Check out a new resource from JAAL: Literacy Insights 

In this episode, Matt Sroka chats with Dr. Richard Beach as we explore critical inquiry and literacy as it relates to climate change. Join us as we discuss what we as teachers can do to adopt roles and employ tools to help our students meaningful engage with this issue. This conversation stems from Dr. Richard Beach’s article Teachers and students use of systems thinking about their participation in school environmental clubs

Richard Beach is Professor Emeritus of Literacy Education, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. He has conducted research and published books in response to literature, composition instruction, use of digital media, and teaching about climate change for supporting English language arts instruction.

Other resources mentioned in this episode:

Round-table sessions at the NCTE conference 

Interdisciplinary chapter Teaching Climate Change to Adolescents

Mary Robinson Foundation Climate Justice

Teaching Climate Justice Curriculum 

InTeGrate Interdisciplinary Teaching about Earth for a Sustainable Future

Lists of YA Cli-Fi texts

Resources on Teaching Cli-Fi

Youth Created Media for Addressing the Climate Crisis: Hear Our Voices 

Teaching Adolescents about Climate Change

Addressing the Challenges of Preparing Teachers to Teach about the Climate Crisis

Richard Beach’s  Publications

Resources on Teaching Climate Change in ELA/Literacy Classrooms

Beach, R. (2015). Imagining a future for the planet through literature, writing, images, and drama. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 59(1), 7-13. DOI:10.1002/jaal.412

Beach, R., Share, J., & Webb, A. (2017). Teaching climate change to adolescents: Reading, writing, and making a difference. Routledge. http://climatechangeela.pbworks.com

Polk, E., Beach, R., & Webb, A. (2023). Fostering climate crisis global literacies in the classroom. In S. N. Kerkhoff & H. A. Spires (Eds.). Critical perspectives on global literacies: bridging research and practice (pp. 230-246). Routledge. http://t.ly/3wlGG

Beach, R. (2023). Addressing the challenges of preparing teachers to teach about the climate crisis. The Teacher Educator, 58, 507-522. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08878730.2023.2175401

Beach, R. (2023). Literacy research, systems thinking, and climate change. Research in the Teaching of English, 58(1), 105-122. https://t.ly/xCAVt

Using Digital Tools/Media for Teaching Climate Change in ELA/Literacy Classrooms

Castek, J., & Beach, R. (2013). Using apps to support disciplinary literacy and science learning. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 56(7), 554-564. https://doi.org/10.1002/JAAL.180

Castek, J., Beach, R., Cotanch, H., & Scott, J. (2014). Examining middle-school students' uses of Diigo annotations to engage in collaborative argumentative writing. In R. S. Anderson & C. Mims (Eds), Handbook of research on digital tools for writing instruction in K-12 settings, IGI Global.

Beach, R., & Smith, B. E. (2019). Using digital tools for studying about and addressing climate change. In P. M. Sullivan, J. L. Lantz, & B. A. Sullivan (Eds.), Handbook of research on integrating digital technology with literacy pedagogies (pp. 346-370). IGI Global.

Beach, R., Boggs, G., Castek, J., Damico, J., Pano, A., Spellman, R., & Wilson, N. (2020) Fostering preservice and in-service ELA teachers’ digital practices for addressing climate change. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 20(1). http://t.ly/eFhJw

Share, J., & Beach, R. (2022). Critical media literacy analysis and production for systems thinking about climate change. The Journal of Media Literacy—Research Symposium Issue. http://t.ly/ueE6Z

Beach, R., & Smith, B. (2022). Using digital tools for studying about and addressing climate 

      change. In M. Khosrow-Pour (Ed.), Research anthology on environmental and societal 

      impacts of climate change (pp. 724-747). IGI Global.

Share, J., & Beach, R. (2022). Critical media literacy analysis and production for  

      systems thinking about climate change. Journal of Media Literacy. http://t.ly/je0HZ

Beach, R., & Smith, B. (Eds.) (2023). Youth created media on the climate crisis: Hear our 

      voices. Routledge. http://youthclimatecrisismedia.pbworks.com

Beach, R., & Smith, B. (2023). Youth production of digital media to address the climate  crisis. Journal of Climate Literacy, 1(2). DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/cle.v1i2.5349