Civic education can be taught throughout a student’s time in school. April 22 is Earth Day, and this provides a great time for students to get involved in persevering their own communities! There are numerous local and national efforts for students and teachers to work together in an effort to act on environmental projects in their communities.
A great way to connect writing, classroom collaboration, and environmental concerns is to have students write an opinion piece on a topic that is of a concern to them or an interest they want to be involved in on Earth Day. The outline provided supports students in their writing an opinion piece. Have students think about their opinions on a topic related to our environment and state reasons to support their opinions! Download a Opinion Piece Outline Graphic Organizer to assist students in their writing.
Topics should be accessible to students and can stem from events in – school or in their communities. Possible topics include:
Recycling
Use of electricity
Litter
Pollution, air and water
Planting trees
Walking or riding a bike (vs. driving)
Turning off the TV
Conserve water
Plastic water bottles
Writing is just one step toward encouraging active engagement for Earth Day. Making a commitment to change is a second way to encourage active participation. With the What's Your Promise? Writing Activity students will write down one promise they are willing to make on Earth Day to make the planet a better place. Teachers can create a “What’s Your Promise?” bulletin board where students can post a commitment they are willing to make to make Earth a better place.