ELA in the Garden Webinar - November 10, 7pm EST

Learn how to use the garden to teach literacy to kids, incorporate literary elements, and celebrate books during this interactive webinar.  Three English Language Arts and garden experts, Valerie Bang-Jensen, Mark Lubkowitz, and Jennifer Tianen will be sharing about how they integrate ELA into their outdoor classrooms, activities to do with students, and tips on getting started. Be ready to participate!

This webinar is designed for educators of all age groups and contexts.

Space is limited, so be sure to save your spot! Registered attendees will be able to access the recorded event replay on Crowdcast.

Registered participants will be automatically entered in a giveaway for one of 3 FREE gift baskets ($210 value!!) that includes:

Books in Bloom, authored by Mark and Valerie!

$50 gift card for Gardener's Supply Company 

1 gallon berry blue Smart Pot with KidsGardening logo

7-7:05pm    Opening
7:05 - 7:45pm    Literacy in the garden 
7:45 - 8:15pm    Creating a literary garden
8:15-8:30pm    Q&A

Giveaway winners will be announced in a follow-up email.

Valerie Bang-Jensen and Mark Lubkowitz have each served as Professor and Chair of their respective  departments--Education and Biology-- at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, VT. Surprisingly (or perhaps not) this molecular biologist and literacy expert have worked together for over twenty years exploring the natural partnership between literacy, science, and children’s literature. Valerie and Mark began their interdisciplinary collaboration by creating a collection of gardens that are a learning laboratory to explore the relationship between science and children’s literature. This initial project blossomed into two books: Books in Bloom: Discovering the science in great children’s literature (2014), and Reading Books, Talking Science: Exploring science concepts with children’s literature (2017). Both recipients of the college’s teaching award, they work across the country with teachers exploring how gardens support and invite learning across disciplines.

Jennifer Tianen (McQuillan) is a veteran high school English teacher and founder of the award-winning West Bloomfield High School Literary Garden. The Literary Garden showcases plants from American authors’ homes and provides a multi-sensory setting for student learning and social-emotional wellness. Her research and writing has appeared in a variety of publications, and she delights in sharing her work with educators, gardeners, literary societies, and anyone else who will listen to her ramble on about earthworm poop. Jennifer is the secretary of the Michigan Hemingway Society, sponsor of the Literary Garden Club and EARTH Club, and yes, those dandelions in the garden are there on purpose - they are from Ray Bradbury's childhood home.

Your host: Lily Nguyen - KidsGardening Education Specialist

We are offering a sliding scale payment option for this event. However, we want to make sure that this webinar remains accessible for everyone. If you or someone you know are not able to pay but would benefit from attending, please email lilyn@kidsgardening.org

English Language Arts (ELA) in the Garden