We explored a multitude of poems through an environmentalist lens. Students practiced close reading by identifying figurative language, appeal to emotion, imagery, and form/style while also considering essential environmentalist questions and eco-criticism.

This activity was introduced with an analogy to nature. Forests are the most biodiverse ecosystems on land because they hold the vast majority of terrestrial species. Poetry is one of the most diverse literary forms. The class brainstormed as many different poetry forms they could think of. Using Spoken Word as an example ("Earth Rise" by Amanda Gorman, "Earth's Plea" A Poem" by Jaiia Cerff, and "Dear Future Generations: Sorry" by Prince Ea), we examined the characteristics of this form of poetry and discussed how and why it is an effective platform for environmentalism.

To learn more about the other forms of poetry, we flipped the classroom. In small groups, students prepared a short summary and analysis of different examples of environmentalist poetry.