Earth Day 2023
This Saturday, April 22nd, we celebrate Earth Day! While a discussion on protecting our planet is important year-round, there’s no better time than the present! From Math, Geography, and even Art, here are 5 cross-curricular lesson plan ideas that your students will love! Be sure to visit our Units on Conservation, Earth, Rain Forests, and beyond for even more resources.
Math
In Our Water World, students learn that most of the Earth’s water is in the oceans. Help students visualize the amount of the Earth’s water in groundwater, ice, oceans, lakes, rivers, and wetlands. Give each student a 10 x 10 grid (100 squares total) to represent 100 percent of the water on Earth. Guide students to color in the percent of water in each location as described in the chart in Our Water World. Each type of water should be represented by a different color, and students should include a key to the meanings of these colors. Earth Day 2023
Art
Have students choose an environment, such as the desert, the rain forest, the tundra, the grasslands, or the sea. Ask students to find or draw pictures depicting the environment and its plants and animals. Have students make an album displaying their work and writing captions about them.
Science
Ask students to list 20 or more endangered species of animals and identify why each is endangered. They can learn more from our Endangered Species Unit. On a class map, have students label a map with the name of each animal and where it lives. Display the map and students’ list on a bulletin board.
Social Studies
Have students research to find out which countries are the largest producers of oil and which are the largest consumers. Afterward, discuss whether a country’s location and population may be a factor and if they should consider any alternative fuel ideas. Your students can learn about our oil consumption’s effects on the environment throughout our Conservation Unit.
Geography
Tropical rain forests receive an enormous amount of rain—at least 75 inches of rain each year! Have students research to find the ten places around the world that have the greatest annual rainfall. Have students locate each place on a map or globe. As a class, have students create a pictograph comparing the annual rainfall in these places. For example, students can represent ten inches of precipitation with a raindrop, and five inches of precipitation with half a raindrop. After creating the graph, ask students questions that require them to use the information in the graph.
Earth Day 2023 Kids Discover Kid Discover Online
