Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is a “conservation” writer, and how do “conservationists” differ from “preservationists”? What forms might conservation and preservation writing take? Can you name any famous conservationist or preservationist writers?

Teaching Suggestion: Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac is one of the foundational texts of the American conservation movement. Students are doubtless aware of environmentalism itself, but not all will be aware of the long tradition of conservation writing within this movement, and many will be unaware of the difference between conservation and preservation. You might use this prompt to encourage students to share what they do know, then ask them to review the sources below and revise their answers to reflect greater understanding.

• This article from the National Park Service explains the differences between conservation and preservation.
• This article from Natural Habitat Adventures profiles several writers using different approaches to conservation and preservation writing.
• This list of environmentalist works and authors from NCTE might interest students in the variety of environmental literature and provide ideas for future reading.