This resource examines the way storytelling can play a role in environmental problem-solving and climate stewardship. Narrative not only builds literacy but also fosters students’ critical thinking around the ways they inhabit their world. The author examines habits, myths, and mindsets that threaten our planet's ecosystems, and presents "counter-stories" you can use to build your middle and secondary students’ capacity for environmental advocacy. Chapters are organized around a framework for developing environmental literacy, each focusing on how storytelling can build the capacity for various roles within the realm of climate stewardship. Via practical entry points and pathways for lesson and unit design, educators can use narrative to help students envision themselves as systems thinkers, communicators, activists, problem solvers, and more. Each chapter uses different kinds of narratives, from fictional parables to comic storyboards, to present practices students can understand and try out. They also include case studies, writing exercises, lesson suggestions, planning tool organizers, and rubrics applicable throughout different curriculum areas. Ideal for any secondary educator grappling with the uncertainties around climate change in their classroom, this resource introduces and encourages inquiry investigation through the power of storytelling to cultivate climate stewardship.
Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. Climate Stewards as Communicators 2. Climate Stewards as Systems Thinkers 3. Climate Stewards as Scenario Developers 4. Climate Stewards as Environmental Justice Activists 5. Climate Stewards as Problem Solvers 6. SEL and Climate Stewardship 7. Project-Based Learning Design that Fosters Environmental Literacy
About the Author :
Xochitl Bentley is a national board-certified English teacher at Cleveland Charter High School in California, USA. She is Co-Director of the CSUN Writing Project and a contributing writer at Moving Writers. She is a certified California naturalist, a certified California environmental educator, and a member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps.
Review :
"This is a refreshing and clear-eyed must-read for all educators that thoughtfully approaches teaching with holistic and collectivist lenses, weaving literacy and life learning with climate stewardship in ways that cultivate students who care about belonging, their communities and the world. Xochitl's ideas provide integrated and grounded practices -- our way forward in a challenging, fractured time."
Nawal Qarooni, literacy consultant, Founder, NQC Literacy, and Adjunct Professor, New York University, USA.
"Xochitl Bentley reimagines climate education by inviting teachers and learners to approach stewardship through storytelling, using six essential stances. This beautiful book includes tangible, classroom-tested strategies that enable students to disrupt overwhelming environmental narratives and craft hopeful counterstories. Transcending disciplinary boundaries, Xochitl advocates for a cross-disciplinary approach to coaching climate literacy. Her attention to intergenerational awareness, kinship, and reciprocity speaks to our shared humanity, igniting our imaginations and calling us to collective action. This refreshing resource empowers educators to ready the next generation of climate stewards to advocate for a more just and sustainable future."
Angela Stockman, Professional Learning Facilitator and Founder, WNY Education Associates and Make Writing Studios, USA.
