Environmental Literature Lesson Plan: Analyzing Nature with London, Carson, & Didion

A comprehensive high school lesson plan for ELA and Environmental Science. Students analyze how Jack London, Rachel Carson, and Joan Didion portray the human-nature relationship through literary techniques. Includes creative projects, a full assessment rubric, and differentiation ideas.

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Lesson Plan: Nature's Voice — Conflict, Character, and Climate

Subject: English Language Arts, Environmental Science

Age Group: 16 (High School)

Estimated Time: 4-5 sessions (approx. 60-90 minutes each)

Materials Needed

  • Copies of the following texts:
    • Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (excerpts recommended, e.g., "A Fable for Tomorrow")
    • Jack London's White Fang or The Call of the Wild
    • Joan Didion's essays "Los Angeles Notebook" and "Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream" (from Slouching Towards Bethlehem)
  • Notebook or journal for writing responses
  • Computer with internet access for research and project creation
  • Art supplies (paper, markers, colored pencils) for optional activities
  • Access to presentation software (like Google Slides, Canva) or video editing software (like iMovie, DaVinci Resolve) for the final project

Learning Objectives

By the end of this unit, the student will be able to:

  1. Analyze how different authors use literary techniques (personification, imagery, tone, syntax) to portray the natural world as a character, a force, or a victim.
  2. Compare and contrast the depiction of the human-nature relationship across fiction (London) and non-fiction (Carson, Didion).
  3. Synthesize themes from all four texts to form a unique argument about a contemporary environmental issue.
  4. Create an original project (written, visual, or multimedia) that demonstrates a deep understanding of the authors' styles and central ideas.

Lesson Activities & Sequence

Session 1: The Wild as a Protagonist (Jack London)

Focus: How does London give nature and animals a voice, motivation, and character?

  • Introduction (15 mins): Read the opening chapters of The Call of the Wild or White Fang. Discuss initial impressions. Is the "wild" a place, a feeling, or a character in the story? How does London show us the world through an animal's perspective?
  • Activity (45 mins): Character Profile of "The Wild." Create a character profile as if "The Wild" were a person. Use a template or free-form notes to answer the following:
    • Name/Alias: The Wild, The Northland, etc.
    • Personality Traits: Unforgiving, primal, fair, cruel, indifferent? Find specific quotes to support each trait.
    • Motivations: What does "The Wild" want from the characters (canine and human)? Survival? Purity? To test them?
    • Relationships: How does it interact with Buck/White Fang? With the humans? Is it a friend, an enemy, a teacher?
  • Reflection (15 mins): Write a short journal entry answering: How does London's approach make you feel about the natural world? Does it feel more relatable or more alien?

Session 2: The Silent Victim (Rachel Carson)

Focus: How does Carson use scientific evidence and powerful prose to create a sense of urgency and loss?

  • Introduction (15 mins): Read the first chapter of Silent Spring, "A Fable for Tomorrow." Discuss the tone. How does it differ from London's? What emotions does Carson try to evoke in the reader?
  • Activity (45 mins): Create a Public Service Announcement (PSA). Imagine you are a communications director in 1962 hired by Rachel Carson. Your job is to alert the public to the dangers of pesticides. Choose one format:
    • Poster: Design a "WANTED" poster for DDT or a "MISSING" poster for the birds and insects. Use powerful imagery and key phrases from Carson's text.
    • Radio Script: Write a 60-second radio ad. Use sound effects (or descriptions of them) and a compelling narrator's voice to convey Carson's warning. Focus on the "strange stillness" she describes.
  • Reflection (15 mins): Compare Carson’s approach to London’s. London’s nature is powerful and dominant. Carson’s is fragile and under attack. Which portrayal feels more relevant today? Why?

Session 3: The Ominous Atmosphere (Joan Didion)

Focus: How does Didion connect a natural phenomenon (the Santa Ana winds) to human psychology and social breakdown?

  • Introduction (15 mins): Read excerpts from Joan Didion's "Los Angeles Notebook," focusing on her description of the Santa Ana winds. Pay close attention to her sentence structure—the short, declarative statements and the long, flowing observations.
  • Activity (45 mins): Stylistic Imitation & Mood Board.
    1. Write Like Didion: Choose a local weather phenomenon you know well (a thunderstorm, a blizzard, a humid day, a perfect fall afternoon). Write one paragraph describing it, attempting to imitate Didion's detached, observant, and slightly unnerving tone. Focus on how the weather makes people feel and act.
    2. Create a Mood Board: Collect 5-7 images (from magazines or online) that capture the feeling of Didion's essays on Southern California. Arrange them and write a caption for each, explaining why it fits the "Didion mood."
  • Reflection (15 mins): For Didion, is nature a backdrop, a character, or a trigger for human behavior? How does her perspective challenge the classic "Man vs. Nature" conflict?

