Writing about the Environment

Lesson Six: Writing about the Environment

Curriculum by National Youth Poet Laureate Program, 2020

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Table of contents

01.

02.

04.

03.

To explore using poetry to talk about nature & address environmental concerns.

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Climate change, animal rights, nature, the environment.

Close reading and annotation, discussion, practicing observation, and writing persona poem, from the Latin word for ‘mask,’ is another poetic device, which is when a writer takes on a character and speaks as that person in a poem.

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Reading their poems to their peers open-mic style or in small groups.

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Themes

Method

Outcomes

Evaluation

Introduction

There is a long history of poets writing about nature and the environment, from the bucolic poetry of Ancient Rome that centered around farming, rural, and pastoral life, to the tender serenades of Mary Oliver, poetry about nature and the environment can be anything from an homage to the beauty of the earth, to a political call to action addressing climate change and the many ways our planet is having a hard time as a result of industrialization, resource depletion, and our collective overuse of the earth has put our planet and species at risk. In her poem, Caits Meissner discusses how beautiful the simple things are in our world. Francisco X. Alarcón speaks from a jaguar’s perspective from within a zoo, allowing us to learn more about why they should be appreciated.

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—Neil deGrasse Tyson

“If every day were #EarthDay we wouldn’t be in the mess we’re in.”

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Warm Up

Pick an aspect of nature—a kind of flower or plant, a type of animal, a favorite tree, etc. Write a detailed description—in sentences or bullet points—of this plant, animal, etc. as if you were describing it to someone who has never seen or heard about or known about this thing before.

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Reading

Let’s read “Hans As Golden Shovel” by Caits Meissner and “Jaguar” by Francisco X. Alcarcon

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Underline phrases that stand out to

you or resonate with you.

Discussion

Let’s get into groups and answer the following questions in a Google Doc that you will share with me.

Each group will answer:

1. What stood out to you about the poem?
2. What resonated with you?
3. What questions do you have? What are curious about? What are confused about?
4. What did you annotate?
5. What did you notice about the poem?

What is a persona poem?

A persona poem, from the Latin word for ‘mask,’ is another poetic device, which is when a writer takes on a character and speaks as that person in a poem.

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Writing

Choose an aspect of nature and/or the environment and write a persona poem where you take on the identity and perspective of that aspect of nature or the environment. Think about the points of view we explored in Lesson Three. Because you are taking on the perspective of this aspect of nature or the environment, you will most likely want to lean on first person singular and/or plural to fully express the things you want to say/write.

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Sharing

Let’s watch “Dear Future Generations (Sorry) 2024” by Prince Rea to see how other poets share their work.

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Video link

Sharing

1. Underline a favorite part and be ready to share that line.
2. Star a phrase that surprises you and share it.
3. Share your poetry with your peers through open mic, in a circle, or in small groups.

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When we share our poem, we can snap our fingers, clap, or wave our hands. When you hear something one of your colleagues wrote, you can provide feedback with “I like,” “I notice,” and “I wonder.”

Closing

Let’s go back to the start of today’s poetry workshop. Now, share a word that describes how you’re feeling, what you learned, or what you are taking away from this lesson.

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