Earth Day Lesson Ideas
Happy April!
I LOVE this month. For those of you who live up north, you finally get that spring feeling - flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing, and the air is getting warmer.
In Florida, we like to pretend it’s spring, but, in reality, summer has begun.
April also celebrates Earth Day, the perfect day to focus your students’ attention on the one thing every person has in common - the planet we live on. Earth Day is a great way to inspire discussion and debates in your classroom. Students are often given a bad rap in the media, but I always found kids were amazing at wanting to improve their world.
Students love to talk - and you can easily tie in environmental issues an Earth Day discussion. There are so many ways to integrate environmental issues into your lessons.
ELA
Earth Day Paired Passages
Do you have car-crazed students? Would your students enjoy learning about off-the-wall topics like toilet paper? If yes, my Earth Day Paired Passages are for you! These paired passages integrate social studies, reading, and writing.
The first set is all about how the way we produce products we use every day can be harmful to the environment, and what we can do to reduce our impact. The articles on palm oil and toilet paper are great discussion starters, because, although there are issues with the products, they might be the best option or difficult to change.
The second set is all about cars! There are so many types of cars today - gas-powered, hybrid, electric - and a lot of debate about which is better, if any, for the environment. The resource includes one passage about the pros and cons of the vehicles, a text on selecting a car, and a comparison chart.
Each set of texts also has reading comprehension quizzes and an extended writing prompt. One prompt is informative, and the other is opinion/argumentative (both are included.)
Write
First, you could have your students write an essay related to the paired passages you read in class.
Second, you could have your class write about what they’ve learned about carbon, their carbon footprint, and ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
(Have you taught your students about their carbon footprints? Look below to see how I taught it!)
Need to make it sound more interactive? Have students write a persuasive “ad” with the goal of getting people to reduce their own carbon footprint.
Science
Earth Day screams science to me. Have conversations with your students about climate change, the environment, or what a carbon footprint is.
Looking for easy ways to discuss carbon footprints? I liked this blog post from Kitchen Counter Chronicle.
This video from PBS Learning is a little long, but it would be beneficial for your older students to help them understand the energy we use in the US.
Carbon Footprint Calculator
Depending on how much you want to highlight our carbon footprints, you might want to use a short calculator or a longer version.
If you are looking for a short version, I liked this one from Conversation.org
Maybe you are wanting to really focus on carbon footprints. I suggest using the Footprint Calculator.
I hope this gives you some great ideas on how to make Earth Day a fun learning experience for your classroom!
How do you celebrate Earth Day? I’d love to hear!