Program on the Environment

Environmental education should be an integral part of every student’s learning experience, as it fosters a sense of environmental curiosity in students. Children’s books are a valuable resource that can be utilized and adapted to cover a wide range of environmental topics for students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The goal of this study was to find necessary reform principles and strategies needed to make environmentally-focused children’s books more accessible to a range of students. Through my internship at Collaborative for Socio-Ecological Engagement (CoSEE), I adapted 5 children’s books for CoSEE’s community library that had interactive pieces for those with additional support needs to access. I also conducted a literature review of 13 sources that looked into reform principles for environmental education, as well as collected data on how CoSEE’s book themes are currently being divided. This resulted in me finding 2 reform principles through my research, of which the first looked at utilizing place-based knowledge in educational materials and the second focused on making sure students’ needs are met in educational materials. As well as the importance of having diverse environmental themes in children’s books that have interactive pieces and questions, which can be used by students with additional support needs. These results showcase that when students’ needs are met, they can engage with these materials and can work towards change in their community. Having accessible books for students allows for environmental curiosity to be fostered and gives students the opportunity to learn about these diverse topics.