Ever felt guilty for not celebrating special days and holidays with your classes? I know I have, and that feeling should be banned.

Now,  I don’t go super crazy with holidays and special occasions in my classroom.  However, I feel that Earth Day is super important. It is coming up on Wednesday, April 22, 2020, and only if you would like, you don’t have to miss the opportunity to do something simple yet significant with your students in the target language. 

Why consider integrating Earth Day activities this week?

Earth Day goes beyond celebrating a simple day. In fact, it isn’t just a celebration, it is about awareness of the long lasting impact we can have depending on our choices. It is also about giving back to the Earth.

To me, it is a day of connectedness and thanksgiving.  A day to renew my commitment to do my part and take care of this beautiful planet which I call home. I want to transfer that to my students and I wish I could do it in my classroom through a lesson or a dynamic learning experience, but this year we all have a different reality. 

This year, my focus will be on SPREADING AWARENESS, so I created these beautiful resources and I am thrilled  to share them with you. You can get your free copies here. 

So, what could you do with these resources?

1) Invite your students to participate in digital challenges via Instagram or Google Classroom.

Students who have Instagram accounts already know how to participate in challenges. Simply ask them to become involved, tag you, and use the hashtag #earthday2020 #earthday #diadelatierra #diadelatierra2020. If students do not have Instagram accounts, students can still participate by submitting their files via Google Classroom. The idea behind it is the same.

2) Engage students in live discussions and perhaps lead a write and discuss.

If you do Zoom, Google Meets or Teams, you can display either image on the screen, hold a discussion and Q & A moment. Invite students to co-create language with you just like we have done in our classrooms. Then, lead them through a write and discuss session. If you are not familiar with Mike Peto’s write and discuss process, you can check out this link. 

3) Assign an output activity using one of the Earth Day resources.

Have students explore all resources and you can give them  prompt to write about or record via Flipgrid . Here are some suggestions:

For novice levels: ¿Qué actividades puedes hacer para ayudar/cuidar a la tierra? 

For intermediate levels: Categoriza la información en dos columnas, actividades fáciles y actividades difíciles. Explica el por qué tus categorias. 

For advanced levels:  ¿Qué te comprometes a hacer hoy y en el futuro para marcar una diferencia en el planeta tierra? ¿Por qué?

Remember, although I highly encourage you to squeeze in one awareness activity even in its simplest form, please know  you are not obligated to. We all have a lot on our plate right now, but if you are willing and able, I would love to hear your ideas on how you would integrate these resources on this Earth Day.