HOORAY for Earth Day...celebrating the planet we call HOME!

TEACHER:  Ask the class to go on a "litter clean-up" on the school grounds several days before this lesson...15 minutes or less.  Go 2 days in a row to see how much litter has been deposited since the previous day.  SAVE THE LITTER IN A CARDBOARD BOX for an art project later in the EARTH DAY unit.

Also, ask students to save cardboard, styrofoam, tin foil, clear wrap, paper cups, plastic bottle caps, any "clean litter" from their lunchs, and also bring some from home to add to the  ART PROJECT collection box/ bag]

[The teacher will share the facts below with students by reading 1 or 2 paragraphs, and then encouraging group discussions at these  intervals.  *Also, for the group projects that will be produced later, this "fact sharing" as a group is important.  ]

EARTH DAY was first celebrated on April 22, 1970.  One reason for focusing attention on the Earth in a special way was because @ 10 years earlier, lots of people began noticing serious water pollution that could hurt humans AND creatures of the land and sea...whether they swam in the water,  drank the water or washed in it!  The  source of this pollution were ome businesses that were located on rivers or near the oceans were dumping poisonous waste that was left over from making their products.   

Also, factories and power plants were burning fossil fuels [coal and oil, & natural gas] that caused huge clouds of pulluted air in cities, making it difficult for people to breathe.  Kids in some countries even had to wear a mask over their noses and mouths to go outside and play!   Adults who worked in the big cities also had to wear masks to breathe safely while they walked to the bus stop,the subway, or to their offices.
[What are your reactions to this?   What if it was happening now , all over our city & state?  Can you understsand why some people got upset and started EARTH DAY?]

CLASS VIEWING:  The teacher should show the different short videos on the provided websites, for whole group viewing, & discussion, as you see fit.  Better to discuss, view, repeat!  Students will be better able to add new insights as they see the assorted ecological videos.  [ Later on, students will be viewing solo 1:1 on the site EARTH RESOURCES.  ]

In 1962, a book was written about this growning overload of pollution...and about the dangerous pesticides that were killing lots of insects AND  the birds that ate the insects.  Rachel Carson, the author of a book call SILENT SPRING, was a scientist, and her research proved if we didn't "clean up" our environment by using fewer poinsonous chemicals in the air and water, it would be dangerouw for ALL living creatures on the Earth, including HUMANS!  [Do you think people were appreciative to read the book SILENT SPRING and learn about the problems?   How about the people who owned the factories?]

LET'S TALK ABOUT RIVERS:  Everyone knows that clean water are for drinking and bathing are critical for good health...for people and all wildlife.  whenever someone dumps gasoline, car oil, used paint, etc. down a storm drain, or in a small stream, or even just ON THE GROUND...it seeps into the groundwater, or goes into the sewer, runs right into a river....and trickles its way on down to the ocean or a lake, and poisons the water for people or wildlife in THAT area.  We MUST learn how to dispose of toxic waste properly, or it will end up being hurtful to people and animals.  Did you know that S.C.,which is a relatively SMALL state, has 78 streams and rivers?    So, if you dump something in Gill's Creek near  Forest Dr., it will eventually end up in a river traveling all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.   All the aquatic life in Gill's  Creek, and the river it feeds into, all the deer, foxes, birds, raccoons, rabbits, right on down to the fish and crabs in the ocean will be damaged by their water being toxic.  DON'T DUMP SUBSTANCES INTO CREEKS, RIVERS, LAKES, OR OCEANS.   Ask your teacher to show you you the online picture of all 78 rivers in S.C.... they're EVERYWHERE!   They're beautiful, and they need to stay healthy and unpolluted...do your part!    Learn where to properly dispose of liquid contaminents.  [TEACHER:  Show the 2 web pictures included to DRAMATICALLY SHOW how many rivers are in S.C.?  ]

