Empowering Youth to Confront the Climate Crisis in English Language Arts
Summary:
This special episode of NWP Radio features many of the educators behind Empowering Youth to Confront the Climate Crisis in English Language Arts, a co-published book from Teachers College Press and the National Writing Project. Recorded in three parts, you won't want to miss this comprehensive overview of this important book.
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00:00 – Introduction/Systems Thinking with Richard Beach and Fawn Canady
Richard Beach and Fawn Canady discuss chapter two of the book, focusing on how to engage students in critiquing and transforming systems impacting the climate crisis. Learn how students can use writing to examine how fossil fuel energy, capitalist economic structures, agriculture, transportation, urban design, and political systems need transformation to address our changing climate.
26:52 – Critical Media Literacy with Jeff Share, Andrea Gambino, Amber Medina, and Noah Asher Golden
This segment explores the intersection of critical media literacy and environmental justice/climate education. Our guests explain why climate change is not merely a scientific problem but an issue of priorities and narratives. Discover how educators can help students understand how dominant cultural stories contribute to our climate crisis and how we can change these narratives to create more sustainable and socially just futures.
50:04 – Writing of All Kinds with Allen Webb and Rich Novack
Allen Webb and Rich Novack share diverse writing approaches that empower students to engage with climate issues through creative expression, persuasive writing, research, and more. Learn practical strategies for incorporating climate-focused writing across the English language arts curriculum.
Related Resources
Book Resources
- Book Website: Climate Crisis ELA
- Website for Allen’s Chapter on climate change and teaching writing: tinyurl.com/y9ebyc5m
- Website for previous book “Teaching Climate Change to Adolescents”: climatechangeela.pbworks.com
- Beach, R. (2025). Adopting a languaging approach for teaching about the climate crisis in English language arts. English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 24(1)
Critical Media Literacy Resources
- Kellner, D., & Share, J. (2019). The critical media literacy guide: Engaging media and transforming education. Brill/Sense Publishers
- Climate Crisis ELA: Critical Media Literacy and the Climate Crisis
- Climate Crisis ELA: Local Ecologies and Critical Media Production
- Climate Crisis ELA: Engaging Elementary Students in Inner-city LA
- Climate Crisis ELA: Challenging Climate Misinformation and Disinformation
CML Framework Resources
- Free-to-use/share PDFs of the CML Framework:
- English: tinyurl.com/4v5ndatx
- German: tinyurl.com/yckctfp9
- Mandarin: tinyurl.com/mpfveh85
- Portuguese: tinyurl.com/mwrkf9sz
- Spanish: tinyurl.com/2fdaz8up
- Additional CML Framework Digital Downloadable Posters with Illustrations: drive.google.com/file
Additional Websites & Resources
This post is part of the NWP Radio collection.
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