Turning to Children’s Informational Texts to Foster Critique, Hope, and Action Around Our World’s Water Crisis

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Critically Examining Historical and Current Social Justice Topics in Fiction and Nonfiction Texts (Table 2)

Abstract

Environmentalism and climate crises must be a cornerstone of any curriculum if we are to inspire hope and action for the future. Climate crises include expansive topics and injustices such as water, which we address in this paper. We draw on the power of children’s literature, examining informational texts to understand the messages conveyed and how they inspire critique, hope, and action regarding water. We investigate how informational picturebooks prepare and motivate readers to become change-makers and explores how educators can leverage these texts to make direct connections to the climate crisis. Our aim is to show how informational picturebooks encourage critical thinking, hope, and action around water sciences, conservation, and literacies in the context of environmentalism.

Authors

• Erica Holyoke, University of Colorado - Denver

• Lauren Fletcher, California State University - Stanislaus

• Jessica Ramos, University of Colorado - Denver