What a Wonder-Filled World

A Sense of Place

Sci-artist at work.

Our topography and coastal climate make the Bay Area and Monterey Bay biodiversity hotspots- meaning not only that they support a rich variety of plant communities and wildlife but also that the ecosystems are under threat. Despite widespread development, our region is home to hundreds of native plant species and a dazzling array of birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. Many species are endemic— found nowhere else in the world— and some have been classified as rare and endangered. I think a lot about how I can help my 5th grade students gain a sense of place in Central California and nurture a deep appreciation for our local biological diversity.

Bay Area Wonders

For the past four years, I've addressed that in my curriculum through Bay Area Wonders, a project that was initially developed as a collaboration with former Nueva School writing teacher Cliff Burke. We were both inspired when we saw writer Aimee Nezhukumatathil speak at our school's 2020 Humanities Fair; even over Zoom, Nezhukumatathil sparkled with enthusiasm, and her insights about her writing process and the natural world were equally impressive. She spoke about her NYT-bestselling book World Of Wonders — a collection of essays that explore her connections, both real and metaphorical, to different species from around the world. In her own words, these essays are “celebrations of being curious, and slowing down to notice the sensations of wonder that arise from looking at nature.” Each essay is devoted to a unique species, and they are all beautifully illustrated by Fumi Nakamura. Cliff and I both went on to read the book, and we were inspired to have our students emulate the form of these "wonder essays." That original idea evolved into the Bay Area Wonders project, which Nueva's 5th grade teachers of science, writing, and art have implemented every year since.

Students with their completed scientific illustrations.

For the project, we keep a local focus rather than global. Students are provided a curated list of Bay Area and Monterey Bay native plants and animals to choose from, but they are also free to select a species they find on their own. We encourage students to choose a species with which they feel connected; for some, they have observed an organism first hand, while for others they just relate to an aspect of the organism's physical characteristics or behavior. So a student might feel connected to a humpback whale because they saw one breaching on a whale-watching trip or they might feel an affinity towards a mountain lion, having never encountered one, due to its speed and agility.

The 2024 book front cover.

In science class with me, students investigate ecology concepts while in writing class, they read and analyze essays from World of Wonders. Then, using Nezhukumatathil's essays as a guide, students research and write their own essay about their chosen species— combining personal experiences with observations and natural history information. ​To accompany the essay, students also create a scientific illustration. For these, students draw from personal photos or other reference images to inform their work. The goal is to closely observe the characteristics  in order to produce a realistic depiction.

Each year, all the 5th grade essays are collected and published in a Bay Area Wonders anthology. All students receive a beautifully bound copy of the book; hopefully, families will treasure this celebration of local biodiversity!

Here is a gallery of sample book pages from different Bay Area Wonders volumes through the years:

Wonder Essay Curriculum

Cliff and I have gone on to develop a full Wonder Essay curriculum using World of Wonders as an anchor text; the curriculum can be customized for any location to support place-based learning and includes ten lesson plans and all classroom-ready supporting documents. The Wonder Essay curriculum is aligned with Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, and the lesson sequence helps students strengthen essential research and writing skills. Students are empowered as storytellers through lyrical science writing! Additionally, the work supports healthy social-emotional development because it allows students to express their feelings and helps them build empathy for both the natural world and other people.

I am overjoyed that the Wonder Essay curriculum has grown beyond the Nueva School. When the expanded World of Wonders paperback edition was released by Milkweed Editions, my collaborator Cliff and I were credited in its Teaching Guide for our accompanying discussion prompts and our Wonder Essay curriculum. In November, I was honored to present at the National Conference on Science Education Conference in New Orleans to educators from around the country. Additionally, this spring, I delivered a series of five "Wonder Workshops" for 826 Valencia— a non-profit writing center serving students from under resourced communities in San Francisco.

Fellow educators, please contact me if you have any questions about the curriculum or how you might implement it in your own communities. Help your students marvel at the species with which we share our world and the kind of transformative connections we can make with them.

The full Wonder Essay curriculum and other World of Wonders resources are on the Milkweed Editions' website:
​ milkweed.org/world-of-wonders-educator-resources

All the Bay Area Wonders volumes are archived on Issuu:
Bay Area Wonders: In Praise of Redwoods, Sea Otters, and Other Astonishments (2022)
Bay Area Wonders: In Praise of Kelp, Banana Slugs, and Other Astonishments (2023)
Bay Area Wonders: In Praise of Abalone, California Poppies, and Other Astonishments (2024)
Bay Area Wonders: In Praise of Humpbacks, California Hollies, and Other Astonishments (2025)