Informational Text Book Club: Environmental

What are Environmental texts?

As the world and the people on it continue to change, we need to know how to take care of the Earth. What is potentially destroying the Earth and how we can protect it, are the main subjects of all environmental texts. This can include air, water, or waste pollution, conserving water, planting trees, and recycling. If we want to continue living on this great Earth, we need to know how to keep it thriving, and that's just what this genre is for!

Criterion for Quality and Selection:

When it comes to selecting a quality environmental text, I believe that looking for multiple perspectives is the most important. There isn't just one solution that can be implemented to protect and preserve our Earth, there are multiple ways. This idea should be reflected in the text chosen for the classroom. Texts that have a number of different options and ideas would be best to get students thinking!
Another important quality for selecting a text in this genre is the voice the text is presented in. If we want our students to respond positively to this genre it would be very beneficial to find text written in an informal voice. Students are able to connect on a more personal level when the text has an informal voice, and take to heart what the text is really conveying.

Use in the Classroom:

Prior to a volunteer experience I would read this genre with my students. They need to be made aware of why we are doing the things we do and how they can benefit the world.
Students need to be made aware of the world around them and how to protect it. There are so many different aspects of life that could ruin the Earth and if students know about these they may become more self-conscious of what they're doing.

TEXT EXAMPLES:

Furgang, K., & Furgang, A. (2009). On the move: Green transportation. New York, NY: Rosen Publication Group.

Within the text there are blue boxes that provide useful information, fun facts, and answers to questions students might have pertaining to the topic.

Best way to travel on vacation, how to measure fuel efficiency, and California leads the country in hybrid cars.

The text is easy to navigate due to a detailed table of contents and index. The chapters are also very well organized and present the material in an organized fashion.

When looking at how people lived in the early 1900s and before compared to how we live now. Students can look at how we have made advancements, but not all those advancements are beneficial to the Earth.

Preteaching some of the more complex words/concepts such as, fossil fuels, emissions, and global warming.
I believe that students need to have a knowledge of how important it is to protect our Earth before reading this text. If they don't have this knowledge they may not appreciate all the text has to offer.

Nelson, S. (2007). Let's save water! Mankato, MN: Pebble Books.

The font is large and easy to read for young readers. There are also headers that are in a different font and color so students are fully aware when there is a shift in content.
Other great text features include a table of contents, a glossary, an index, and an Internet site to learn more about the topic.
The illustrations correlate with the text, and also present culturally diverse children in the pictures.

I would love to use this text in correlation with a personal hygiene unit. Students need to know how important water is to the earth and how to conserve it while showering, taking a bath, and brushing their teeth.

Going over some of the more difficult words, which can also be found in the glossary. Those words include, faucet, garbage, pollute, and waste.

Informational Text Book Club