á Provide lesson plans that use literature as an avenue to engage students in a variety of activities such as creative writing, poetry, improvisation, nature exploration, sculpture/nature art, etc.
á Provide bibliographies for even more books that fall into these five categories, as well as bibliographies for environmental literature websites/resources. - go there
Why Use Environmental Literature as a Teaching Tool Anyway?
Ÿ Environmental/experiential education is more than just the experience of being outside in nature. We must provide students with outlets to express what they have experienced in the days, months, and years ahead of them. If not, they might only remember, ÒOh, we played here and it was fun.Ó
Ÿ Using literature within a lesson reaches different learning modalities (visual and auditory). Plus, the progression from comprehending the literature to using it as motivation for writing, improvisation, or art engages students in higher learning.
Ÿ We satisfy that beautiful phrase Òcross curricular activity.Ó We teach science standards as well as English standards (not to mention social studies if we work in myth or multicultural topics)!
Ÿ We engage students in a new way of looking at their role within the environment. Nature writing is a means of viewing nature or their experience in it as something to be revered and honored, rather than simply perceived as an object or playground.
Ÿ My favorite reason: IT SLOWS THEM DOWN!
Sample Lesson Plans
Myths, magic, and fantasies are often rooted in reality, but they use fictional elements to explain phenomenon that seem inexplicable.
Book: Any myth book – Earth Tales, Keepers of the Night
Time: about 1 hours
Materials: Journals and writing utensils
Mini Lesson Plan: Tell the students your favorite myth and then have them write their own. It sounds so simple but is very very powerful
1. Night – tell the students a constellation story during the night hike. Then have the students work in pairs or alone to create their own constellations and story. They can then share their constellation and story with another group. The creation of new constellation and story can be done the next day in their journals if there is not enough time on the night hike.
2. How something came to be – Check in Earth Tales from Around the World by Michael J. Caduto for some great stories like Tell Tails (why coyotes wag their tails) or Origin of the Ocean or The Hidden Folk by Lise Lunge-Larsen. Tell the students a story from your local culture – possible a creation story or how the turtle got its shell. Then ask them to create a story about how something came to be. You may need to guide them by first having them choose an animal or plant. Then have them identify what is unique about that animal or plant. Then they can create a story about that one aspect of the animal or plant.
Book: A Collaboration with Nature by Andy Goldsworthy or pictures of Patrick DoughertyÕs art.
Time: 2 hours
Materials: Pictures and nature
Mini Lesson Plan: The idea of this activity is to enter a magical world of nature art that is created by the students. Begin by showing the students examples of nature art such as Goldsworthy or Dougherty. Ask the students what they think of when they see the artwork. The studentsÕ responses will guide the rest of the activity – sometimes they might see homes and then you can create animal/fairy/troll homes. The students should have about an hour to create their artwork and then have a gallery showing with each group presenting/explaining their artwork. You can leave the art there or have the students destroy it (sometimes they enjoy destroying it J).
Anthropomorphism is the bestowing of human traits on animals. As a rule, I hate it. I do, however, see the value in asking students (especially younger students) to pretend to be animals/look at the world from an animalÕs point of view so that they develop deeper personal connections with the natural world.
Book: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
Time: at least 2 hours (½ hour to hike, rock hop, explore; ½ hour to set up why/how to write poetry; 1 hour to craft poem and share)
Materials: Insects, Insect Collecting Kits or Hand lenses, Copies of the poems you would like to use such that every pair of students has a copy to read and use as a model, Writing utensils
Mini Lesson Plan:
q Hike and look for insects. Either read the poems as you find the insects or find a good spot with lots of insects and read after a generous exploration time.
q Before you get settled into writing mode ask the following questions of your group:
1. Which poem did the students like best and why?
2. Did any poem sound like the way the insect acted? What made the poem sound like the insect? What words described that insectÕs actions best?
q If you have time, it might be fun to play a game that focuses on insects and adjectives that describe them. Or, if you donÕt feel like writing poems, just read the poems and then play a series of these games. Here are some examples I renamed for insect purposes:
Stinkbug, or the word association game--Have the students get into a circle. Have each student pick an insect and a descriptive action that matches that something for which that insect is known. For example, I am a stinkbug. My action is turning and raising my butt into the air to mime letting my stink out. It is okay to repeat insects as long as the descriptive actions are different. Someone is ÒitÓ and stands in the middle of the circle. ÒItÓ points to a person who must say another insectÕs name and mime the motion before ÒitÓ shouts ÒMetamorphosis!Ó If the person on the outside of the circle fails, s/he becomes Òit.Ó
I, I, Insect (formerly known as Aye, Aye Captain)—Pick an insect you have observed. Brainstorm facts and descriptions about it. For my example, I used a Dragonfly. Then assign actions to the following commands:
Six legs: 3 people standing back to back but using their arms to make it appear as if the first person had 6 legs
Independently moving wings: 2 people stand back to back and use their arms to make wings moving in opposite directions.
Nymphs: everyone pretends to swim
Mouths: everyone runs around using their arms like unhinging jaws
Molt/Pupate (if it an appropriate insect): Everyone must climb off the ground onto a higher object like they were hatching out of their larval/nymph exoskeleton.
Then everyone runs around until you yell a command. It is like Simon Says, if they mess up they are out.
q Have the group or pairs pick an insect you have observed. Have them brainstorm facts and descriptions about that insect. It may help to have cheat sheets with the prompts such as color, size, feel, sounds, smell, what actions does it make, etc. Have them write a poem in their favorite style from FleischmanÕs book. The poems ÒWater Striders,Ó ÒWater Boatmen,Ó and ÒWhirligig BeetlesÓ are my favorite because they are obvious, easy to understand, and rely heavily on repetition. You can remind students that if they are stuck, just repeat a line like ÒWe are whirligig beetlesÓ or ÒStroke!Ó and begin again.
q Share!
