Environmental Superheroes of the ELA Classroom

Greg teaches reading, writing, listening, and speaking to his 4th graders at Union Street Charter School, a public rural elementary school in Humboldt County, California. He simultaneously gets students outside and lets them get their hands dirty. His ongoing local land restoration unit, in partnership with a land trust and a native plant nursery, asks students to research native flora, use database evidence and expert advice to justify and present their choices for the most beneficial and appropriate native plants for the project, write a grant, and then complete the restoration project.“It’s a powerful way to tie kids to the land…We are part of this land, and we are expected to care for it.” – Greg GaeiraFeatured ELA Superheroes:Greg Gaeira (he/him)Explore the episode and teacher resources: https://ca-eli.org/ela-superheroes/

This podcast showcases an interdisciplinary argumentative reading, writing, listening, and speaking unit that asks students to grapple with who should take responsibility for corporate environmental degradation, specifically in the “fast fashion” shoes and jeans industries. Students engage with various texts and use those texts to formulate verbal and written arguments about a high-interest topic. At the end of the unit, students create a social media reel ecological call-to-action using Canva.“Wherever I’m at, I want to contribute. I want to participate in this conversation.” – Marivell ArayasirikulFeatured ELA Superheroes:Marivell Caba Arayasirikul (she/her)Explore the episode and teacher resources: https://ca-eli.org/ela-superheroes/

This place-based, interdisciplinary high school climate justice speculative fiction writing unit asks students to bring in an imaginative lens to address environmental racism and the climate crisis. For this unit, August collaborates with a World History teacher to integrate various writing genres to help students civically and creatively engage with climate solutions.“How can I contribute to an overall environmentally just world?” – August FreasFeatured ELA Superheroes:August Freas (they/them)Explore the episode and teacher resources: https://ca-eli.org/ela-superheroes/

Lorena Sanchez is a teacher-librarian serving multilingual learners in grades TK-8 in Tracy Unified School District. Her deep STEM background and participation in the California Writing Project Environmental Literacy and Justice Collaborative inspired her to teach reading, writing, listening, and speaking through the lens of environmental literacy. This podcast features a lesson about a rotting pumpkin that leads students into rich ELA learning opportunities around plant life cycles, composting, and food waste mitigation.“Allow students to be curious and then come up with solutions to environmental justice problems. Integrating environmental justice into English/language arts makes students not only feel more engaged in their reading and writing but also feel they have the power to affect the world around them.” – Lorena SanchezExplore the episode and teacher resources: https://ca-eli.org/ela-superheroes/

Jodi teaches sixth-grade English at Yorba Linda Middle School. As part of the California Writing Project Environmental Literacy and Justice Initiative, Jodi created and taught a unit that pairs wonder and nature writing with formulating opinions and argument writing. Her students first connect with nature through a variety of nature writing opportunities, then students use that connection to inspire both argument writing and artistic expression."When you’re talking about environmental justice, kids need to feel like they can do something. It needs to move to the place where they feel like they have power to make change." – Jodi BonkExplore the episode and teacher resources: https://ca-eli.org/ela-superheroes/

Gurbir Kahlon engages her high school multilingual learners in Torrance, California, with important literacy skills through the lens of environmental literacy. She has taught units in her ELD classroom on biomimicry, plastic pollution, and climate change. In this podcast, Gurbir discusses her most recent expository reading and writing unit on the powerful story of the resilient tribal communities in Northern California and their successful efforts to remove dams on the Klamath River in order to welcome their salmon home. “Instead of focusing on a doomsday approach to teaching students, which heightens anxiety, I want to work to empower students and offer solutions.” Learn more here: https://ca-eli.org/ela-superheroes/