Poe[TREE]

Environmentalism in Art & Literature

Grade 12 English Unit

Learning Goals

Students will consider the potential that art and literature have as vessels for environmentalism, eco-justice, and climate change activism.
Students will begin to investigate poetry analysis through an environmentalist lens.
Students will experiment with creative writing/nature journaling and examine close reading, literary devices, and figurative language.
Students will investigate various forms of poetry and analyze/interpret several examples through an environmentalist lens.
Students will consider how imagery and visuals contribute to effective Climate Change Art/Activism and poetry.
Students will showcase their work and participate in a virtual gallery walk that involves professional/collegial interactions with peers.

Curriculum Connections

Oral Communication

Listening to Understand; Interpreting Texts; Extending Understanding of Texts;

Analyzing Texts;

Critical Literacy

Reading & Literature Studies

Reading for Meaning: Variety of Texts; Demonstrating Understanding of Content;

Extending Understanding of Texts;

Analyzing Texts. Understanding Form & Style: Text Forms & Features;

Elements of Style

Writing

Using Knowledge of Form and Style; Applying Knowledge of Conventions;

Reflecting on Skills and Strategies: Portfolio

Media Studies

Understanding Media Texts: Purpose and Audience; Interpreting Messages

Creating Media Texts: Purpose and Audience; Form; Conventions and Techniques; Producing Media Texts

Scope of Project & Learning Experience

This unit is designed for a Grade 12 University English course (ENG4U) with 24 students. The pilot took place in a virtual classroom and spanned two weeks, however, this unit would be highly effective in-person and could be expanded to include more examples, a larger community-based project, and hands-on workshops. Due to the virtual nature of the experience, much of the content was presented on PowerPoints and videos. Online discussions and brainstorming were facilitated through various tools including zoom chat and oral communication, Jamboards, Padlets, Google Docs, and Menti Word Clouds.

Unit Overview

There are four main components of this unit:

1) Climate Change [Art]/[Act]ivism & Environmentalism

2) Poe[TREE]

3) Nature Journaling

4) Diversity of Texts

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