Persuasive writing: Artemis makes her opinions quite clear! Imagine you’re an object/animal/plant/person in the book—anything from birds to BB pellets to the Bradley twins. Write a poem from their perspective, voicing their concerns, and showing Artemis their viewpoints.

Higher Order Thinking: AS&SSB Talk Show—assign students character parts from the book. They will be guests on the show. The teacher acts as the host. The rest of the students make up the audience and can ask the panel questions. Panel members must respond in character to questions about their motivation and backstory.

Extension: Resurrect a ghost! Who would you like to resurrect, and what problem would you ask them for help with? Interview or act out this interaction. OR: A ghostly person from the past brings you a warning of a future issue. Who is that person, what do they say, and what will you do?

Discuss legacy. Hellendar’s root cellar was full of mementos. Draw and describe your own chest full of artifacts that remind you of what’s important (familial, historical)

Fact vs. Fiction: Art is obsessed with numbers and facts, but how do you assess so-called facts and find the truth? What is the truth, anyway?

Peaceful protest, what is it? Discuss and debate the merits of quiet vs. loud protest.

Friendship: There are book guides for birds, flowers, hiking trails, etc. Artemis struggled with her peers. Create a guidebook on friendship and how to navigate its ups and down.

Join a brigade or start your own! “What is your why?” (Thank you, Jamie Margolin, author of Youth to Power) Brainstorm your mission and goals. Make membership cards, write press releases, and create signs, hats, and banners to gain visibility for your cause.

Teamwork: Activism as an ecosystem: every tiny movement changes something. Research outsider art, community art, and artivists. As a classroom team, create a visual representation of what you’re fighting for.

Picture Book Biographies: Use them to generate questions and begin research on your subject. Discuss and interpret the illustrations as a variation of subtext.

Pics and videos of protests as prompts—generate a list of perspectives/beliefs embodied in the picture. Speak or write from a viewpoint that’s new to you. Or take on a character in the photo and imagine what they are experiencing. Monologue or work in pairs to present your work.

Displacement: RT was pushed out of his habitat into a new one. Create an eco-fiction story about displacement using a box of props as prompts (like a pair of scissors, an empty shoe box, a rubber band, etc.) Write a script and act it out. Can also be written as a poem. Extension: Discuss human displacement, past and present.

Bird Whisperers: Read this article about a deaf man, a bird ‘whisperer’, who forms rare bonds with birds. Artemis carries on conversations with nature all the time. Pick a plant or animal and observe and listen to it (in-person or online). What is it telling you? Share as a monologue or act out your interaction with another student.

Brainstorm lesser-known environmentalists by extending beyond the obvious definition of a science professional to others who bring awareness to ecology, such as musicians, photographers, and landscape architects. Some examples: Grandma Prisbrey, Ding Darling, Simon Rodia, Wangari Maathai, Ansel Adams, etc. How might they tackle a present-day ecological problem?

Shape-shifters: Turn common recycled items into solutions for environmental problems. For example, make a model of a contraption that can skim oil from the ocean’s surface. Create a business to sell them. Pitch to angel investors for backing.

Eco-Detectives: How is a conservationist, ecologist, or environmentalist like a detective? Pick an environmental issue and discuss the clues you’d use to make hypotheses and investigations. Use “scientific unraveling”—teach science by telling a story — (state/identify the problem, collect info, hypothesize/guess outcomes, experiment, collect and analyze data, form conclusion, validate by repeating experiment)

Plan/map out a garden like Mrs. Moonchaser’s or Chef Paul’s to scale. Use blocks or Legos to make a 3D representation.

The salt marsh was Art’s sanctuary. Create your own sanctuary. Where would it be? What is its purpose? Make a list of needs. If your sanctuary is man-made, write how-to step-by-step instructions. Be sure your get-away spot doesn’t encroach on someone else’s spot! Welcome others into your space by answering their questions about it, including how to keep it safe.

Create a super-adapter bird or plant. What attributes does it need? How can it avoid or defend itself against pollutants, global warming, and humans?

Jellyfish blooms, sinkholes, and tropical storms—oh my! Natural “disasters”… or are they? Research and make posters explaining how and why they occur.

Engineering/Architecture: Design, sketch and build a model of a green hotel or other business building, or brainstorm how to make your home greener.

Combining Music and Science: Explore this amazing music and bird flight patterns page from the New Bedford Symphony. Listen to classical music and decide what part of nature it evokes. Use your own instruments (or make instruments from everyday objects) and compose your own ode to nature.

Explore automata: Using some basic materials, explore simple machines and create automata that bring a nature story to life, or solve a problem in nature. See examples here.

Build/create a work of art that highlights a place you want to keep safe and healthy like Artemis did with her bird mobiles and benches made from driftwood. Plan and carry out some community artwork to enhance your neighborhood like Simon Rodia did with the Watts Towers.

Create environmental comics a la Ding Darling or posters of anthropomorphic plants and animals. Deliver their message with a convincing sales pitch.

Design a kite or flag with a message and organize a day to fly them. Be sure to make provisions for keeping your art away from animals who may get entangled, or from being left behind as litter.

Enact an eco-issue through dance or movement.

Mapping: Map the town of Horizon to include the settings in the book, such as Mrs. Moonchaser’s garden, the antiques fair, Warren’s house, etc.

Art inspires action. Explore the intersection of birds and art. Create a classroom gallery of birds that will convince viewers to care. Read about it here.

Explore temporary art like Andy Goldsworthy’s and then create your own. What message is hidden in the art?