Earth Day: TeachersFirst Editors' Choices

Earth Day presents a special opportunity to connect classroom curriculum with real-world experience, not only in science but also for lessons in math, language arts, social studies, art, and more. With so many outstanding resources available on the web related to environmental concerns, TeachersFirst's editorial team has hand-selected this group of "Editors' Choices" for their potential to engage and involve your students in both the understanding of scientific concepts surrounding Earth Day and in environmental activism for any time of the year.
TeachersFirst has many more reviewed Earth Day resources if you wish to browse a longer listing. You can also narrow your search to a specific topic for earth day or a certain grade range using our keyword search tool in the left column of this page. Be sure to read the tips to optimize your search of our reviewed collection.
Whether you seek ideas for a community service project for Earth Day or ways to use innovative technologies to bring the environment into your classroom, our editors have found "the best of the best" to meet your needs.
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Recycle City - Environmental Protection Agency
Grades
2 to 6In the Classroom
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. As they independently explore, challenge students to make up their own "scavenger hunt" (complete with questions and answers) of places they feel are worthwhile to visit in Recycle City, then swap with a classmate. Have students write fictitious blog entries from the perspective of the city manager (updating residents on changes and improvements in the city).You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Earth Day - EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
Grades
4 to 7tag(s): earth (189), earth day (71), ecology (111), environment (249), recycling (46)
In the Classroom
Share this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Read the history of Earth Day together. Have cooperative learning groups explore different ways to "take action" and then challege them to transform their learning and create a multimedia presentation to share with the class. Try using Adobe Spark for Education, reviewed here, or Sway, reviewed here. Why not ask students to redefine their learning using one of these video tools (click tool name to see review): Vizia, Animatron, Powtoon, or Kizoa. Then, have students share it with the class using a site such as TeacherTube, explained here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Student's Guide to Global Climate Change - US EPA
Grades
5 to 8tag(s): ecology (111), fossil fuels (14)
In the Classroom
Have cooperative learning groups research the many links and activities at this site. Challenge groups to create a multi-media presentation: blog entry, wiki, PowerPoint, web page, or video.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Breathing Earth - David Bleja
Grades
3 to 12tag(s): carbon (19), carbon dioxide (10), carbon footprint (7), earth (189), earth day (71), environment (249)
In the Classroom
This site has countless uses in the classroom of various grade levels. Share this site on a projector or interactive whiteboard. With younger classes, use this map to teach about map legends. Use this when studying ecosystems, environmental issues, economics, current events, world birth and death rates, pollution problems, and conservation. Leave the site open for a few hours for students to see the changes. This site is an excellent resource for research projects on countries throughout the world.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Freecycle - The Freecycle Network
Grades
K to 12tag(s): earth (189), earth day (71), environment (249)
In the Classroom
Share this site with your class as an idea for Earth Day or being "green." Encourage your school service club or student council to consider launching a Freecycle project. Be sure to list the link on your class website, so parents can freecycle too.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Smog City 2 - U.S. EPA and Sacramento Air Quality Management District
Grades
5 to 12This site is powerful and therefore may take some extra time to load - so prepare ahead! This site requires Flash. Get it from the TeachersFirst Toolbox page.
tag(s): air (115), earth (189), earth day (71), environment (249), pollution (54)
In the Classroom
Younger students would benefit from a teacher-centered introduction on the simulator (using your interactive whiteboard or projector), followed by directed explorations to find specific answers to teacher questions. Older students can determine the most important factors in air pollution and explore means to solve the problem as part of a health, social studies, science, or government class. Have your students present their finding on an interactive whiteboard or projector.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Earth Day Groceries Project - The Earth Day Groceries Project
Grades
K to 8tag(s): creativity (91), earth (189), earth day (71)
In the Classroom
Use this interdisciplinary activity to integrate art, creativity, community service, science, and Earth Day events. Share the PowerPoint presentation with your class on a projector or interactive whiteboard to get students motivated about the project.Display pictures of some of the bags on your class website. Provide this link in your class newsletter or on your class website; challenge parents to make this a family activity.
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The Ozone Resource page - National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Grades
8 to 12tag(s): earth (189), earth day (71), environment (249), ozone (7)
In the Classroom
Students can use the resources in "Ozone Hole Watch" to determine the trends in the ozone either daily or over the years. Further research involving political, consumer, and environmental trends can bring insights into effects on the ozone layer. Using the wealth of material on the site, students can use the information to create a "Handbook of the Earth" (as an example) to understand how the ozone affects us in our current and future lives. Students can also work in groups and be assigned portions of the content to study. They can then present their findings to the rest of the class (using a multi-media presentation). Students can use this information in conjunction with environmental or Earth Day activities in or out of class.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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