Increasing Literacy through Environmental Action and Justice

Funded Nov 28, 2024

My classroom library recently added six environmental themed books thanks to Donors Choose! I selected these specific titles to spark students' curiosity about environmental issues such as climate change, deforestation, and biodiversity. Students selected the book that intrigued them the most, creating groups based on their choices. This not only fostered excitement but also created new student groups that revolved around their environmental interest.

Students were empowered to take ownership of their learning, which led to deeper exploration and understanding, making connections in really intriguing and outside of the box ways. Some students created playlists to reflect the themes of their books which included songs from Bob Dylan, Kanye, Bonnie Raitt and more. Others wrote and illustrated children's versions of their book explaining key concepts. Other groups made podcast episodes, mini mockumentaries, and teachable case studies to explore a specific environmental issue in detail. They were utterly fantastic!

I wanted students to communicate their ideas and understandings in ways that not only felt meaningful to them but also in mediums they were comfortable and confident in. Rather than have them write a traditional book report, these projects encouraged creativity and critical thinking, all while exploring environmental topics more deeply than I expected!

Finally, the project allowed students to develop important 21st-century skills valued in our school; communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creative thinking. As the year continues, students will continue to dive into their books' content and create new projects to showcase their connection and understanding. I hope by the end of the year it will ignite some of them to make change. As one of the groups' playlist quotes, "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change."”

With gratitude,

Ms. Toner