ELA Lesson: Environmental Stewardship in Hawai‘i
Lesson Plan
2 hoursGrades9, 10, 11, 12Social Studies, English Language Arts
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Written by Emily Pepitone
About this lesson
Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship, investigating how the ali‘i managed resources and how this changed over time with the arrival of foreigners to the islands. Students outline an argumentative essay discussing the environmental legacy of the ali‘i.
Inquire: Students observe a painting of Lahaina in the past and generate questions about its environment.
Investigate: Students read about the land management practices of the ali‘i, how the practices changed with foreign arrivals, and current land management practices in Lahaina.
Inspire: Students discuss the land management practices of the ali‘i and outline an argumentative essay about their legacy.
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Suggestions
- This lesson aligns with Hawai’i’s Nā Hopena A‘o HĀ-BREATH Framework.
- This lesson can be taught during a unit on Hawaiian history, environmental justice, or climate change.
- This lesson could be taught in an English Language Arts or Social Studies class or in conjunction with an English Language Arts or Social Studies class.
- This lesson highlights the importance of understanding historical context when addressing environmental issues and climate change adaptation strategies.
- The Inspire section can be taught on a subsequent day or spread out over several days depending on student needs or classroom focus.
Prerequisites
- This is lesson 5 of 5 in our 9th-12th grade ELA Unit: Climate Change Impacts in Lahaina.
- Students should have an understanding of the environmental challenges facing Lahaina, which they can gain through the previous lessons in the unit.
- This lesson includes some Hawaiian vocabulary that should be introduced to students if they are not already familiar with it. A list of the terms and their definitions can be found a the end of the Teacher Slideshow.
- Encourage students to consider multiple perspectives when evaluating the ali‘i's legacy.
Differentiation
- The stations activity in the Investigate section could also be done as a jigsaw to save time and/or reduce the amount of independent reading that students need to do.
- Students could develop their outlines into fully written essays, either in the next class period or as homework. Essays could be collected as an additional assessment piece.
- For extension, students could research a specific ali‘i and their environmental policies.
From the scientist review
Students learn how Native Hawaiians have been protecting their natural resources from deterioration throughout time and about the changes in their surroundings. They also examine how non-natives have changed the ecosystem and offer suggestions for how everyone may help protect and care for it in Hawai‘i. After review, this lesson passed our credibility test for science.
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About the teacher writer
Emily Pepitone
AP Language, 11th Grade English Teacher
Emily Pepitone holds a Master's in education from Moreland University. They have 6 years of experience teaching AP Language, Humanities, Creative Writing, English across grades 7-8-9-10-11-12.