Session 4: Synthesis and Project Kick-off

Focus: Connecting the ideas and preparing for the final project.

  • Activity (30 mins): Concept Map. On a large piece of paper or using a digital tool, place the central theme "The Human-Nature Relationship" in the center. Create branches for each author (London, Carson, Didion). For each author, add key ideas, quotes, and descriptive words from your notes. Then, draw lines connecting the authors to show where their ideas overlap (e.g., "Nature's Indifference" might connect London and Didion) or contrast.
  • Project Introduction (30 mins): Review the final project options below. Discuss which one is most appealing and begin brainstorming ideas. The goal is to apply the concepts and styles you've analyzed.

Culminating Creative Project (Summative Assessment)

Choose one of the following options to complete. This project will be evaluated on its creativity, analytical depth, and clear connection to the themes and styles of the authors studied.

Option A: The Modern Naturalist's Journal

Create a series of three journal entries (approx. 250-300 words each) from the perspective of a modern-day naturalist observing a local environmental issue (e.g., urban sprawl, a polluted waterway, the effects of a drought). You must intentionally incorporate elements from each author:

  • Entry 1 (The London Lens): Describe the non-human perspective. Personify an element of the environment (a river, a forest, an animal) and narrate the changes it is experiencing.
  • Entry 2 (The Carson Lens): Adopt a more scientific and urgent tone. Detail the observable, factual evidence of the environmental problem and issue a clear warning about its consequences.
  • Entry 3 (The Didion Lens): Focus on the atmosphere and human behavior. Describe the mood of the community living with this issue. How does the environment affect their psychology and social interactions? Use a detached, observant prose style.

Option B: The Fictional Dialogue

Write a 3-4 page script for an imagined conversation between Jack London, Rachel Carson, and Joan Didion. They have been brought together to discuss a major 21st-century environmental topic, such as climate change, California wildfires, or the loss of biodiversity. Your script should:

  • Accurately reflect each author's personality and worldview based on their writing.
  • Have them use arguments and evidence consistent with their work. (Carson might cite data, London might tell a story of survival, Didion might comment on the cultural absurdity of it all).
  • Build toward a point of agreement or a compelling disagreement.

Option C: "Nature's Voice" Video Essay

Create a 4-6 minute video essay or narrated slideshow. The video should present an argument about how our understanding of nature has changed over the last century. You must:

  • Use quotes from at least three of the texts as your primary evidence. Display the quotes on screen.
  • Select powerful public-domain images or video clips that complement your narration and the tone of the authors' words.
  • Write and record a script that connects the ideas of London, Carson, and Didion to a modern context.
  • Use background music to help establish the mood.

Assessment Rubric for Final Project

Category Excellent (4) Proficient (3) Developing (2)
Analytical Depth Project demonstrates a sophisticated synthesis of themes from all authors and applies them insightfully to a modern context. Project clearly connects themes from the authors to a modern context. Project mentions themes from the authors but the connection to a modern context is superficial.
Stylistic Understanding Project masterfully incorporates or analyzes the distinct stylistic elements of each author (prose, tone, perspective). Project shows a good understanding of the authors' styles and incorporates them effectively. Project attempts to use the authors' styles but does so inconsistently or inaccurately.
Creativity & Effort The final product is highly original, polished, and demonstrates significant creative effort and thought. The final product is creative, well-executed, and meets all requirements. The final product is complete but lacks originality or polish.
Clarity & Organization The project's argument and structure are exceptionally clear, logical, and compelling. It is free of errors. The project is well-organized and communicates its ideas clearly with few errors. The project's organization is confusing in places, and errors impede understanding.

Differentiation and Extension

  • For Deeper Challenge: Research a contemporary environmental writer (e.g., Elizabeth Kolbert, Bill McKibben, Robert Macfarlane). Write a short essay comparing their approach to that of Carson or London.
  • Local Connection: Visit a local nature preserve or park. Document your observations in the style of one of the three authors.
  • Artistic Connection: Explore the works of artists who engage with nature, such as photographer Ansel Adams or painter Georgia O'Keeffe. How do their visual portrayals of nature compare to the literary ones studied?