Falling in Love with Nature and Fighting for It: Inspiring Argument Writing Through Everyday Encounters with Nature
Podcast Summary
Jodi teaches sixth-grade English at Yorba Linda Middle School. As part of the California Writing Project Environmental Literacy and Justice Initiative, Jodi created and taught a unit that pairs wonder and nature writing with formulating opinions and argument writing. Her students first connect with nature through a variety of nature writing opportunities, then students use that connection to inspire both argument writing and artistic expression.
Featured ELA Superhero
Jodi Bonk
Jodi Bonk has been a middle school English teacher for twenty-eight years, and it is her passion to create meaningful and impactful learning experiences that are developmentally sound and on the cutting edge of what education should be. In 2018, she was awarded the Middle School Teacher of the Year title for Orange County by the California League of Schools. For ten years, Jodi has been a UC Irvine Writing Project Fellow, and in that timeframe she has also represented our Writing Project at the state level with the California Writing Project Environmental Literacy and Justice Collaboration as well as served on the advisory board and steering committee.
Teaching Snapshot
This teaching snapshot describes the unit discussed in the podcast in greater detail. Students spend time outdoors interacting with nature through a variety of activities that activate their empathy towards the natural world (UDL Consideration 7.3). This unit supports multiple ways to perceive information, including video, art, and photography, in addition to written texts (UDL Consideration 1.2). Finally, this unit pairs students’ intrinsic emotional connection to the natural world with the principles of argument writing (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1).
Additional Information
- Podcast: The Science of Happiness: Episode 93: “Noticing Nature in the City”
- Article: “Using Nature Writing to Develop Analytical Skills” (by Tanner Jones via Edutopia)
