Are you searching for out-of-the-box Earth Day activities to help students read, write, and create while learning about the important responsibility of protecting our planet? Here are six activities that teachers and students love when celebrating Earth Day. These Earth Day teaching resources move beyond the basics and challenge students to think critically while practicing important skills.
Challenge your students to craft defensible arguments and practice their communication skills as they face off in this Earth Day Debate PBL.
Will your students support or oppose limiting the consumption of meat to protect the environment? Will they assert that electric cars are a solution to protecting our environment? Students will get to choose from engaging, authentic topics such as these. Your advanced learners could work independently choosing their own topics, conducting internet research to
find evidence that supports their claims, and using the argument organizer to plan an effective argument before debating. Students who might require more guidance can use the scaffolding included in this resource to navigate through the project.
After students research and plan, it’s time to have fun! To determine debate teams, draw popsicle sticks or use a website with a random pair generator and have students debate one on one, or you could even use this project as group work to help students develop their collaborative skills and make it a group debate.
Who will be the first to earn their Conservation Badge? Who will save the aliens from pollution? Students will love the immersive experience in these escape rooms! Students practice reading comprehension and math skills as they complete challenges and help save the planet.
These multimedia resources are zero prep and come in three formats including an immersive Webscape format that is self-directed and self-correcting and challenges students to tap into their critical thinking and self-management skills. You won’t believe how interactive these escape rooms are in this format!
This Earth Day Guided Reading Freebie is the perfect way to learn all about Earth Day while practicing reading skills. This freebie comes with one set of Earth Day themed guided readers. They have certified Lexile levels at 430L, 660L, and 840L so you can differentiate through your entire class. They come in both printable readers and a web-based digital format.
Students will love getting to learn about Earth Day and the benefits of recycling by taking a virtual field trip to the recycling center.
This field trip challenges students to create a recycled art project, think critically about what should be recycled or sent to the landfill, learn about the 3 R’s of recycling, and take the Earth Day Pledge. My students’ favorite part is earning the stamps as they complete tasks; they love the bragging rights of showing off the stamps as they earn them.
If your students need more practice with reading comprehension skills, have them create this fun Earth Day flipbook. Students will put on their thinking caps as they tackle passages that are leveled for low, middle, and high readers to use context clues, identify text features and sequence, identify main ideas and supporting details, and more. This is great continued practice of reading skills as students learn more about Earth Day. Pair this with an Earth Day-themed read-aloud or video to fully celebrate the day!
If you’re looking for an easy way to get your students thinking about what they can do to help the Earth, download this Earth Day Pledge, Journal & Challenge freebie.
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