ReadWriteThink: April 22, 2009: Celebrate Earth Day!

April 22, 2009

		Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day in 1970. In the same year, Denis Hayes coordinated the first Earth Day in the United States. As a result of Earth Day, many environmental laws were passed and the Environmental Protection Agency was created. image © 2009 www.clipart.com

Celebrate Earth Day!

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

In celebration of Earth Day, have your students research some environmentalists who have made major contributions to our planet. A good starting point would be to view the people listed on the Ecology Hall of Fame. Have each student choose one person.

After researching the person’s achievements, students can then write letters to the environmentalists asking for their opinions on a current environmental issue or to share ideas on how to protect the earth. Students can write a friendly or business letter using the Letter Generator. After printing the letters, have students turn their letters into letter poems using the Letter Poem Creator, which will help them change their letters into poetic form.

Once the poems are finished, host an Earth Day poetry reading—outdoors if possible.

Lesson Plans

Digging Up Details on Worms: Using the Language of Science in an Inquiry Study
This inquiry lesson for grades K–2 includes a whole section on composting and recycling.

How Does My Garden Grow? Writing in Science Field Journals
This lesson plan invites young students to observe and explore their environment as they work together to plant a garden and study its growth, keeping a field journal of their observations.

Protecting Our Precious Planet: Sharing the Message of Earth Day
In this lesson, intended for grades K–2 but easily adaptable for older grades, students will learn to think globally and act locally by participating in the Earth Day Groceries Project.

Persuasive Essay: Environmental Issues
In this lesson, students in grades 6–8 explore environmental issues. They then write persuasive essays on a specific environmental topic.

Web Links

All About Earth Day
Developed by The Wilderness Society, this resource provides Earth Day curriculum activities for grades pre-K–12 in the Teacher’s Lounge.

Environmental Education for Kids!
The EEK! website is filled with environment-related information and activities for students in grades 4–8. Teachers can find lesson plans and related links.

Earth Foundation
The Earth Foundation offers this collection of resources. Of interest is the Teacher/Student resources section, which has sample lesson plans, links to information on the history of Earth Day and thte rainforest, and letter-writing campaigns for students.

EPA Environmental Kids Club
This site, from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, provides information about a variety of environmental topics—from air and water to garbage and recycling.

Texts

Schnetzler, Pattie. 2004. Earth Day Birthday. Dawn Publications.
This picture book is a colorful celebration of Earth Day. Children are introduced to 12 animals to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Pringle, Laurence. 2000. The Environmental Movement. HarperCollins.
This book traces the history of the environmental movement in the United States. The book covers a range of topics and incorporates black and white photographs documenting environmental problems and successful preservation efforts.

Singer, Marylin. 2002. Footprints on the Roof: Poems About the Earth. Knopf Books for Young Readers.
“I choose ooze,” writes Singer in “Mud,” one of the nature-themed poems in this collection.

Seuss, Dr. 1971. The Lorax. Random House.
Decades after its first publication, this Dr. Seuss classic is still relevant to environmental issues.