Honoring the Natural Environment as Home

About This Lesson

While the concept of home is often rooted in the places we come from or have grown familiar with, many also experience feeling a deep sense of belonging in and with nature. When you ask people where they feel most “at home,” some describe a riverbank, a forested trail, a garden, or an open meadow. Psychologist and researcher Lisa Nisbet explains this phenomenon through the “biophilia hypothesis,” which posits that “since our ancestors evolved in wild settings and relied on the environment for survival, we have an innate drive to connect with nature.” While this is only one theory, we do not need to look too deeply to find a wide breadth of anecdotal evidence in literature: much of our poetry and narratives illustrate that wherever we live—city, suburbs, or countryside—we find ways to connect with nature. 

Through the exploration of two literary works—”eco-hood,” a poem, and “An Offering,” a narrative chapter—students engage with the idea that nature can be as much a home as any dwelling or community. By reading, reflecting on, and discussing these texts, students explore two diverse perspectives on our relationship with the natural world. This lesson will enrich their understanding of “home” as an inclusive idea that encompasses not only where we live but also how we connect with the environment around us.

Essential Questions

How can reimagining “home” empower us to define how and where we belong in the world?

Guiding Questions

• How can the natural environment contribute to our sense of home?
• What does a connection with nature look like in different settings?

Facing History Learning Outcomes

• Examine how an individual’s identity, group membership, and relationship to systems of inequity can impact their sense of who they are and their agency when faced with a moral dilemma or choice. 
• Make real-world connections that explore historical and contemporary contexts in literature.

Lesson Plan

Day 1 

Activity 1: Return to the Working Definition of “Home”

Explain to students that today they will reflect on and deepen their understanding of “home” by revisiting their initial working definitions in their journals and integrating insights from recent lessons.

Provide a brief reminder of the content explored in the past few lessons. Reiterate that by interacting with a variety of texts—a TED Talk, image analysis, a research report, and three poems—students have been invited to consider various concepts of “home” and belonging.

Direct students to retrieve their journals and locate the two-pager entry from the first day of the unit, where they recorded their working definition of “home.”

Once students have their initial definitions in front of them, instruct them to use the same journal entry to add new elements to their two-pager. 

Student Prompt: Use the right-hand side of the journal page with your initial definition of “home” (your “two-pager”) to demonstrate new thoughts and understanding. These additions could include:

• Quotes: Key phrases from the content and texts that resonated with you.
• Thoughts: Personal reflections or changed perspectives based on your learning.
• Questions: Emerging inquiries that challenge your previous understanding.
• Ideas: New insights or concepts about “home” that you want to explore further.
• Symbols and images: Illustrations that demonstrate new, complex, or abstract ideas.
• On the left-hand side, feel free to add to or revise your initial definition as your thinking and understanding develops. 

Allow time for students to read through their texts and notes from previous lessons and thoughtfully integrate new insights into their two-pager.

Explain that later in the text set (Lesson 6), there will be time to share and discuss their evolved definitions of “home” in collaborative groups.

Activity 2: Read and Discuss the Poem “eco-hood”

Explain to students that they will be reading and analyzing the poem “eco-hood” by Melania Luisa Marte to explore its thematic depth and the poet’s perspective on environmentalism and identity.

Before exploring the poem, let students know that it was featured in The Slowdown, a poetry podcast hosted by Major Jackson (Episode 1005). Play the two-minute introduction (00:00–02:04): ”eco-hood” with Introduction by Major Jackson. Allow students to listen to this part of the episode without any specific task, encouraging them to simply take in the content. 

Distribute the copies you made of the poem with the ”eco-hood” Poem and Connection Questions handout so that each student has access to their own copy.

Play the rest of the audio (02:06–05:05), which contains the poem itself, twice. While they listen, students may also read the poem silently on their handout in order to become more familiar with its language and themes.

After listening, ask students to complete the first part of the ”eco-hood” Poem and Connection Questions handout by marking any areas they find interesting, thought-provoking, or challenging.

Have students form small groups of three or four. Instruct them to share their journal insights and begin to discuss the connection questions from their handouts. As they engage, circulate to gauge their interpretations and thought processes.

• Reread the title. In a general sense, “eco” refers to nature or the environment, and “hood” typically refers to an urban neighborhood. How does this title reflect the message of the poem?
• Review the poem. Circle words and phrases that help you answer the question: How does the speaker feel about their neighborhood? How do you know?
• Count the number of times “i learned” appears in the poem. How does this repetition shape the poem’s message?
• Note juxtaposition. Circle any words or phrases that are not typically associated with the concept of “environmentalism.” What effect do these examples have on your own understanding of environmentalism? 
• Examine the final two lines of the poem. What do they imply about the speaker’s ultimate conclusion or realization?

Come back together as a whole class. Highlight a few students’ or groups’ conversations, inviting them to share their analyses or questions that arose during discussion. Use the board to note insights or questions, connecting them back to the poem when appropriate.

