Reading Enriches Learning: Sustainability
Reading Enriches Learning: Sustainability provides online student-centred activities based on engaging texts which explore themes of sustainability. The activities and assessment ideas are designed to promote an understanding of sustainable education. The texts have been carefully selected for a range of interests and abilities and organised into two groupings: younger readers (years 2–4) and older readers (years 5–8).
Education for a Sustainable Future, 'Learning for Life'
The timing is now crucial for students to gain a better understanding of our world and to become empowered to create a sustainable future. This collection for Reading Enriches Learning aims to actively engage students with the essential issues of sustainability. The activities lead students to realise that their actions can make a difference.
The themes of Education for a Sustainable Future comprise:
- Ecological Sustainability (biodiversity, conservation, ecosystems)
- Social Sustainability (basic human needs, cultural diversity, peace)
- Economic Sustainability (economic development, sustainable consumption)
- Political Sustainability (citizenship, democracy, conflict resolution)
For each book featured on this website, a list of key ideas for teaching and learning are highlighted under the heading 'Learning for Life'. These powerful statements can be used as a stimulus for discussion and further study.
Building skills and understandings
Within the context of Education for a Sustainable Future, the activities focus on building core literacy skills. Students are required to interact with the text and images and respond according to a variety of text types and media. Students will also build on their research skills both in the library and on the Internet. The activities provide students with opportunities to work both independently and collaboratively, and to connect with the wider community.
Interactive proformas
In addition to the activities, there are a number of downloadable proformas for student work and assessment. The proformas range from Venn diagrams to planning guides and can be used and edited as live Word documents or printed as worksheets. These can be saved to a shared work folder and adapted for a range of applications.
About the author
Barbara Braxton has been teaching for 33 years and her passion is developing literacy through literature, particularly using books to connect kids with their own worlds and the possibilities within these. For ten years she has been a teacher librarian and has received a number of awards for her work in this field. She is the author of several books for teachers including the popular Quizzard of Oz.
Disclaimer
The selection of Internet addresses (URLs) provided was valid at the time of publication. However, due to the dynamic nature of the Internet, some addresses may have changed or ceased to exist. Dead links can be reported by email.
