Mini-Lesson

Earth Day

Grades K-1

Objective: Students will learn about the history of Earth Day.

1. First, learn about the history of Earth Day. Read the article What on Earth Is Earth Day?

2. Next, share facts from the article with your students. For example, you might tell students that more than 20 million people participated in the first Earth Day celebration on April 22, 1970. Today, more than 500 million people around the world celebrate Earth Day every year on April 22.

3. Ask: Do you think it's important to have a special day for the Earth? What are some things that people do to celebrate Earth Day? (They ride bikes, take walks, plant trees and flowers, pick up trash and conserve water and electricity.) How do you want to celebrate Earth Day?

4. Divide students into groups. Have each group act out one way that kids can help the Earth. Use the article Celebrate Earth Day to help get them started.

EXTENSION ACTIVITY:

Print and make copies of this worksheet from the TIME For Kids archive: Enjoying Earth. It asks students to reflect on what they think is beautiful about Earth.

RESOURCES:

Earth Day by Trudi Strain Trueit (Scholastic, 2006).

Earth Day-Hooray! by Stuart J. Murphy (HarperTrophy, 2004).

epa.gov/kids Kid-friendly information from the Environmental Protection Agency