Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History Literacy Project
Darcy Rhyno, Project Coordinator

About 30 adult learners across Nova Scotia participated in "This Week In Nature," a project of the Nova Scotia Museum of natural History, the Literacy Coalition of Nova Scotia and the Literacy Section of the provincial Department of Education.

Each student was a nature reporter and submitted four to eight reports to the museum on a regular schedule from June to October 1995. Each time a report arrived, it was slipped into a folder on a giant wall map of the province, on a spot roughly corresponding to where the reporter lived. As project coordinator, I replied to every report received. Many students and instructors said that receiving these letters was one of the most important aspect of the project because it recognized student contributions and encouraged the learners to continue.

Museum staff also constructed a bonder to hold photocopies of every report received, organized alphabetically by the reporters' last names. It was placed on a table beside the wall map, which changed as each new report was received. The wall map also went on the road and was displayed at "The Word on the Street" Festival in Halifax in September 1995. Alongside the map was a telephone booth that served as a display case for mounted animals and birds mentioned in the nature reports. There were also several tables containing terrariums of live native snakes and mice as well as displays of mushrooms, wild flowers and other items reported on by the students.

Once the students made the commitment to participate, they were encouraged to contribute to the project as they wished. One student kept a diary of activities and events she noticed while observing the pond near her house. Another tracked the progress of wild flowers through the seasons. One dedicated bird-watcher described the antics of birds at a dozen or so feeding stations and often sent in photographs with her reports. Another student submitted reports in the form of poetry, paintings and drawings including a poem handwritten on a painting of a marsh with a great blue heron.

In some cases, the literacy skills of the students improved as the project progressed. As many pieces of rewarding writing began to arrive at the museum each week, we eagerly awaited the arrival of the next reports. Many students also discovered more about their relationship with language and to the natural world. One particular student named Danny wrote longer and more descriptive reports with each effort. Here is an entry for August 5, 1995:

"Today I saw a Karen jay in the back
yard. I usually see them before this.
Karen Jay is not their real name. But
this is what I grew up calling them.
When I looked it up in the South Shore
Phrase Book, I found what I was calling
Karen Jay was actually called Carryin'
Jay. It was named this in our area
because this bird was said to carry
meat away from trap lines. Their real
name is Gray Jay or Canada Jay..."

At the end of the project, a two-day book planning session was held in Lockport, on Nova Scotia's south shore, where three of the nature reporters live. Together with myself, another reporter, two instructors, and Jenifer McVaugh, our resource person from Storylinks, the CMA's literacy partner, they produced an 80-page book containing many of the reports submitted. The book, together with a $50 honorarium and certificate of participation, gave the students concrete assurance that their work was of true value.

"This Week In Nature" was an important part of a learning program for more than 30 Nova Scotia adults. it improved their writing and reading skills and organizational abilities and enabled them to make contact with the Nova Scotia museum. It also contributed to enhancing the learners' positive self-image and their pride in the places they live.

The book, which was printed by the Nova Scotia Provincial Literacy Coalition, will continue the work of the project when it is distributed to literacy programs, resource centres and museums around the province.

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