Climate Literacy in Education

Life-giver, Death-bringer:

Instructional Ideas for Exploring Water in the Middle Grades Novel Ninth Ward

Julianna Kershen

University of Oklahoma

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/cle.v2i2.6293

Keywords: ecocriticism, middle grades, literature, magical realism, environmental justice, youth research

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Abstract

Teaching children about water and symbolism through literature can be an excellent way to engage their imagination while developing their analytical skills. Jewell Parker Rhodes’s award-winning middle grade novel, Ninth Ward, offers a rich opportunity for interdisciplinary, ecocritical inquiry within standards-based learning and teaching expectations. This article suggests youth participatory action research as an active learning strategy for engaging youth in community-based investigations of water connected to their study of water's literal and figurative significance in the novel.