Traditionally, the definition of literacy is being able to read and write, but we also recognize other forms of literacy today. For example, we talk about "computer" literacy and "science" or "math" literacy. So, too, we recognize the need for "environmental" literacy, and reading and writing, the traditional form of literacy skills, are excellent methods for helping students as well as children and their families become environmentally literate.
Integrating environmental education with reading can help children develop an interest in the ordinary, yet extraordinary world around them. Children can learn to read by observing their own environment and discovering what others have learned about the environment. Environmental books and literature can be an effective tool for assisting in this process of making students, and children and their families environmentally literate.
Environmental books and literature can be used to introduce and improve reading skills as well as enhance the study of environmental education. These readings can be used in various ways to introduce or elaborate on environmental concepts.
- Environmental books and literature can be used as an introduction to a topic.
They have the potential of establishing interest, stimulating questioning, promoting an area of inquiry, and providing introductory information. For example, Jack in the Beanstalk, as told by L.B. Cauley (1983), introduces inquiry into optimal conditions for the tallest and most rapid growth of bean plants. The Last Basselope: One Ferocious Story (Breathed, 1992) can be used to introduce the concept of endangered and extinct species and provide a focal point for discussions in school and at home.
- Environmental books and literature can be used as tools to compare the science presented in the book with the student’s investigative conclusions.
After reading My Five Senses (Aliki, 1985), children can compare their investigation with the sense of touch to the experiences recounted in the book. From Seed to Plant (Gibbon, 1991) explains how seeds grow and describe the parts of a plant. Children can compare their discoveries of plants with those presented in the book.
- Environmental books and literature can be used to provide factual information about a variety of topics.
Stellaluna (Cannon, 1993) can be read after children investigate the differences between birds and mammals. Older students would benefit from reading a variety of nature writers. Rachel Carson’s The Sea Around Us (1961) presents classic science of the sea. "The sea is blue because the sunlight is reflected back to our eyes from the water molecules or from very minute particles suspended in the sea. In the journey of the light rays into deep water all the red rays and most of the yellow rays of the spectrum have been absorbed, so when the light returns to our eyes it is chiefly the cool blue rays that we see."
- Environmental books and literature can be used to provide practical examples of various investigations
. For instance, Thunder Cake (Polacco, 1990) tells the story of a little girl who fears thunder. Her grandmother shows her how to estimate the distance of a storm by counting the seconds between the lightning and the thunder crashing.
- Environmental books and literature can be used to develop process skills.
When developing the process of observation, children can go outside and observe the sky and then read The Sky by Arlane Dewey (1993). Reading exerts from such naturalists as Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard can teach the importance of astute observation. Mysteries provide an excellent source for developing the processes of observation, predicting, classifying, inferring, communicating, measuring, and forming hypotheses. The Science Mini Mysteries (Markle, 1988) provokes the reader to solve mysteries by using scientific processes. The book includes procedures and materials for conducting the experiments.
- Environmental books and literature can be used for providing experiences students would not otherwise have.
A poem, Listen to the Rain (Martin & Archenbault, 1988), presents different sounds of rain through the poet’s use of alliteration. In Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain (Aardema, 1981), children learn that clouds are the source of rain.
- Environmental books and literature can be used to present various perspectives on environmental issues.
Desert Solitaire, a book written by the naturalist Edward Abby, vividly and sensitively describes Arches National Monument. It offers a critical perspective of the National Park Service.
With the vast selection of available literature that integrates environmental education, it is important to apply some type of criteria to your choices. The following list is adapted from "Criteria for Selecting Children’s Literature for use in Science Classes (Martin, 2000):
- Does the book foster development of processes of inquiry?
- Does the book provide an opportunity for children to ask and answer their own questions?
- Does the book encourage students to think for themselves?
- Does the book refrain from telling students how to think about a certain topic?
- Is the environmental education topic addressed appropriate to the teaching situation?
- Is the content based on sound principles? Is it accurate?
- Are the illustrations clear and accurate?
