Ecology and Community

Course Title:
Ecology and Community: People, Politics, Poetics and Practice

Course Description- This is a year long course that takes aim at raising students’ environmental awareness and literacy levels
via the study and integration of wilderness literature, including nature poetry, green politics and social movements, eco-urban
activism and sustainability practices as well as the basic tenets of environmental science.

This course is designed primarily for “Presentation Students” who are emerging and or capable readers and writers but need
to deepen their understanding of how to read, write and think critically about literature, ecological concerns and green politics,
in addition to learning how to better “read” themselves, others and their world.

Students will identify and utilize the “7 Habits of Proficient Readers” and certain literary elements and techniques to help them
infer and explicate the texts that they read.

Students will develop skills in reading and writing independently and journaling. They will also develop their communication
skills through school/community organizing campaigns.

Moreover, this course will attempt to concretize the importance of viewing the world as an interconnected entity that requires
critical and rational thinking and the nurturing of humankind and earth.

Last, this course will engage students to recognize the inherent value of our planet and ecosystems. Our culminating project
goal is to write, direct, edit and produce a documentary film that focuses on an area of concern related to ecological urbanism
in order to raise school and community consciousness and promote solidarity and action for a larger number of citizens in our
local environment.
Major Works of Literature / Texts / Film Segments:

Green:
Going to Green: A Standards Based Environmental Education Curriculum for Schools, Colleges and Communities
PBS Series: Edens Lost and Found
Environmental Science Textbook from Pearson/AGS Globe
Various NATGEO films and Into the Wild

Politics:
Excerpts from the works of Karl Marx
Excerpts from the works of Murray Bookchin

Wilderness / Nature Literature:

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Into The Wild by Jon Krackauer
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Excerpts from Walden by H.D. Thoreau
Excerpts from Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Excerpts from the works of Bill McKibben
Selections from the textbook: Literature of the Wildreness
Selections of poems, stories, myths, and eco-poetic essays from various authors and peoples:
Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Gary Snyder, William Stafford, Pablo Neruda
Robinson Jeffers, John Taggart, Sharon Olds, Li-Young Lee, Li-Po and other classic Chinese poets,
various masters of Japanese Haiku, Martin Espada, Native American authors and African American poets
found in the brand new anthology: Black Nature Poetry: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry
and last, various Hip Hop songs

MANY ADDITIONAL SMALLER READINGS CAN BE FOUND IN OUR GREEN CURRICULUM GUIDE
Major Units for the Year:

PLEASE NOTE: THE STANDARDS FOR THE SCIENCE PORTION OF THIS CLASS ARE ATTACHED. ALL KEY
PERFORMACE TASKS AND BENCHMARKS CAN BE FOUND IN: Going to Green: A Standards Based Environmental
Education Curriculum for Schools, Colleges and Communities (This can be obtained in Room 3030). Below you will find the
major poetry and literacy units that we will explore throughout the school year.

NYS Power DP Skills and Content Key Performance Unit formative and summative
Standards Competencies Utilizing the 7 Tasks and Benchmarks
Unit Title and focus E01, E02, E03, 1, 2, and 3 Habits of Products
E04 Proficient Readers

Identifying our Local

Trees and Ecosystems

Understanding
Sustainability

Building Community

Waste Management and

Recycling

Green Building

Energy

Air Quality

Water Quality
Soil Quality

Parks and Open Spaces

Transportation

Biodiversity

Urban Agriculture and

Community Gardens

Urban Forestry

Urban Planning

Population Growth and

Integrated Resource
Management

Environmental Justice

Public Policy and

Community Action

Sustainable Commerce

Green Collar Careers

What is poetry? Can it Create a “Reading Independent Reading and
be defined? How do I Habit,” poster, and Writing Journals
read a poem? maintain a poetry
journal. 3-5 original poems

Create and 3-5 literary responses

maintain a
vocabulary/lit. term one critical essay that
ring compares and contrasts two
poems from our study.
Design and
maintain a course one personal story that
journal/field book incorporates Kohlberg’s theory
of moral development

Model one reading for the class

that utilizes a reading habit.

Practice and fluently recite one

poem from memory (not an
original poem).
William Carlos Williams E01, E03, E04, 1, 2, and 3 Identify and Write literary
vs. Han Shan, Li Po and E06 and E07 understand response papers one brief dialogue that
Basho: The Concrete the connection that summarize and illustrates one parenting style
Image and Nature between literary analyze key textual
elements, components and Create one personal definition
techniques and make of love
theme recommendations
Apply these of improvement to Create one spoken word piece
connections to help author (P-Q-P)
us explain how Write and publish a three-
poems are season book of Haiku
 constructed

Robert Frost vs. William E01, E03, E04, 1, 2, and 3 Discuss, evaluate Read poems aloud
Stafford: Nature, Truth, E06 and E07 and utilize the for comprehension
Morality, Philosophy philosophy of a and fluency (utilize
and Responsibility poem to our lives seven habits of
proficient readers).
Shakespeare vs. Pablo E01, E03, E04, 1, 2, and 3 Discuss and
Neruda: The Shape of E06 and E07 evaluate various Incorporate
Nature and of Love definitions and Kohlberg’s theory
types of love. of moral
Construct our own development into
original love our personal
sonnets. decision-making
processes and our
writing.

Write original
poems.

Sharon Olds vs. Li- E01, E03, E04, 1, 2, and 3 Compare and Discuss family
Young Lee: Family: E06 and E07 contrast the role culture and
Natural Friend or Foe? family plays in two tradition.
poets lives with our Understand the
own lives three styles of
parenting by
journaling and role-
playing with them.
Walt Whitman vs. Emily E01, E03, E04, 1, 2, and 3 Interpret differing Compare and
Dickinson vs. Langston E06 and E07 perspectives Contrast the idea of
Hughes: Nature, regarding America freedom in
Democracy and America Understand and America
 create extended
metaphors Write racism
journal entries
“Black Nature” vs. Hip: E01, E03, E04, Understand and
Nature, Community and E06 and E07 evaluate free verse
Language

Describe the Create spoken word

historical pieces for
connection between performance
two schools of
poetry.

Discuss the impact

that language has
on our lives and its
role as an
instrument for
empowerment or
disenfranchisement