Book: Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood
Time: ½ - 1 hour
Materials: Book and room to move
Mini Lesson Plan: Read the stories to the students and then have them act out the book with you. For younger students, they could then write a short story about how they are like animals. For older students, you can have a short discussion about the reality of some of the statements and then they can write a short story about how they are like animals.
Environmental Ethic
Literature dealing with environmental ethics such as conservation or preservation are excellent tools to help students explore the choices they make/action they take regarding the environment)
Book: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Time: From 1 hour, for book reading, discussion, and writing project, to 2 days, for incorporating a Òworld more beautifulÓ project.
Materials: Book, writing utensils, paper, list of possible Òworld more beautifulÓ projects.
Mini Lesson Plan:
1. Ask the group if their elders (grandparents, uncles, aunts, etc) ever give them advice. Ask for some specific examples. If this is slow going I often offer my own examples, such as Ôif you eat your crust, your hair will be curlyÕ, Ôif you want to see in the dark, eat your carrotsÕ and an anecdotal story from your childhood.
2. Introduce Miss Rumphius – you can read the book and display the pictures or you can tell the story.
3. Shorter lesson plan – Have the students write in their journals about how they will fulfill the 3 things that Miss Rumphius does. I usually ask for a sentence about traveling, living by the sea and making the world more beautiful. You can focus solely on Òworld more beautifulÓ but I have found that the students are just as enamored about thinking where they will travel and it spurs ideas for Òworld more beautifulÓ projects. They can also give themselves a nickname like Ôthe lupine ladyÕ. The students can then share their ideas.
4. Longer lesson plan – Follow the shorter lesson plan and then write all the students Òworld more beautifulÓ projects on a wipe board or large piece of paper. If at the end many of the projects are not feasible for the time/money/resources you have then you can add a couple more. Have the students discuss each idea and decide on one that you will complete. Some examples of simple Òworld more beautifulÓ projects are to plant wildflower seeds, plant nursery starts of trees or plants, remove rocks from the recess field (remember this is what they think makes the world more beautiful not you), line a trail with rocks, build birdhouses, etc. Pick one (or two) projects and complete them. The students will need a closing activity such as showing off the project to other students, journaling about their feelings while completing the project, having a ÔtreatÕ and roundtable discussing the project including their favorite part.
Books from other cultures or ancient civilizations give our students a much needed perspective in ways that other people that share our world regard their surroundings.
Book: Weslandia by Paul Fleischman
Time: 2 hours at least for the whole lesson plan (easy to divide into smaller lessons)
Materials needed: Book, a good spot with: lots of room for roaming, lots of dead and down for collecting, good eating plants, good rocks/plants of paint making, not a lot of poison oak.
Mini Lesson Plan:
Ask the group if they have ever felt like they just didnÕt belong somewhere. Tell them that this book is a fictional book about a boy who just didnÕt fit in and so he decided to do something about it. Read the book. Tell the group that although they are part of outdoor school, you are inviting them to help you create a special civilization with special traditions that know one else at school will know. A sense of magic and mystery is a must when setting this activity up! First your civilization needs a name. After a name is decided upon, this name needs some symbols. These symbols should be easy enough that they can be made into temporary tattoos (more on that in a minute) and Andy Goldsworthy style nature art/sculpture. If the students are having trouble getting into this, I compare what we are doing to hip-hop culture. There are four pillars of hip-hop: emceeing (spoken word), djaying (music), breakdancing, and graffitti (visual art.) Some forms of these four arts (art, dance, music, story-telling) are found in all other cultures. Our visual symbols are going to be like our graffitti, but they will be nature based. Once we have a few symbols, I like to make temporary tattoos of these symbols using nature based paints. Crushed charcoal (charred wood) and water makes a great black. If you live around lots of sedimentary rock, IÕve gotten some marvelous oranges, reds, purples and silvers from crushing up rocks and mixing the sand with water. Now that we are named, we need to create our civilization. Try doing one of the following activities or a combination of several:
q Build a hut or gathering place using only natural elements. Decorate the hut with symbols made from rock sculptures, stick sculptures, plant weavings, whatever!
q Invent a game with complex rules like Wesley. Calvinball from Calvin and Hobbes could also be an inspiration.
q Create a story about the beginning, middle, and end of your civilization using the age-old group storytelling technique of ÒThen.............but............Ó and passing the story along.
q Make a native plant feast with tea, salad, and fruit leather if berries are in season. If you have enough time or continuity between classes, there are great websites about eating bugs via Wilderdom.com!
q There are so many ways this book can tie into lessons about ancient civilizations. If you teach a class about Native American culture, it can be a great comparison between WesleyÕs ideas and the group you are studying. Or, use it when discussing the myriad uses for plants. The book is so creative; the possibilities are endless!
There are many fun books that are humorous and based in scientific fact. I tend to see these books as resources you can pass on to a classroom teacher. However, memorizing a funny poem from Science Verse by Jon Scieszka to throw into one of your hikes would be a great attention grabber. Placing a copy or at least a few pages of Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin next to the compost bin or reading the book during a lesson that focuses on compost/vermicomposting will get laughs and scientific understanding.
Bibliography
The books in this bibliography have been annotated with the abbreviations MF (magic/fantasy), AN (anthropomorphism), EE (environmental ethic), MC (multiculturalism), and SF (scientific fact). We have also provided a short synopsis in some cases.
Allsburg, Chris Van. Just A Dream. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1990.