NM PED 2026 Literacy and Humanities Summer Conference

This session explores how place-based outdoor learning strengthens literacy and humanities instruction. Participants will engage in a guided experience demonstrating how observation, journaling, and inquiry deepen comprehension, writing, vocabulary, and critical thinking by connecting students to their local environment.

Grounded in equity-centered strategies, this session offers practical tools for inclusive implementation across grade levels, showing how the natural world can serve as a primary text for learning. Educators will learn how to facilitate sensory-rich writing exercises and site-specific inquiries that help students build background knowledge and develop a stronger sense of place. Attendees will leave with a clear framework for taking the curriculum outdoors to foster deeper student engagement and more authentic literacy connections