photo by digipam www.flickr.com
On Saturday, I was at a nature writing workshop presented by Jen Cullerton Johnson, who is the author of the upcoming book, Seeds of Change, a picture book about Wangari Maathai. I don’t want to tell you too much about this book because I hope to review it on here soon (which by the way it has received a starred review), but I want to tell you about some of the information that Jen passed out to us.
I didn’t find an official definition of green literacy but basically it is books, poems, magazine articles, and so on about the “green movement” or about helping the environment and so on. Jen calls her list of books that she included in a packet for workshop attendees: “Environmental Books for Kids.” She has listed about 100 books for kids that deal with the environment and going green. From Lynne Cherry’s The Armadillo from Amarillo to Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax to Tracking Trash by Loree Griffin Burns, kids can learn about their environment and how to take care of it. Green literacy can also help answer the question of why it’s important to care about the earth.
For teachers, Jen also had a great idea of including five pages of environmental quotes that teachers could use as writing prompts for several different age levels. Here are a couple of the quotes:
Every day is Earth Day. ~Author Unknown
(This one I have hanging in my office:)
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtfully committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. ~Margaret Mead
When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water. ~Benjamin Franklin
So, if you are interested in green literacy whether you are a teacher, parent, or home school parent, then check out Jen Cullerton Johnson’s website or her blog and look for her new book coming out soon from Lee and Low, Seeds of Change. Be creative–find quotes and start discussions or give writing assignments that challenge your students to think green.
Press Play to hear Doug Elliot talk about using storytelling to support nature based education on the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf.
Doug Elliot Writes...
How do you find a story in nature (or anywhere else for that matter)? I often start with an incident, an encounter, a problem or a question-something happens to you, you meet someone, see something, or you wonder about something. The narrative I tell is my journey of investigation, trying to figure it out.
The incident is your hook, not only to your listeners when you're storytelling, but also to yourself as an explorer and an investigator. Then I let my curiosity be my guide. I start asking questions. Any journalist will tell you your ability to get a good story is often directly related to your ability to ask good questions. The first and probably the ultimate resource is yourself. How do/did I relate to that incident, encounter, problem or question? How did I feel?
The next step might be an initial resolution concerning your opening incident or a preliminary answer to the question you have set up.
Simply seeing or experiencing something and figuring out what it is can be an interesting vignette, but it's rarely enough to make a good story. This initial vignette (incident, encounter, problem or question) becomes what Joseph Campbell refers to as the "call to adventure." Your challenge becomes how to find and tap those "ripples on the surface of life" that Campbell writes about "which reveal hidden springs as deep as the soul itself."
After you've explored your feelings and reactions and probed your own background, you find others who might have something to say about what you're investigating. This subsequent investigation-your reading, research, and your conversations with other people-becomes the adventure, the backbone or plot line of the narrative. Some of the various bits of information you gather or anecdotes and tales you hear can possibly stand on their own, but ideally the stories and information will be used as sub-plots to develop your entire piece. Then, instead of delivering a natural history lecture, you end up with a classic mythic hero's journey, where the hero (you, most likely) answers the "call to adventure." Wherever the investigation takes you becomes the journey. These facts, tales, and lore become stepping stones on a quest in search of truth and meaning. Rather than delivering a bunch of facts about a critter, phenomenon, or situation, you tell a story.
Bio
Doug Elliott has performed and presented programs at festivals, museums, botanical gardens, nature centers and schools from Canada to the Caribbean. He has been a featured storyteller at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough TN. He has lectured and performed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and conducted workshops for the Smithsonian Institution. He has led ranger training sessions for the National Park Service and guided people in the wilderness from down-east Maine to the Florida Everglades.
He was named harmonica champion at Fiddler's Grove Festival in Union Grove NC. He is the author of four books, many articles in regional and national magazines and has recorded a number of award-winning albums of stories and songs.
Elliott's passion for the natural world developed in early childhood roaming the woods and waters around his home. His dad used to say, "That boy knows what's under every rock between here and town.”
He still roams the woods today. He has traveled from the Canadian North to the Central American jungles studying plant and animal life and seeking out the traditional wisdom of people with intimate connections to the natural world. And he still looks under rocks. These days he uncovers more than just a few strange critters; he brings to light the human connection to this vibrant world of which we are a part.
More at http://www.dougelliott.com/about.html
Press Play to hear Kevin Strauss speak about applying storytelling to environmental science on the Art of Storytelling with Children.