Also, in the state of California in 1969, a huge accident happened when a company was drilling for oil in the ocean, not very far from shore.  Thousands of gallons of oil spilled into California's water, and washed up onto the beaches, killing and injuring fish, sea animals, shore birds, and plants.   It caused people to SHOUT for environmental change!  A lawmaker from Wisconsin, Senator Gaylord Nelson, organized an event called EARTH DAY on April 22, 1970.  The purpose of the special day would be to teach people about Earth's pollution problems and learn how to help.  Celebrations were held all over the United States and people paraded, shared ideas, and demanded lawmakers to pass laws to help clean up our environment and make it healthier for ALL living things.  Since 1990, the whole world has followed our lead and celebrates EARTH DAY every year on April 22nd.
LAWS PASSED AFTER THE FIRST EARTH DAY:
*The Clean Air Act
*The Clean Water Act
*The Endangered Species Act
*Also, the creation of THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

So, every year since 1970, EARTH DAY has been celebrated in the United States, and now it's celebrated all over the world!  That's because many countries have the same kind of problems concerning pollution and wasting resources. FOR THE QUESTIONS BELOW, discuss and brainstorm ideas with your small groups.  Take 1 question at a time and let different groups offer ideas not shared in  a previous groups, [don't repeat the same answers, in order to save time for making group projects.]

1.  What are some ways to reduce waste and pollution on land,How about in the water? and in the air? Discuss ideas with your group, & have someone be the note-taker.   BE SPECIFIC WITH YOUR IDEAS.  1) How can we use less water at home? 2) Each day our city wastes tons of plastic bags & plastic bottles...how do we change that? 3) How can we help the air quality and the problem of pollution from using SO MANY CARS? 4)  Can foods be packed for your lunchbox that aren't surrounded by a cardboard box or container that gets thrown away after just one use?

2. What are some ways to make the air quality healthier for humans and  creatures?  [Did you know thtat trees and plants "breathe" OUT  the gas oxygen, which humans & animals NEED?    And the reverse is true, also...When we use the oxygen in our lungs, then WE BREATHE OUT the gas carbon dioxide, which PLANTS NEED TO STAY ALIVE! 

3.  What do you think about the idea of new energy sources like SOLAR AND WIND POWER that dodn't pollute the air like coal, oil, and natural gas energies- and how can you imagine them being used in our neighborhoods and cities?  What would work well about these energies? What wouldn't you like abou them?  [Have you ever seen solar panels on a house, on hillsides outside of town, or seen a wind farm?

4.  FIND & DISCUSS ONLINE PICTURES OF:
* Landfills  *Trash on shorelines  * Sea animals trapped and tangled in plastic bags and drink "rings"

*HEALTHY EXAMPLES of the variety and beauty of our Earth's surface and seas [ EARTH'S RESOURCES site on PBS Learning Media]  for example, apple or Peach Orchards *grape vineyards * inner-city vegetable gardens * botanical gardens in a large city* iceburgs *coral reefs *islands * snow-covered mountains*jungles and rain forests
5.  No matter where we live, er can do things each day to waste less paper, cardboard, water, gasoline, food, building materials, thereby helping Earth's health get better and better! 
*THE FIRST STEP is to become aware that we're wasting, and then to CUT BACK as often as we can, and absolutely STOP littering, and help pick up any litter we see [no glass, or tissue, such as Kleenex].
* THE SECOND STEP is to educate others...our families, friends, neighbors...BUT to do it with a respectful, helpful attitude.
6.  The national motto for recycling is REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, and is drawn like 3 arrows that are in the shape of a triangle.   Why is this graphic design so effective?    It was actually designed for the first EARTH DAY! [There was a contest for students who liked to draw, and a CA. college student was the winner with this design, which is still used 50 years later!]

1:1 Chromebook Activity:    After this discussion, ask students to go to the PBS LEARNING MEDIA site, look up a site called EARTH'S RESOURCES/Earth's Surface.  Quietly view the amazing variety of photos collected there to be reminded of the almost endless scenes of our fascinating planet!  

COME BACK TOGETHER AS A GROUP AND SHARE RESPONSES TO THE PHOTOS! [Discuss favorite photos and why]

PBL ACTIVITIES: [Work in small groups, of 3/4]

PROJECT 1:    MAKING EARTHDAY POSTERS TO HEIGHTEN SCHOOL AWARENESS

1.  The LITTER HUNT and GATHERING  has hopefully been completed.
2.  CUTTING USABLE ARTWORK:  All groups will flip through nature magazines, and tear out pages that show beautiful natural resources, and save them for use if they are a group to work on the "protecting resources poster.  

