The Alphabet of Trees: A Guide to Nature Writing
Edited by Christian McEwen and Mark Statman, (New York: Teachers and Writers Collaborative, 2000)
This original and inspiring book, whose title is taken from a line in the William Carlos Williams poem, "The Botticellean Trees," offers a collection of essays about teaching nature writing, including field journals, fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. Readers will recognize contributors like poets Gary Snyder and Mary Oliver whose essays accompany the work of writers from a variety of disciplines. Some of the essays offer writing activities that strengthen empathy with living creatures in the environment; others help guide careful observation and description. This is an exceptional resource for teachers interested in the multidisciplinary possibilities of integrating science in the ABE classrooms.

Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children
Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Brushac, (Colorado: Fulcrum, Inc., 1988)
This book has a far-reaching goal: to teach "respect and stewardship for the Earth and all living things." Joseph Bruchac, an Abenaki author and scholar of Native American culture, presents a retelling of traditional Native stories as catalysts for learning about the environment. Many guided activities help teachers plan follow-up lessons to the readings. Through this book, teachers and students can examine the difference between pre-scientific and scientific explanations of natural phenomena. To their credit, the authors do not shy away from moral issues as they explore environmental and social ethics.

Moon Journals: Writing, Art, and Inquiry Through Focused Nature Study
Joni Chancer and Gina Rester-Zodrow, (Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 1999)
Exploring the natural world is an easy way in to scientific inquiry. Moon Journals is a multidisciplinary treasure of a book, inspirational for teachers who want to approach the study of nature in a creative and holistic way. The authors describe a moon journal as a "book of poems, a collection of stories, a set of facts, a gallery of art, an anthology of surprise." The two teachers who wrote Moon Journals draw on their own experiences in the classroom where they guided students in close observation of the lunar cycle for one month. Students recorded their observations and illustrated their moon journals, arriving at conclusions along the way. Though the authors worked with children, not adults, it's not too big a leap to adapt the approach to ABE.

Part one of the book presents an overview of the inquiry process that is key to successful observation and journaling. Students start with questions about the moon; for example, they might ask, "Why do we see the moon during the day? Does the moon rise like the sun?" Part two contains art and writing mini-lessons (called "invitations" by the authors) that teachers can draw from to develop workshops to help the observation and journaling process along.

Contemporary's GED Social Studies and Contemporary's GED Social Studies Exercise Book
Jeri Bayer and Kenny Tamarkin, (Chicago: McGraw Hill/Contemporary Books, 2002)
A new GED Social Studies text from McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books has been written by two Massachusetts ABE practitioners: Jeri Bayer, curriculum and assessment coordinator at Northeast SABES, and Kenny Tamarkin, technology coordinator at Northeast SABES. This text also features a Change Agent article on environmental racism written by Silja Kallenbach at World Education.