Ecological Literature

Independent Reading Assignments

Note on Independent Reading

My experience is that outside reading and research is critical to nature study and writing
about place. There is no intellectual shortcut to delving deep into the back corners of
libraries and/or focused and thoughtful investigations of the World Wide Web. In order to
give you credit for this necessary and unavoidable work, I will ask you to keep a
reader’s notebook on two independent sources you investigate this term—the first, a
natural history book, the second, a book of ecological poetry or essays. I will set
periodic due dates for notes and provide you with an open response grading rubric, so
you better understand what I’m looking for. The responsibility for getting work turned in
on the due dates rests on your shoulders.

Open Response Rubric: My buddy, Ryan, who teaches AP Literature at Malden High
School in Malden, MA has devised a useful open response rubric, which I plan on
following when grading your reader’s notebook posts. Click the following link to check it
out: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21439315/Malden-High-School-Rubric-for-Open-
Response-Questions

Assignment #1: Natural History:

Books to Choose From:

The Birder’s Handbook, Eds. Ehrlich, Dobkin, Wheye

The Trees of New England: A Natural History by Charles Fergus
Reflections in Bullough’s Pond: Economy and Ecosystem in New England by Diana Muir
Stone by Stone: The Magnificent History in New England’s Stone Walls by Robert Thorson
Swampwalker’s Journal: A Wetland’s Year by David Carroll
Canoe Country Wildlife: A Field Guide to the North Woods and Boundary Waters by Mark
Stensaas
Autumn: A Season of Change by Peter Marchand
Reading the Forested Landscape: A Natural History of New England by Tom Wessels
The Outside Story: Local Writers Explore the Nature of New Hampshire and Vermont, Ed by
Chuck Wooster
A Sierra Club Naturalist’s Guide to The North Woods by Glenda Daniel and Jerry Sullivan
Peterson’s Field Guide to Eastern Forests by John Kricher
Summer World: A Season of Bounty by Bernd Heinrich
The Secrets of Wildflowers by Jack Sanders

Assessment:

1) Post-It Note Assessment: Before you crack open your independent reading book,
buy a stack of Post-It Notes! In lieu of active reading, I’d like you to use Post-It Notes
to keep track of important passages, facts, and analysis from your independent
reading. Read poignantly! Resist the temptation to digress! For example, if I'm
reading the Trees of New England, take notes on red maple trees (because they
occur in or around the Blackwater River site), not balsam fir tress, which don't. You
should have notes on at least 50 Post-It Notes when I check your book. Be ready to
 explain how each of these notes furthers your understanding of your particular spot
in some way.

2) Reader’s Notebook Posts: Your reader’s notebook consists of three, two-part blog
posts for each book. Please title your posts as follows: Post 1-3, Part A, B, or C.

Part A: Post your reaction to something specific and thought provoking in the book
that directly relates to your understanding of your spot. Your answer should be
roughly 400-500 words an include multiple direct quotes. Feel free to ask
questions in Part A as well, since everyone will be reading these posts.

Part B: You should also respond by elaborating on another comment in the stream
that informs your understanding of your spot and your own reading. Your answer
should link the comment you are responding to with your own reading. Your
answer should be roughly 300-400 words and should include direct quotes from
your own reading.

Assignment #2: Ecological Poetry

Books to Choose From:

Freewheeling Ecology by Matt Williams

Windows / Walls / Yard / Ways by Larry Eigner
The Granite Pail by Lorine Niedecker
The Fall of America by Allen Ginsberg
Garbage by A.R. Ammons
Exchanges of Earth & Sky by Jack Collom
All This Every Day by Joanne Kyger
Bodhidharma Never Came to Hatboro by Tyler Doherty
Mountains and Rivers Without End by Gary Snyder
Old Growth by Andrew Schelling
Archipelago by Arthur Sze
Book of Haikus by Jack Kerouac

Assessment:

1) Post-It Note Assessment: As with your natural history book, I’d like you to use 50+
Post-It Notes to keep track of important passages, facts, and analysis from your
ecological poetry book. Unlike your natural history book, I’d like you to read your
book of ecological poetry from cover to cover, noting the various ways your book
affects the way you think of yourself as an ecological writer. Keep track of your
author’s techniques, turns-of-the-mind, and approaches to writing nature.

2) Reader’s Notebook Posts: Your reader’s notebook consists of three, two-part blog
posts for each book. Please title your posts as follows: Post 1-3, Part A or B.

Part A: Post your reaction to something specific and thought provoking in the book
that directly relates to your approach to ecological writing. Your answer should be
 roughly 400-500 words an include multiple direct quotes. Feel free to ask
questions in Part A as well, since everyone will be reading these posts.

Part B: You should also respond by elaborating on another comment in the stream
that informs your understanding of your self as an ecological writer. Your answer
should link the comment you are responding to with your own reading in some
way. Your answer should be roughly 300-400 words and should include direct
quotes from your own reading.