These Earth Day resources provide writing prompts that stimulate social and emotional connections to nature, vocabulary cards with images, and art activities.
All resources are adjustable, downloadable, and easy to share online, making them a great choice for Earth Day or any other time of the year!
Teaching Tips
Positives
The vocabulary cards can be displayed in the classroom, used in presentations, or assigned to students to fill in themselves.
The writing prompts will provide students with a number of things to reflect on and express their feelings about.
Additional Prerequisites
You will need to make a copy of the files before working with them.
The art file can be printed off for use in the classroom.
Differentiation
Social studies and language arts classes could use the writing prompts for short writing assignments, discussion topics, or to make social-emotional connections to climate topics.
Science classes can use the vocabulary cards to support lessons about ecology, ecosystems, climate change, or biodiversity.
Have students pick a writing topic they like, then have them research it and present their findings and feelings about the topic to the class.
Science students can use the vocabulary cards to help them with lessons about habitats, species, weather, climate change, and greenhouse gases.
Scientist Notes
This Earth Day resource from SubjectToClimate features three classroom activities that include art, vocabulary, and writing skills. The vocabulary cards are a great way to ensure that every student understands the meaning of key terms that are often used with little context. The writing prompts range from appeals to emotion to deeper issues like rights, gender equality, and racial justice. These prompts balance the fact that while climate change is certainly global, we all feel the impacts in our local areas. Writing prompts are provided in handout and projector formats to allow them to be used according to technology availability and teacher preference. This resource guides students to think deeply about the greatest threat to the Earth and share both their feelings and knowledge through writing. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
Language (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.6.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
Writing (K-12)
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
National Core Arts Standards
Visual Arts: Standard 1 - Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
VA:Cr1.2.6a Formulate an artistic investigation of personally relevant content for creating art.
