Map: Poetry & Environmental Justice

Indian Land Cessions

Overview

Students analyze NASA images depicting climate change and maps denoting Indian land cessions*, then read the poem “Map” by Linda Hogan. After, students discuss how the poem, images, and maps provide context to the theme of environmental justice. Students follow up and take action by researching local instances of environmental justice / injustice and write to one or more community leaders, expressing their opinion on an issue.

* compiled primarily from reports contained in Library of Congress collections

Related Resources

Grade

High School, Middle School

Subjects

Civics, English Language Arts, Science

Length

120-160 minutes

Topics

climate change, environment, environmental justice, Indian land cessions, injustice, maps, NASA, native americans, poetry

Author

Academy of American Poets

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