Diane Petersen, Teacher

Diane Petersen is a teacher at Waterville Elementary School, in Waterville, Washington, and author of the NatureMapping curriculum on this site, as well as other educational writing.

In 1997, she and her students in grades 4-5 created the Adopt-a-Farmer Project, and, in conjunction with the NatureMapping program, students honed their reading, writing, and math skills while making meaningful contributions to science through tracking local wildlife; under Petersen's guidance, the project continues to study the short-horned lizard (a.k.a. the horny toad) today.

• Molding Young Scientists During the School Day
• Overview Video: Technology Empowers Student Fieldwork

• Overview: NatureMapping Lessons at a Glance
• How to Tell the Time and Date
• Using Guides and Animal Size to Teach Species Recognition
• Using Environmental Clues to Teach Species Recognition
• How to Estimate Animal Size and Numbers at a Distance
• Teaching Directions, Maps, and Coordinates
• A Lesson on Nature Note Taking
• How to Collect and Evaluate Observations in the Field
• A Glossary of Common NatureMapping Terms

• NatureMapping Takes Kids -- and Technology -- Outside and into Active Learning
• A Week in the Life of the NatureMapping Program
• Third-Party Assessment of NatureMapping
• Tips and Resources

• Karen Dvornich, National Director
• Diane Petersen, Teacher

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