotton candy…..or

My toilet paper reminds me of a snow globe…..or

My toilet paper reminds me of bird feathers….or something else entirely! 

What does your toilet paper remind you of?