Earth Day Lesson Plan

English-

OBJECTIVES- This reading comprehension and writing activity will have students
thinking about energy conservation and easy ways to save energy.
Skills supporting learning standards: phonemic awareness, vocabulary development,
spelling, informative/explanatory text writing, participating in group discussions
Materials Needed:
● An Earth Day Storybook Worksheet
● Scissors
● Pencil
● Crayons
Procedures:
● Sight Word: Will
● Explain that will is used in many ways
● Examples of using will
● Read the directions of worksheet
● Students cut out the fold booklet
● Read & Fill in blanks together
● Students Color booklet

Assessments:
● Create a class energy conservation booklet
○ Each student writes about how they can save the earth
○ Draws a picture to go with the writing

Accommodations:
● More direction
● Extra time
● Gifted student writes a sentence for each picture that appears in the booklet, using
the sight word at least once in each sentence

Art-
Objective: Students are able to paint a picture of the Earth with marbles through creative
expression and feelings.
Standards:
● 2.4 Paint pictures expressing ideas about family and neighborhood.
● 2.5 Use lines in drawings and paintings to express feelings.
● 2.1 Use lines, shapes/forms, and colors to make patterns
● 2.0 CREATIVE EXPRESSION
○ Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Visual Arts
○ Students apply artistic processes and skills, using a variety of media to
communicate meaning and intent in original works of art.
Materials Needed:
● White, green, blue paint
● Tray
● Paper
● Marbles
● Circle template
● Tape
● Green paper
Procedure:
● Place the circle template FACE DOWN in the tray
● tape down the paper to the tray
● Put a few squirts of each color on top of the paper
● about 4-5 marble and let the students roll away
● Take the paper out of the tray and let it dry
● the next day the students can easily cut out the circle
● Glue the “earth” on size 12×18 black construction paper near the top
● students complete the writing page “I can help the Earth by:”
● Glue the writing page on a green half sheet
Assessment:
● Final product
Accommodations:
● More time
● Simple direction
● Gifted students can make an earth out of tissue paper and complete the writing
page “I can help the earth by:”

Science-
Objective: Students are able to predict what will happen and compare it to what really
happened. Students can infer that change on observation.
Standards:
 ● K.E.1.1 Infer that change is something that happens to many things in the
environment based on observations made using one or more of their senses.
Materials needed:
● 2 Bottles of white glue
● 1/2 teaspoon of Borax
● 1 cup of hot water, 2 1/2 cups of water
● 3 bowls
● Blue and green food coloring (or liquid watercolors)
Procedure:
Bowl 1 – Water and Borax Mixture- Find a nice sized bowl. You will need to squish the
slime in it, so make sure it is big and wide enough. Mix one cup of hot water in the bowl
with ½ tsp of borax. Dissolve completely. You will want to hold onto this mixture, even
after your slime is made! If you find that your slime is too stretchy or turns sticky after a
few minutes of playing, you’ll be glad you didn’t dump this out! Allow the borax and water
to cool as you prep you the next step.

In the second bowl, we mixed one bottle of Elmer’s glue (5-6 oz) with ½ cup of water. Then,
we added about 10 drops of blue food coloring. We stirred the mixture till the glue began
to turn blue. After a few minutes of stirring with a spoon, we continued to combine the
ingredients with our hands so the glue absorbed the food coloring.

In the third bowl, we again mixed one bottle of Elmer’s glue (5-6 oz) with ½ cup of water.
This time, we added about 10 drops of green food coloring and combined the ingredients
just like we did above. If you want a darker color, simply add a few more drops of food
coloring.

We put the blue slime into a bowl and spread it around till it was in the shape of a circle.
Then, we pulled the green slime apart and put it on top of the blue slime. We used a
toothpick to shape the different continents, even though they were not to scale.

Assessment:

● Students write a hypothesis of what they think will happen

● After the experiment is done have them compare what happened to their
hypothesis
Accommodations:
● More time
● Goal- to just complete the experiment
● Gifted students can complete the experiment and be able to write a paragraph
about what happens, including their hypothesis
Math-
Objective: Students should be able to show their knowledge on how to add & subtract.
Standards: CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP1 Make sense of problems and persevere in
solving them.
Materials Needed:
● Earth Day Spin & Add worksheet
● Earth Day Spin & Subtract Worksheet
● Earth Day Roll & Color Worksheet
● Paper Clips
● Green & blue crayons
 ● Pencils
Procedure:
● Have the students complete all the worksheets
Assessment:
● Timed test for adding & subtracting
Accommodations:
● Complete Earth Day Spin & Add worksheet & Earth Day Roll & Color Worksheet
● Extra time for the test
● Gifted students complete all three worksheets
● Gifted students get more problems for the time test

