About Imagine Outside

My story is one of convergence of two of my passions: the outdoors and literature. Thirty years of secondary classroom English teaching, curricular concerns over the effects of ubiquitous, high stakes, standardized testing, student disinterest in and resistance to traditional reading practices, Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods; and long, woodland hikes with my grandchildren brought me to experiment with “greening” my students’ thinking, reading and writing. “Imagine Outside” showcases a culmination of over sixteen years of experimenting with the simple, yet powerful, literal landscape of the outdoors as a conveyance of writing and critical thinking skills. I became a “wild” teacher, and so can you!
In this link, you will find lesson plans that encourage students to closely observe, to be curious and creative, and to make connections. By engaging students in mindful activities, they will be prepared for nature journaling and will be ready to go Imagine Outside!