John Muir Day Study Guide

Learning about John Muir's life can serve as a launching pad to environmental studies from a variety of perspectives. Botany, geology, history, geography, language arts, visual arts, and more can be inspired by John Muir, as we discover that, as John Muir said, "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."

The John Muir Day Study Guide was prepared to help teachers commemorate John Muir Day each April 21 with their classes. California teachers are encouraged to recognize John Muir Day by statute (see below), but people all over the world celebrate John Muir's Birthday on April 21! In addition, the guide is produced with the idea that it may be used throughout the school year, integrated with a variety of curriculum topics, to set a tone of caring about our environment. It can be used outside of California as well as within, since only the fourth grade unit is California-specific.

If you live outside of California, we suggest you use the Sixth Grade John Muir Geography Cards and the Places Important to John Muir page to find out if Muir ever traveled in your state or country, and then you can create a lesson plan for your own geographic location.

Contents

Unifying Concept: John Muir, explorer, scientist, and author, studied ecosystems worldwide and expressed his views, helping establish the modern environmental movement.

• 2001 Update: Be sure to download this supplement.
• Full Study Guide (all grades)

Individual section files:

• Introduction and Background
• Grades K - 1
• Grades 2 - 3
• Grades 4
  • Map of California with John Muir geography
• Grades 5
  • Celebrating Our Lives and John Muir Power Quotes
• Grades 6
• Grades 7 - 9
• Grades 9 - 12
• Resources (Updated December, 2001)

More John Muir Lesson Plans

The links below lead to standards-based lesson plans aligned to the California Academic Content Standards for each grade level. Please see our Alphebetical California Academic Content Standards Index for specific standards addressed in these lesson plans.

• Through the Eyes of John Muir: A Multi-disciplinary Approach to Looking at our World
  This curriculum, aligned to both Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards, can be applied in and outside the classroom for students to learn how to see through the eyes of John Muir - as environmental stewards, scientists, historians and advocates. Each lesson is presented within the context of John Muir's own actions. These Standards apply to grades 3 and 4. Most activities are applicable to or can be modified to meet the needs of older students.
• Journal Writing with John Muir: Ideas and resources for learning to keep a nature journal as John Muir did.
• Make a Nature Journal (Grades K-8): Writing Strategies and Applications
• Science (K-12): Earth Science, Life Science, and Investigation and Experimentation

These lesson plans were prepared by the Sierra Club John Muir Education Committee.