This document outlines an workshop on integrating environmental topics into ESL classes with a focus on reducing, reusing, and recycling (the 3Rs). It provides several hands-on group activities for participants, including a scavenger hunt, working with vocabulary from environmental text passages, completing a questionnaire, developing a writing activity, and exploring materials from the EPA. The overall goals are to engage participants in activities that can be adapted for ESL classrooms and introduce them to instructional materials on green topics.

1. Green Is In
Environmental Topics in ESL Classes
Staci Hauschild, Elena Poltavtchenko,
Dianna Sanchez, & Fredricka Stoller
Northern Arizona University

2. Goals
1. Provide ideas for integrating language and
content, with an emphasis on the three Rs:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
2. Engage participants in hands-on activities that are
adaptable for a range of L2 classrooms.
3. Give participants practice in adapting materials
and/or devising activities with adapted materials.
4. Introduce participants to easily available
instructional materials with a “green” emphasis.

3. Scavenger Hunt
 Divide questions among yourselves fairly
evenly (e.g., for groups of three, 1-8, 9-16,
17-23).
 Individually, look for your subset of
answers to questions. Write answers down.
 In groups, share most interesting findings.

4. Scavenger Hunt
 Discuss language- and content-learning
benefits of scavenger hunts.
 Report major benefits to whole group.

5. Working with Content Sources
 Individually skim the passage and
underline the vocabulary items that
students need to know in order to
understand it.
 Choose one underlined word.
 Select one or more strategies for teaching
this vocabulary item.
 Compare answers in your group.
 Be prepared to report to the whole group.

6.  Imagine that the text is great in terms of
content, yet its language is either too easy
or too challenging for your students.
 How would you adapt the passage – to
simplify it or to make it more challenging –
so that it would be more suitable for your
students?
 Work together as a group to come up with
adaptation ideas.
Working with Content Sources

7. Teaching Green Content with
a Questionnaire
 Complete the questionnaire on page 4.
 Use the answer key on page 12 to
compare and discuss your answers with
your group.
 Discuss any answers that were surprising.
 Would you ever use a questionnaire like
this with your students? What would the
benefits be?

8. Development of a Writing Activity
 Find three ways to reduce waste from the
Waste Management passage.
 Develop a writing activity for your pre-
determined ESL class using:
– Your list of three ways to reduce solid waste.
– Information from the questionnaire.
 Present your writing activity ideas to
workshop participants.

9. Problem-Solution Activity
 Look over your set of statements.
– How could you use these statements to
encourage language use and exploration of
the content with your students?
 Be prepared to share your ideas with the
whole group.

10. Exploration of EPA Materials
 Review materials as a group. Consider questions
such as these:
– What is included in the packet?
– What looks particularly interesting?
– What is usable as is? What needs adaptation?
– How might you use these materials to promote
language and content learning?
– What materials included in the packet might other
groups be interested in?
 Share some outstanding features of your packets
with the whole group.

11. More “Green” Resources
 Resource list.
 Lyrics for 3R’s song by Jack Johnson.
 Hemp bags donated by Simple Shoes of
Decker’s Outdoor Corporation.
 Three EPA posters.

12. Reflections on the Workshop
 Take this opportunity to share:
– A “green” resource or “green” activity that you
have used successfully.
– An idea that you are taking from this workshop
that you plan to adapt for your classroom.

13. Thank you!