Earth Day is Every Day

I have a few big passions:  education, policy, cooking, and the environment, among others.  So, when Earth Day swings around, I absolutely incorporate discussions about the climate into our class.  The beauty of Earth Day and climate curriculum is that it is relevant across subject areas: data to analyze in math, persuasive essays to write in English, and policy analysis in government to name just a few.  

For me, every day is Earth Day.  Even if you only investigate the environment and environmental changes once a year, you can still make an impact.  Here are 5 ideas for celebrating Earth Day in your classroom,  

• Host a Climate Change Awards ceremony.  Students take on the role of climate scientists to persuade others of the importance of one issue of their choice related to global warming.  This is a great activity for persuasive writing.
• Take on Global Warming by the Numbers.  Students investigate the statistics related to global warming and actions that can be taken to reduce climate change related to a specific topic.  I love to use this project to empower students to come up with solutions that they can implement to shape their future.  
• Investigate topics related to climate change in a gallery walk.  If you only have a day, this is a great activity for students to learn about changes in the environment.
• Generate thoughtful discussions when you host a Climate change conference.  Students each select a climate scientist, environmental advocate or climate change denier to role play at the Earth Day conference.  Students gain research and presentation skills while learning about climate change and experiencing the walk in another person's shoes.  This is a valuable project, but definitely is a bigger time investment than other projects.
• Or for another project, have students work collaboratively to study the biomes of the world.  They find out not only what and where the biomes are but the specific effects of climate change on the environment in these areas.  This project is a big hit with middle schoolers.  

And remember that I donate proceeds from all of my climate change resources sold in April to the Green Ninja (Check out their videos for your classroom on YouTube).Whether you choose one of these products, show a Green Ninja or other climate change related video, or come up with your own project, I hope you will take a moment to think of the Earth with your students, even if it is just for a day.  Every step we take today will impact our students' futures. Make these moments count!