- Is the book appropriate for the age level of your students?
- Is there a multicultural component? Is it free from stereotyping?
- Is the book free from gender bias?
- Does the book show the close association between environmental education and other disciplines?
Writing and Environmental Education
Although reading environmental books and literature can easily be incorporated into the classroom curriculum, why is writing about environmental topics so important? First of all, writing is a more active form of literacy than reading. Students can almost go through the motions of reading or rely on their classmates’ discussions to understand an environmental story or book, but writing requires attention, and each word is a creative act. Thus, writing activates the brain, and even writing for pleasure means some critical thinking is going on. Because writing is more active and often requires more work than reading, many people–adults as well as children–avoid writing.
The key, then, is to find enjoyable ways to use writing about the environment. Perhaps several suggested writing activities will encourage the use of writing as a way of improving environmental literacy. These suggestions can be part of a school curriculum, or they can be used informally by environmentally interested individuals, families, and children.
- Diary of a Tree
–This idea is adapted from Frances Srulowitz in an issue of Science and Children (1992). She suggests picking a tree that is always available, such as one in the yard or neighborhood, next to school or a work place, and simply record observations about its life in a year. Note changes in leaves, color, bark as the seasons change. Add some drawings to validate the changes and spice up the writing (drawing is a form of writing and one we don’t give enough credit to).
- Nature Hike Log
–Again, as those who love the outdoors know, it takes a few moments and a small journal or notebook to record the details of hiking. Date, time of day, type of weather, location specifics–all of these details help you remember where you’ve been and what you’ve seen. Be sure to note unusual environmental features or questions. To make the writing more full, finish with a brief, descriptive impression of the trail and the experience.
- Double-entry Environmental Journal
–This writing activity is for the more serious student of the environment and originally came to us via Dr. Ty Harrison’s Environmental Biology class at Westminster College. Again, this can be written singly or even as a group. Select a bound or spiral notebook and designate one side, perhaps the left, for drawing environmental features (trees, shrubs, flowers, animals) or taping small specimens such as leaves found on the trail (those that have naturally fallen off or been left) to it. On the facing page, detail the characteristics and record observations such as date, location, weather conditions, terrain, etc. The most important feature of this journal is taking a page or more to reflect on what the environment in this location or the experience in nature means to the writer at the moment.
All three of these writing activities can provide a record, or trail, of the writer’s involvement in nature. Rereading, looking back on the entries, will provide satisfaction and recall memories in themselves. In addition, reflective writing–really digging in and saying what nature, the hike, the location, etc. means to a person–is what helps shape environmental knowledge and attitudes. Having that personal connection makes all the difference, and reading good environmental literature and using writing to think through the issues are more than just literacy skills–they become powerful tools in both formal and informal environmental education.
References
Aardema, V. (1981). Bringing the rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi tale. New York: Dial.
Abbey, D. (1985). Desert solitaire. Ballantine.
Aliki. (1985). My five senses. Madison, WI: Demco Media.
Breathed, B. (1992). The last basselope: One ferocious story. Boston: Little Brown.
Cannon, J. (1993). Stellaluna. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace.
Carson, R. (1961). The sea around us. New York: Science Library.
Cauley, L.B. (1983). Jack in the beanstalk. New York: Putnam.
Dewey, A. (1993). The sky. New York: Green Tiger Press.
Dillard, A. (1974). Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. New York: Harper & Row.
Gibbons, G. (1991). From seed to plant. New York: Holiday House.
Markle, S. (1988). Science mini mysteries. New York: Atheneum.
Martin, B. Jr., & Archenbault, J. (1988). Listen to the rain. New York: Henry Holt.
Martin, D.J. (2000). Elementary science methods: A constructivist approach.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Thomson Learning.
Polacco, P. (1990). Thunder cake. New York: Philomel.
Srulowitz, Frances. (1992). Diary of a tree. Science and Children, February, 19-21.
Thoreau, H.D. (1962). Walden. New York: Macmillan.