Session Four of the virtual professional learning series “Our Climate is Changing, Why Aren’t We?” engaged nearly 70 educators from across ESDs NEWESD 101 (Spokane), ESD 123 (Tri-Cities), NCESD (Wenatchee), and ESD 171 (Yakima) in continuing to learn how to use children’s literature to support elementary students learn about climate change with a particular lens of hope and advocacy. This session focused on social and emotional well-being, connections to text, and the science and engineering practice of obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information.
This session participants read The Tantrum That Saved the World by Megan Herbert and Michael E. Mann. Using this text, participants explored how a text rich in vocabulary and emotions can be used to support students with their own social and emotional well-being when considering daunting topics like climate change. As with all of the text used in this series, hope and advocacy are highlighted as ways to engage children in learning.
Tantrum Trees helped students process how climate change is impacting our planet and built empathy for others on our planet.
The second text for this session, Our World Out of Balance: Understanding Climate Change and What We Can Do by Andrea Minoglio and Laura Fanelli, shares details of what is happening on our planet, what people are doing to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and actions we can take to also make a difference. Participants made connections in the text to themselves, other texts they have read, and to the world as a learning strategy for engaging in text. The topics found within the text lend themselves to engage students in a number of science investigations that can be used in conjunction with reading to deepen student understanding of climate change. A padlet of investigations that could be used with students was shared with participants to consider as they read the text with students.
Participant highlights from the session:
“Having conversations with fellow teachers to discuss the struggles with empowering students who want to make change.”
“Love all these books you have provided for our classrooms! The photos are so engaging for all students and lead to great discussions!”
“So many great ideas from other educators. My mind is swimming!”
