Studying Rachel Carson's Silent Spring

This week long unit examines the seminal work by Rachel Carson, as an example of scientific writing. Silent Spring was the first book to bring pesticides and the wide spread use of chemicals in the environment to the public's attention. Students will read selected chapters for both scientific content and literary analysis. While the book was written more than forty years ago, some of the issues Carson raises still exist, and some of her alternatives have been implemented. Students are given the opportunity to read a truly wonderful science narrative and connect it with current environmental issues.

This activity correleates to National Language Arts content standards.