Every Day is Earth Day
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English/Language Arts
Explore classic literature - nonfiction
Author Swinburne reference’s Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring in this Minute. Students tend to be familiar with fictional classics like Alice in Wonderland and Huckleberry Finn but not so much with the impact that nonfiction can have. Take a closer look at Silent Spring and the long lasting effects on the environmental conscience. Compare that to other historical examples, like Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, Henry David Thoreau’s On Walden Pond, or Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. What do these examples have in common?
Social Studies
Explore the history of environmental protection
Have students take a close look at how and why the idea of protecting the environment has become mainstream. What lead the US government to create the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)? What kinds of laws currently exist, and what was the progression? How and why is politics connected to environmental protection? Should it be?
Explore holidays and celebrations
Author Swinburne provides the back story on how Earth Day came about. How does that compare to other celebrations and holidays? Use this Minute to explore how holidays are created. Can students come up with categories for the origin stories? Gather the data and draw some conclusions!
STEM
Explore the science of clouds
In the first paragraph, this Minute references Cumulonimbus clouds. Have your students explore the different types of clouds and what they can predict about the coming weather. Check out the NASA pages on clouds and then head outside to do some identification. Kids can chart what they see over time along with recording daily temperatures and weather, then make some inferences about the connections they find.
Explore environmental science - plastics pollution
The theme of this year’s Earth Day is to end global plastics pollution. Take a look at the life cycle of a plastic bottle. There are lots of great resources for your classrooms in the pages of the Education Toolkit for this year’s Earth Day celebration. Download the toolkit here for lesson plans and resources for all levels of K-12 teaching.
Research Skills
Explore targeted websites
Sometimes, a topic or subject gives rise to dedicated websites to share information. This is true with Earth Day. The Earth Day Network is a nonprofit company that began 45 years ago as an organized response to the Earth Day celebration, and they have become the catalyst for activities and activism around the world. Give your students some time to explore the site and think about how they can become part of the the movement to protect the planet. Don’t miss the great resources for educators!
Explore classic literature - nonfiction
Author Swinburne reference’s Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring in this Minute. Students tend to be familiar with fictional classics like Alice in Wonderland and Huckleberry Finn but not so much with the impact that nonfiction can have. Take a closer look at Silent Spring and the long lasting effects on the environmental conscience. Compare that to other historical examples, like Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, Henry David Thoreau’s On Walden Pond, or Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. What do these examples have in common?
Social Studies
Explore the history of environmental protection
Have students take a close look at how and why the idea of protecting the environment has become mainstream. What lead the US government to create the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)? What kinds of laws currently exist, and what was the progression? How and why is politics connected to environmental protection? Should it be?
Explore holidays and celebrations
Author Swinburne provides the back story on how Earth Day came about. How does that compare to other celebrations and holidays? Use this Minute to explore how holidays are created. Can students come up with categories for the origin stories? Gather the data and draw some conclusions!
STEM
Explore the science of clouds
In the first paragraph, this Minute references Cumulonimbus clouds. Have your students explore the different types of clouds and what they can predict about the coming weather. Check out the NASA pages on clouds and then head outside to do some identification. Kids can chart what they see over time along with recording daily temperatures and weather, then make some inferences about the connections they find.
Explore environmental science - plastics pollution
The theme of this year’s Earth Day is to end global plastics pollution. Take a look at the life cycle of a plastic bottle. There are lots of great resources for your classrooms in the pages of the Education Toolkit for this year’s Earth Day celebration. Download the toolkit here for lesson plans and resources for all levels of K-12 teaching.
Research Skills
Explore targeted websites
Sometimes, a topic or subject gives rise to dedicated websites to share information. This is true with Earth Day. The Earth Day Network is a nonprofit company that began 45 years ago as an organized response to the Earth Day celebration, and they have become the catalyst for activities and activism around the world. Give your students some time to explore the site and think about how they can become part of the the movement to protect the planet. Don’t miss the great resources for educators!
© Karen Sterling, 2018 - May be used for educational purposes without written permission