Written by Kevin Strauss…
Introduction:
“Environmental Storytelling” has become a popular subset of the storytelling world, but until recently, there was little agreement about what it was or how to do it. In this Blog follow-up to my interview on the Storytelling With Children Podcast, I will provide a definition for “environmental storytelling,” describe what makes a good nature or environmental story, and give some resources for environmental stories.
What Is Environmental Storytelling?
Environmental storytelling is the act of using live narrative performance to teach an audience about the natural world, how it works, and how to care for it.
What is an Environmental Story?
An environmental story is a story that either teaches listeners about some aspect of the natural world (why bears have short tails or why rocks don’t move) or teaches an ecological lesson like (Everything is Connected, Everything Goes Somewhere, There’s No Such Thing As A “Free Lunch”). Many “Why” stories fall into this category, including: Why Bear Has A Short Tail (Norway), Why Robin’s Have Red Breasts (Ireland), and Why The Sky Is Up So High (Nigeria). Stories that talk about greed, selfishness, or wastefulness also often fall into this category.
What Makes For A Good Environmental Story?
A good environmental story for you to tell is a story that:
—You love to tell, since you can’t tell a story well if you don’t love it
—Explains something about nature in a surprising, but appropriate way
—Is a good lead-in to talking about the science of animals and plants
Where Can I Find Good Environmental Stories?
Books:
Hamilton, Martha and Mitch Weiss. How & Why Stories. Little Rock: August House (1999).
A good source of “pourquoi” or “why” stories from around the world.
Miller, Candace ed. Tales from the Bird Kingdom. Lima: Pourquoi Press (1996).
Miller, Candace ed. Tales from the Creature Kingdom. Lima: Pourquoi Press (1997).
These are two of the best sources for a large number of animal stories from around the world. Each book contains 160 summaries of stories. The best way to order these books is to contact the press directly via email at “[email protected]” or at Pourquoi Press, 439 S. Cole St., Lima, OH 45805-3366.
Strauss, Kevin. Tales with Tails: Storytelling The Wonders of the Natural World. Westport: Libraries Unlimited (2006).
This book has been called the “textbooks for environmental storytelling.” It contains 64 non-Native American environmental stories, sciences information about the animals and plants in the stories and information about how to tell a story or make a story “more environmental.”
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Websites:
www.environmentalstorytelling.com contains 100 environmental story summaries with references; stories are organized by animal type and environmental education concept
www.naturestory.com is my website, containing articles on storytelling and text versions of several nature stories
www.franstallings.com is the storytelling website of “Earth Teller” Fran Stallings. Fran tells environmental “fact tales” and true nature stories guaranteed to enlighten and inspire
About the Author:
Award-winning Author and Storyteller Kevin Strauss has been using stories to entertain, educate and inspire children and adults for more than a decade. Based in Rochester, Minnesota, Kevin travels across the Midwest to perform environmental stories at schools, libraries, and community events.
Kevin is the author of three books, including Tales with Tails: storytelling the wonders of the natural world (Libraries Unlimited, 2006), winner of the prestigious national 2008 Storytelling World Award. His other books include the full-color children’s books Loon and Moon, and The Song of the Wolf. He is also the storytelling star on two CDs and two upcoming DVDs.
You can reach him through his website at www.naturestory.com.
Did you know that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is highlighting 2008 as the
Year of the Frog? In an effort to raise awareness and mark a major conservation effort to address the amphibian extinction crisis, the AZA has created a series of
educational activities and resources.
Starting February 29th (Leap Day), more than 70 members of the AZA will be holding fun, family-friendly events and programs to educate people about amphibian conservation. Zoo and aquarium visitors can take part in a variety of activities including leapfrog contests, frog calling, zookeepers and aquarist talks, amphibian scavenger hunts, investigating salamander habitat, and close encounters with our colorful frog friends!
Learn more about events near you.
In support of Year of the Frog, National Environmental Education Week has developed a
section on amphibians and reptiles for its EE Week Curricula Library.
This year we'll not only be jumping into froggy activities, but reading these froggy titles.
What are you doing for leap day?
Mystery Creature (Wog) Sketch
The mystery creature came around again last night. I didn’t see it this time but my son did. He went to let the dog in because it was barking and said he saw something strange in the tree grunting at the dog. When the creature saw my son, it sprang into the trees and disappeared.
This is a sketch I did of what it looked like to me when I saw it. My son called it a wog because he said it looked like a mix between a weasel and a dog.
photo by digipam www.flickr.com
Press Play to hear Doug Elliot talk about using storytelling to support nature based education on the Art of Storytelling with Brother Wolf. Doug Elliot Writes... How do you find a story in nature (or anywhere else for that matter)? I often start with an incident, an encounter, a problem or a question-something happens to you, you [...]