Over time Write Out educators have gathered many resources to support place-based writing and education. We welcome recommendations; please share them to social media with the #writeout hashtag or email us.
About place-based learning and writing
Place-conscious education, Nebraska style, Podcast series, June 2020. Since the mid-1990s, the Nebraska Writing Project has been investigating place-conscious education and designing curricula and partnerships with place-conscious goals in mind. This seven-part audio series, created in 2020 out of their work with the National Parks Service partnership, provides an introduction to place-conscious education and delves into several curriculum and action projects teacher leaders have devised.
Promise of Place Website. Center for Place-based Learning and Community Engagement
A public private partnership that works to advance the state of the art in place-based education by facilitating collaborative efforts in research, program design, technical assistance, resource development and dissemination.
As We Continue: Opening the Walls of the Classroom and the Boundaries of the Park, The Current, December 2019. A collection of resources created through a multi-year partnership between the National Writing Project and National Park Service.
Online primary document databases to help unearth the hidden stories of place
Curated by Park Ranger Amber Kirkendall from Homestead National Monument for Write Out, 2019.
The Best of Both Worlds: A Critical Pedagogy of Place by David Gruenewald, 2003
Place Based Education: Connecting Classroom and Community by David Sobel, 2004
Teaching resources
National Geographic’s Geo-Inquiry Program
Place-Based Poetry, Modeling One Revision at a Time by Ann Gardner, Southern Arizona Writing Project, 2005
Field Journaling #Writeout, by Rich Novack, Connecticut-Fairfield Writing Project 2018
Book List of Environmental Literature compiled by Rich Novack, Connecticut Writing Project-Fairfield
Tips for Creating an Outdoor Classroom, Project Learning Tree
Indigenous Resources
Native Knowledge 360°
Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) provides educators and students with new perspectives on Native American history and cultures.
Native Land
Native Land Digital strives to create and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations, through educational resources such as our map and Territory Acknowledgement Guide.
National Park Service Resources
National Park Service Educators Page
Find curriculum units, lesson plans, ideas for field trips, distance learning opportunities, and more!
Telling All Americans’ Stories Hub
This landing page leads to multiple resources on the historical experiences of minoritized populations.
NPS Publications on Diverse and Inclusive History
A collection of NPS publications that focus on the historical experiences of minoritized populations.
Social Injustice in the Landscape
A National Park Service-curated resource, focusing on NPS locations that highlight injustice as part of the geography, ecology and history of the place itself.
Cultural Landscapes of the National Park Service
A National Park Service-curated resource, organized by region, these articles and media dig deeper into the stories of places, giving a platform and voice to those stories and people often forgotten.
Outdoor Diversity and Networking
Diversity Outdoors
A coalition promoting diversity in outdoor spaces where people of color, LGBTQIA, and other diverse identities have historically been underrepresented.
Outdoor Afro
The nation’s leading, cutting edge network that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature.
Latino Conservation Week
An annual event, Latino Conservation Week was created to support the Latino community getting into the outdoors and participating in activities to protect our natural resources.
In the News …
How Outdoor Learning Can Bring Curiosity and Connection to Education in Tough Times, KQED’s Mindshift, October 2020
With Safety in Mind, Schools Take Classrooms Outdoors, Edutopia, September 2020
‘Black Birders Week’ Promotes Diversity and Takes on Racism in the Outdoors, The Audubon Society, June 2020
Beloved Writers on Nature as an Antidote to Depression by Maria Popova, June 2020
Twitter posts show that people are profoundly sad – and are visiting parks to cheer up, The Conversation, May 2020
Making outdoor recreation more inclusive: Interview with Outdoor Afro’s Antoine Skinner, part of a Hewlett Foundation series about inspiring conservation stewards, March 2020
How Hip Hop Can Bring Green Issues to Communities of Color by Thomas Easley, Yale School for the Environment, March 2020
Black Bodies, Green Spaces: Why is the image of an environmentally conscious African-American still hard for us to picture?, NYTimes Opinion, June 2019
Being ‘Outdoorsy’ When You’re Black Or Brown. NPR: Code Switch podcast, 2016
National parks turn into classrooms for a new generation, PBS Newshour, November 2016