Environmental Superheroes of the ELA Classroom Podcast Series

The Environmental Superheroes of the ELA Classroom podcast collection highlights stories of California TK-12 educators who teach reading, writing, listening, and speaking through the lens of environmental literacy and justice, giving a glimpse into what this type of work might look like in TK-12 classrooms.

The Center’s Peggy Harte co-developed these podcasts and snapshots with other CAELI members, Tara Kajtaniak and Cheney Munson.

As California intensifies its commitment to environmental literacy across all subjects, the California Environmental Literacy Initiative Professional Learning Hub’s English-Language Arts Working Group has documented compelling stories from educators. These narratives highlight the transformative power and benefits of integrating environmental literacy into English-Language Arts, enhancing overall literacy skills in profound ways. By addressing real-life local and global issues that resonate with young people, this approach engages students deeply and encourages them to connect with the natural world through various literary genres and writing tasks, fostering critical and creative thinking about environmental solutions and advocacy.

Especially in elementary classrooms, combining environmental literacy with English-Language Arts proves both efficient and time-saving. It ensures that all students, regardless of their school’s location, have access to valuable environmental education.

Tune in to this podcast series to witness the power of integrated learning and see how it can transform students’ engagement and understanding of the world around them!