3. MAKING TWO  DIFFERENT POSTERS:   [ posters to put up in school public spaces]
[1  POSTER= - TRASHING S.C.  / 1 POSTER=   TREASURING  S.C.   (...i.e. "protecting") SC ]
The teacher will distribute a poster board to each group, dark blue and dark green would be effective EARTH DAY colors.  DECIDE which poster groups will construct, "trashing" or "treasuring".
-EACH GROUP WILL DRAW A GIANT OUTLINE of the state of SC on the posterboard with pencil, then marker...AS BIG AS POSSIBLE!
-2 groups will construct the poster TRASHING SC...they will choose pieces of litter that were collected and use a glue or a stapler to place them COVERING the whole state shape.  
-2 groups will construct a TREASURING SC  collage  by selecting and cutting our pictures of animals,Bbirds, fish, trees, flowers, oceans, mountains, farmland, gardens, beautiful skies, etc....in other words, healthy use of EARTH.

4.  Each group, when finished, will leave posters on floor [ so glue can dry]; group members can walk around and look at all the posters on the floor.   WHEN DRY, the posters can be hung in a prominent school hallway, along with a sign that says EARTH DAY, APRIL 22.

PROJECT 2: Making a 'FINGERPRINT SCROLL"  and poster to hang in a prominent hallway. 

1.  Take a used brown paper grocery bag, and cut out the two sides that are long and narrow; tape them end-to-end to produce a long SCROLL. Glue one of the  "treasuring " UNUSED images from the collage clippings to the very top of the scroll.  Under the picture, in a nice bright marker, write an EARTH PLEDGE:  ...We will NOT  litter...We will waste FEWER RESOURCES...We will respect ALL living creatures...We will remember: THE PLANET EARTH IS THE ONLY HOME WE HAVE!!

2. Students will take turns putting their index finger  into stamp pad, FINGERPRINTING and then beside that, signing their first& last name.    Teacher will sign, too!   
Then on the bottom of the scroll staple another small paper , if necessary, to write:  "OUR FINGERPRINTS ARE ALL OVER THIS EARTH....LET'S MAKE THEM HELPFUL AND POSITIVE INDICATORS OF WHERE WE'VE BEEN!

3.  Hang the poster in a prominent hallway in the school.

4.  Extra fun:    On light-colored construction paper, experiment with making small animal shapes, trees, flowers, with MAINLY FINGERPRINTS and a few  marker strokes to make animal legs, tree trunks, insect legs, eyes, etc.  You can add these FINGERPRINT drawings to any of the EARTH DAY exhibits in the school hallways.  

PROJECT  3:  Take the message to your school's TV NEWS program-EARTH DAY COMMERCIAL!

1. With the teacher, students will discuss how to make a 30 second "commercial " making the rest of their school body aware of EARTH DAY.    Discuss strategies:   What gets a person's attention when watching TV.... a song?   a cool trick like juggling? Opening up the segment with a riddle or joke?    Discuss the talents of students in your class [keep it absolutely POSITIVE...not a time for teasing someone], and how the class could use those to spread a message about EARTH DAY. 
2. Have teacher be a notetaker of ideas, and then decide on a "format;"  which means, how to start your commercial [would the camera be focused on one of your earth day posters?    Your EARTH PLEDGE scroll ?  Choose ideas most students like best, and make an outline for beginning, middle, and ending of the comercial.    Keep it short!  30 seconds is plenty, if well-planned, well-written, and well-executed.
3.  Bring any materials needed to school the next day.    Rehearse the commercial.  Now it's time for your teacher to record you on a phone or chromebook, and submit the "film clip " of your EARTH DAY COMMERCIAL to the faculty member who's in charge of the school NEWS.

*You could assign each small groups  different discussion question above,  Let everyone discuss & get their ideas together,  and then let groups " take turns" in answering questions to save a bit of time.   If a group has something to ADD at the end of another group's turn that was NOT mentioned, that's fine.  

* When students are  making collages, fingerprint animal art, etc., please allow enough time...sometimes the creative art process can also be a time for formulating ideas internally about the larger concepts being studied.  Of course, students should be "in control"  when creating with art supplies, but the enjoyment adds  to / reinforces the pride of seeing the final work displayed in the school hallways.