Activity 3: Read and Annotate: “An Offering”

Explain to students that they will continue to explore themes related to place, belonging, and environmentalism through a different lens by reading and annotating an excerpt from a nonfiction text and making connections with the poem “eco-hood.”

Introduce the title of the chapter and book: “An Offering” from Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults. Explain that the author, Robin Wall Kimmerer, is a botanist and a registered member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation who has contributed to the field of ecology through the application of scientific knowledge and Indigenous wisdom. Also explain that the themes explored in this chapter are similar to those in the poem “eco-hood,” although the author and genre are different.

Explain that the objective for the remainder of class is to engage with the text through reading and annotation.

Provide each student with a copy of “An Offering” and the accompanying ”An Offering” Connection Questions handout. Be sure to set the expectation that students will need to complete their annotations and questions outside of class.

Explain the “challenge by choice” reading stations around the room, each offering a different approach to engaging with the text:

• Station 1: Silent Reading—For those preferring to read and annotate independently in a quiet space.
• Station 2: Teacher-Led Reading—The instructor will read aloud, potentially modeling how to annotate for students seeking guidance.
• Station 3: Reading in Pairs or Small Groups—Students can read and discuss the text in quieter voices, sharing insights and annotations.
• Station 4: Audiobook Listening—Students can listen to the text via headphones, with the option to annotate during or after listening. This station requires access to devices capable of playing audiobooks.

Direct students to complete the pre-reading discussion prompt with the other students at their station. They should also be advised to use the annotation guide on the handout while they read at their stations.

Activity 4: Assign ”An Offering” Connection Questions for Homework

Inform students that their understanding of “An Offering” by Robin Wall Kimmerer will be deepened by responding to a set of connection questions in this handout, ”An Offering” Connection Questions. Emphasize the importance of completing the handout before the next class, as it will form the basis for a whole-class discussion. 

Day 1 Homework: Complete the ”An Offering” Connection Questions Handout

After reading the chapter “An Offering” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, complete all the connection questions in preparation for discussion during the next class.

Day 2 

Activity 1: Set Discussion Goals

Let students know that today they will prepare for a whole-class discussion by first setting personal engagement goals.

Further explain that today’s lesson will focus on a class discussion about the readings “An Offering” and “eco-hood” and the related connection questions from the previous class.

Invite students to reflect in their journals on their past discussion experiences and set personal goals for their participation today. Provide student prompts on the board to guide this reflection or leave it open-ended, depending on how familiar this type of reflection is for your students.

Student Prompts:

• On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 representing the highest level, how confident do you feel about your past participation in classroom discussions?
• Imagine the most ideal discussion. What does it look, sound, and feel like?
• When the discussion is over, what do you hope you will have accomplished? 
• Set two personal goals for today’s discussion. 
  • Example goals: 1) I will ask at least one question. 2) I will make space for silence so that others can speak. 3) I will listen carefully to those speaking. 4) I will reference peers by their names when building on their comments or ideas. 5) I will speak so that others can hear me.

For those who have not completed the readings or the connection questions, allocate this time for catching up as much as possible so that they may contribute to the upcoming discussion.

Activity 2: Discussion Prep in Small Groups

Ask students to retrieve their completed ”An Offering” Connection Questions handout from the last class.

Organize students into groups of three or four to discuss their answers, encouraging them to reference “An Offering” and “eco-hood” as needed. Let students know that this is an important step that allows them to deepen their understanding through peer interaction and prepare for the whole-class discussion before it begins.

As students engage in group discussions, circulate to facilitate conversations, provide clarifications, and note potential topics or questions that could enrich the whole-class discussion.

Activity 3: Facilitate a Whole-Class Discussion

After the small-group activity, transition to the whole-class discussion. Begin by revisiting the classroom contract and any other discussion protocols to ensure a respectful and constructive conversation. If previous discussions have been challenging, consider introducing or revisiting the Keep the Conversation Alive! resource or similar guidelines to support productive dialogue.

To begin, use these example questions to kickstart the discussion. If students are ready, gradually let them take the lead, stepping in only to guide or refocus the conversation as needed.

Example questions:

• What types of connections did you make between the two readings?
• Was there one reading that you preferred over the other? Explain.
• How did the texts provide new insights about the relationship between the environment and the concept of home?
• How do these texts help us reimagine home? 
• How do these texts demonstrate that we can create a sense of belonging in nature?

After the discussion, take some time to debrief. Give students a few minutes to individually reflect in their journals. Ask them to consider the following questions:

Student Prompts:

• How do you feel about your participation in today’s discussion?
• In what ways did you achieve or not achieve the personal goals you set for yourself in Activity 1?
• What is one key insight or lesson you’re taking away from the discussion?

Activity 4: Assign “A Kingdom Bright and Burning” for Homework

See the Homework section below for details.

Day 2 Homework: Read “A Kingdom Bright and Burning”

Assign the reading “A Kingdom Bright and Burning” by Dave Connis from Welcome Home instructing students to annotate the text. There is an annotation guide for suggested use on the first page of the reading, which focuses on identifying themes, character development, and narrative techniques. Let students know that their annotations and insights will be central to the next class discussion.