Historical journals are an invaluable tool for helping us understand the past.

Historians use journals to learn about life in the past. Similarly, scientists can use journals of early explorers to learn about the wildlife of an area at a certain point in time. However, journals are not always straightforward. In this activity, students will study passages from historic journals to draw conclusions about wildlife species and populations prior to Arizona’s settlement. Then, they will have the opportunity to write their own journals to describe their observations.

The lesson is available as a downloadable PDF that includes ideas to extend and modify the lesson for different audiences.