EARTH DAYACTIVITIES

April 22nd9th grade

Objectives Raising students awareness about environmental issues; Recognizing how human activities can have adverse environmental consequences;

Identifying things that can be done to preserve Earth; Understanding the basic concept of sustainability; Developing students creativity; Improving speaking and writing skills.

Key words/concepts Climate change Resources/ diminishing resources Sustainability/ sustainable future Green jobs Fossil fuels Over-exploitation

Renewable energies Habitat destruction Ecological footprint Ecovillage

PlanStudents have some previous knowledge on the subject as they studied the topic Environment in the 7th and 8th grades. Brainstorming about environmental threats. Students are asked to reflect on the damage man has done to the environment.ozone depletion, pollution, toxic waste, overfishing, global warming, sea level rise, desertification, habitat loss, new diseases, animal extiction, destruction of the rainforest, polar sea ice loss, soil erosion )

(possible answers: deforestation, acid rain, climate change,

OR Students are shown the following word cloud and try to detect the environmental threats in it: http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5115799/environmental_threats (downloadable);

Students solve a vocabulary worksheet in order to apply some of the above words / expressions (ws 1). Students watch the following video and identify the wrong actions (ws 2).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXntPfWi8H0&feature=related

Students are asked to visit the following site to find out information about sustainability (homework activity) (ws 3)http://www.centerforsustainability.org/resources.php?root=96&category=96

Reading comprehension/ grammar activities: students read the text Findhorn Ecovillage and solve the exercises. Passive voice is introduced. (ws 4)

Writing activity: topics in the worksheet lets talk about the environment can be used as writing prompt(s).OR Speaking activity: the Earth Summit will take place in Rio, Brazil (Rio+20) from 20th to 22nd June this year. The topic will be Sustainable Development. Students are asked to imagine they will have the opportunity to be chosen to take part in the summit by making speech under the title The Future we want (if you had 2 minutes to tell the world about the future you want, what would you say?). This activity can also be a writing one.

Cross-curriculum activities Subjects: Geography and ScienceSome ideas: Students create environmental bilingual posters for the school exhition; A poster contest; Creating simple environmental messages and leaving them in specific places in school (visit http://www.dn.pt/inicio/portugal/interior.aspx?content_id=2372537 to find out more informatin about this activity)

Interesting Sites for Students Find out about your ecological footprint. Visit www.footprint.org and take the quiz! Go Green! Plan your eco-holidays here :http://www.zmar.eu/187/ecotourism.htm What will Earth be like in 2050? Watch this video at Discovery Channel:http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/future-energy-2050-videos/#fbid=RM5aT_-KZGL

How green are you? Take this quiz: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/globalwarming/quiz-going-green/ Take a look at a vision of how we might live in years to come:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7348940.stm