Social Studies-
Objective:
• Discuss ways people can pollute a water source.
• Propose methods for preventing and cleaning up water pollution.
• Explain why it is more effective to prevent pollution than to clean it up after the fact.
Standards:
● Critical thinking
● listening and observing
● role playing
● understanding cause and effect
● describing
Materials Needed:
• 1 clear gallon jar or bowl of water
• 1 plastic film canister for each student
• Canister labels
• Character name tags
• Story: Who Polluted the River?
• Canister ingredients
• Plastic fish toy (optional)
Procedure:
1. Prepare and label the film canisters using the provided Canister Labels and the
items in the chart below. Prepare enough canisters for each student to have at
least one. There are 10 canisters, so unless your class is very small, you will need to
double some characters. (Some students will have identical canisters.)
2. Cut out the Character Name tags. Make sure that there is a Character Name tag
for each canister you’ve made
3. Fill a clear jar or bowl with water. Place the container in a location that can be seen
by all students. If using a fish toy, put it in the water now and when asking the
questions within the story, point to the fish and include the question “How do you
think the fish feels?”
4. Distribute one Character Name tag to each student. To activate background
knowledge, ask students to share one thing they already know about the Character
they are given (the sound it makes, what color it is, etc.).
5. Set up the labeled canisters within easy reach of where you’ll be facilitating the
activity, lined up in the order they are to go into the water.
6. Explain that you will tell a story about the river, (insert the name of a river in your
area, if you wish) and that each of the students will play a part in the story. The jar
of water represents the river. When they hear the name of the item pictured on the
Character Name tag you’ve given them, they should come up to you and get the
matching canister, open it, and empty its contents into the container.
7. Read the story Who Polluted the River? aloud. Add emphasis as you read each
bolded character name and pause after each question to give the students time to
think and respond.
Assessment:
Ask students to pick two pollutants from the story and illustrate:
1. an action that would cause that pollutant to go into the river.
2. an action that would prevent that pollutant from entering the river
Accommodations:
 ● Have the lid off for them
● Give them a little more direction when it is their turn
● Only pick one pollutant from the story and illustrate...
● Gifted students- Pick three-four pollutants from the story and illustrate...

Physical Education-
Objective: To practice an instant activity while learning the importance of taking care of
our planet.
Standards:
● 1.1 Travel within a large group, without bumping into others or falling, while using
locomotor skills.
● 1.2 Travel forward and sideways while changing direction quickly in response to a
signal.
● 1.3 Demonstrate contrasts between slow and fast speeds while using locomotor
skills.
● 1.9 Perform a continuous log roll.
● 1.10 Travel in straight, curved, and zigzag pathways.
● 1.12 Strike a stationary ball or balloon with the hands, arms, and feet.
● 1.13 Toss a ball to oneself, using the underhand throw pattern, and catch it before
it bounces twice.
● 2.5 Identify the locomotor skills of walk, jog, run, hop, jump, slide, and gallop.
 ● 3.1 Participate in physical activities that are enjoyable and challenging.
● 3.2 Participate three to four days each week in moderate to vigorous physical
activities that increase breathing and heart rate
Materials Needed:
● two half-noodles
● two green pinnies
● many yarn or other soft material balls
● container to hold balls
Procedure:
- Talk to the students about Earth Day and how we must do what we can to take care
of our planet - every day! Discuss what littering is and how we can help clean up
the world.
- Select two students to be taggers - they are the "Litterbugs." Select two students to
be super heroes - they are "Captains Green Planet." The taggers will each have a
tagging instrument (noodle) and the superheroes will wear the green pinnies. Place
a "recycling bin" of yarn balls in the middle of the playing area.
- On the start signal, the Litter Bugs will attempt to tag the students. Once tagged, a
student will hold up two fingers in a "peace sign," run to the recycling bin, grab a
yarn ball and throw overhand as far as possible. Once the ball is thrown, the
student starts to run again from the Litter Bug. The Captains Green Planet will pick
up the yarn balls, one at a time, and return them to the recycling bin - helping to
clean up the world!
- Continue playing for a few minutes and then select others to be the Litter Bugs and
Captains Green Planet. Remind students to always watch where they are going.
Litter Bugs must tag from the shoulders down, GENTLY!
Assessment:
Use a skills checklist to assess throwing form
Accommodations:
A student with motor disabilities can have a peer assist with moving around in general
space while being a Litter Bug or a Captain Green Planet. While fleeing from the tagger, a
student with motor disabilities can use a signal to be "safe" from being tagged.
Music-

Objective- To create a musical instrument and create musical rhythm with the entire
class.

Standards-
● 1.2 Identify and describe basic elements in music (e.g., high/low, fast/slow,
loud/soft, beat).
● 2.1 Use the singing voice to echo short melodic patterns.
● 2.2 Sing age-appropriate songs from memory.
● 2.3 Play instruments and move or verbalize to demonstrate awareness of beat,
tempo, dynamics, and melodic direction.
Material Needed-
● Large Empty Spool
● Foamy Shape (Star, circle, etc.)
● Foam Brushes
● Paint
● Curling Ribbon
● Scissors
● Rice, Beans or Beads
● Glue
Procedure-
 1. Paint the spool. Let it dry.
2. Glue a foam shape over the opening on one end.
3. Drop in a few beans in the other end.
4. Glue a foamy shape over that end to keep the beans inside.
5. Cut long pieces of curling ribbon and tie it to the core of the spool.
6. Curl with scissors.
7. Show children how to play the instruments.
8. Play along with a piece of music—Start out by playing some FAMILIAR SONGS
with which they can play their instruments. (Maybe sing with them too?)
9. Encourage youth to listen for the beat of the song and match their strokes to the
tempo of the music.
10. Give children CHOICE. Before they choose their final “Band Instrument — let
them play from a variety.
11. Put on some lively music and have child practice the instrument. Because it will
be loud–you could practice outside when weather is nice!
12. Consider Choosing an instrument for yourself and join the children’s’ Instrument
Parade!
13. It’s not enough to just make the instruments – Now have some fun with them!!!
Assessment-
● Students are able to keep with the entire class and keep rhythm
Accomodations-
● Help build the instruments or already have them build
● Extra time
● Gifted Students create paper plates maracas
Worksheet Links

https://populationeducation.org/sites/default/files/Elem_Earth_Day_Resources.pdf -
Social Studies

https://thekindergartenconnection.com/printable-earth-day-math-games/ - Math

https://www.scholastic.com/content/dam/teachers/sponsored-content/con-
edison/coned_spr_k2_earth_day_storybook.pdf - English