Earth Day is right around the corner, which has me thinking about all the important lessons I want to include in my Earth Day activities. Teaching about pollution, how humans impact the environment, and natural resources are at the top of my list.
I created a unit several years ago including all of these topics because I couldn’t find anything. It is all about how humans impact the environment. This unit is so good that I continue to use it year after year! It’s easy to implement (lesson plans included!) and requires little to no prep and few materials. You students will be engaged and learn so much. Here are some of the unit highlights.
Human Impact on the Environment Fact Book
Finding kid-friendly text (when you have no science books) is hard. Since I couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for, I just did the research and wrote my own fact book. It makes teaching this unit a breeze because all the content is in one handy dandy book. The 8 pages cover human impact on the environment (both positive and negative), types of pollution, trees and reforestation, energy sources, and environmental technologies.
Pollution Activities
Read about the various types of pollution in the fact book then complete the engaging activities. The activities are hands-on and easy to implement with minimal supplies. No lengthy prep work or planning needed!
Current Environmental Challenges
Take learning outside the classroom to explore current environmental challenges. You will be amazed at the discussions going on among your students. Students will be challenged to come up with solutions to some of our current environmental problems.
Environmental Project
I love to end my units with an opportunity to extend learning. Whether you open it up to your whole class or just to those students wanting to learn more, the option is there. Includes a grading rubric.
You can find this entire unit, including both a print and digital option, here.
Happy teaching!
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