Earth Day 2013: Lesson Plans, Reading Lists and Classroom Ideas

Earth Day 2013 is right around the corner. Are you planning on incorporating the annual event in your classroom?

There are many different learning opportunities on Earth Day, whether it's science-based investigations or researching the environment. To help, we've compiled a list of resources that teachers can use to bring Earth Day to students. The first is a great American Experience Documentary from PBS, which examining our country's eco-activism past, and we've also highlighted great Earth Day lesson plans, recommended reading lists, and ideas for classroom activities.

Earth Day Lesson Plans:

K-5 Earth Day Curriculum Resources: The National Education Association produced this resource for teachers, which features seven in-depth lesson plans, Earth Day games and a list of outside links for students in grades K-5. There is also three entire unit plans as well.

Celebrate Earth Day! from ReadWriteThink: Here, teachers will find six lesson plans written by teachers for students in grades K-2, 6-8 and 7-9. Provided are resources for Earth Day-themed writing assignments, eco-reading activities and environmental research projects. The page also features ideas for after-school and at-home learning.

Earth Day Resources from EcoKids: Teachers can sign up for free access to EcoKids’ Teacher’s Lounge, where they’ll find ESL lesson plans, a “Literacy Corner,” printable handouts and activity sheets. Produced by Earth Day Canada, there’s also a section for students, including online games, homework help and links to contests.

Lesson Plans and Resources for Earth Day: This page from HotChalk Lesson Plans features lesson ideas for every grade level, providing a short summary of each lesson, a list of required materials, and possible assessment strategies. The plans are easy adaptable to any classroom environment.

Earth Day Network’s Lesson Plans: There’s lesson plans here for every K-12 classroom, and they’re split up by grade level -- K-5, 6-8 and 9-12. Students can learn about pollution, alternative fuels, and recycling. Plans are available as free PDFs, they’re easy to implement, and provide everything you will need.

Classroom Ideas for Earth Day Activities:

Six Earth Day Activities: Huffington Post author Ted Wells wrote this post in 2009, and it features some great ideas for incorporating Earth Day into the classroom.
Earth Day Ideas on Pinterest: There are so many great Earth Day Pinterest boards, that’s it’s hard to pick just a few. But here’s a few that feature a bunch of great ideas for teachers: A to Z Teacher Stuff has great ideas for crafts, there’s tons of great ideas on Sara Dye’s “Teaching Earth Day” board, and great pins and resources on Dayna Atkins’ board.
Earth Day Ideas from Scholastic: There’s a few quick links here for a variety of classroom activities -- from quick science projects to scavenger hunts.

Earth Day Reading For Students:

2013 Earth Day Recommended Reading: The Florida Department of Education produced this list of books and literature perfect for every grade level.
Reading for the Earth from the Earth Day Network: There information here about the network’s eco-themed reading initiative.
10 Great Green Books to Read with Your Kids: Author Sami Grover wrote this post for HowStuffWorks, and it features some great reading ideas for parents.
Earth Day: Reading Green to Kids: This post from Allecia Vermillion of the GateHouse News Service in Cape Cod has plenty of great ideas for parents.

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Earth Day 2013: Lesson Plans, Reading Lists and Classroom Ideas

Earth Day 2013: Lesson Plans, Reading Lists and Classroom Ideas

Classroom Ideas for Earth Day Activities:

Earth Day Reading For Students:

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