Learning About

EARTH DAY A 1-2 day lesson for 4-8th graders that Includes: *Record your trash template & reflection. *Earth Day WebQuest (Internet Access Needed)

*An Earth Day Word Search

Background by Dream Like Magic Clip Art by Discovery EducationUpdated March 2014

The Trash Stash Name: _______________________________________________ Directions: In the chart below, write down EVERYTHING you throw away for 24 hours. I mean EVERYTHING (gum wrappers, dog poo, pieces of paper, etc.) Be specific (i.e. FIVE pieces of paper, 2 chewed pieces of gum, 3 chicken fingers, etc.)!! Be sure to write SMALL as you may throw away more trash than you think!! Use a separate sheet of paper if you run out of space!

Time Places Trash

Morning !!!!

Mid-Day/Afternoon !!!!!

Evening/Night !!!!!

The Trash Stash Reflection !1. Compare/contrast your list of trash to different students’ lists. What are some major differences between your trash list & theirs? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Discuss your differences with your partner. WHY were they different? WHY was one list longer than the other? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ !3. Looking at your list of trash, list the items that you threw in the garbage that could have been recycled (paper, plastic, aluminum, glass, etc.)or used

for a different purpose (example: a grocery bag could be used again as a trash can liner). ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Count the items on your list that could have been reused or recycles. Multiply that number by the number of students in your classroom.

Approximately how many pieces of trash could your class have reused or recycled? ______________________________________________________________________________________________ !5. How has your perspective about throwing trash away changed after this activity? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Earth Day WebQuest Directions: Follow the specific instructions on each question to learn more about Earth Day. !Visit http://www.earthday.org & click on the ‘About Us’ tab at the top. 1. When was the first Earth Day? ____________________________________________ !Click on ‘Clean Air Act’ link. 2. List TWO accomplishments of the Clean Air Act.

a.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

!b.______________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________ !Click the ‘back’ button and then click on the link that says ‘Green Schools Campaign.’ Click on ‘What is a green school?” 3. Summarize what a green school is. In what ways is YOUR school green? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ !Click on the tab at the top that says ‘PROGRAMS’. Select ‘Earth Day 2014: Green Cities.’ On the front page, you will see a screen that says ‘Success Stories.’ Click the red button that says ‘Learn More.’ !!!In the following chart, select THREE different success story locations, explain what they did to be more “green” and the result of their action. !

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Reflection Question 5. What can YOU, your friends, your family, and your community do to improve the quality of the Earth? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Location What They Did Result

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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EARTH DAY WORD SEARCH

WORDS TO FIND: !

ANIMALS CLEAN EARTH

ENDANGERED EXTINCT

FUEL HABITAT OZONE PLANTS

POLLUTION PRESERVE RECYCLE

REUSE TREES WATER

Teacher Guide This is an AWESOME 1-2 day lesson plan for 4th-8th grade students to give them a good perspective about their impact on the Earth and to learn a little bit about why Earth Day was created! In my classroom, I typically give the ‘Trash Stash’ assignment for homework overnight or over the weekend. BE SURE THAT YOU DO IT TOO so you can share how much trash YOU throw away every day! The reflection questions can be done in pairs or small groups!

Earth Day WebQuest Answer Key **If internet is not available for each student, they could work in pairs/groups, or the teacher could project the websites on

a large screen so all students can see!** !1.April 22, 1970 2. a. Prevented more than 200,000 premature deaths

a. 700,000 cases of chronic bronchitis were prevented (other answers from website acceptable!) 3. A green school is an effective agent for enacting positive environmental and educational change in schools and

communities. School greetings provide helthy, comfortable and productive learning environments while saving energy, resources and money.

4. Answers vary ~ Students must record what the city/location did to make it a more “green” living place & the result of their effort.

5. Answers vary ~ I always look for QUALITY answers here & the student responses lead to great discussion! !