Why Earth Day Matters
Earth Day is sneaking up on us (April 22nd is right around the corner) and if you’re anything like me, you’re juggling a million things as testing season looms (sorry to remind you!).
But here’s the thing: our students deserve a celebration of our planet that’s as smart as they are. This planet is our home, and because Earth Day has become a worldwide celebration, it’s important that our students understand it and how it originated.
Earth Day is a golden opportunity to blend fun, critical thinking, and standards-based learning.
I’m excited to share my latest creation: Earth Day Low-Prep Depth and Complexity Activities, Passages, and Test Prep. It’s a one-stop shop for Earth Day activities that hits all the right notes. It’s engaging, varied, and clever enough to challenge our gifted learners. At least, I hope that’s true!
I’ll walk you through why this resource is a game-changer for your classroom and how it makes celebrating Earth Day both fun and purposeful. I hope that you can use these ideas to make things for your own classroom when you see how I did this.
Earth Day Done Right: Critical Thinking Meets Fun
Why Critical Thinking?
Earth Day isn’t just about planting trees or singing ‘Kumbaya’ around a recycling bin. Those are not really activities that work for a classroom.
It’s a chance to dig deep into big questions: Why does conservation matter? How do our actions ripple across the planet?
I used the Depth and Complexity framework in this Earth Day resource to push students beyond surface-level thinking.
But it’s not all serious stuff! From a color-by-code activity to a mock marine biologist field trip, these Earth Day activities are designed to keep kids hooked while they learn.
This is key: we have to make the learning something that they GET to do, not something they feel like they HAVE to do.
With testing season breathing down our necks, every minute counts. When there are holidays near testing season (or other lessons I want to do), I always consider what standards my students most need to review prior to the testing.
This pack doubles as sneaky test prep: reading comprehension, writing skills, and math standards are all baked in.
A Smorgasbord of Activities
I love it when I get to use that word. Smorgasbord. That’s a cool word.
One of my favorite things about this resource is how varied it is.
Whether your students crave Earth Day writing, love digging into Earth Day reading passages, or need a hands-on science twist, there’s something here for every learner.
When you’re making a lesson, try to have a variety of types of activities. Sometimes, you can get a reluctant learner interested by using what Depth and Complexity would term 📚”across disciplines”, studying the same thing in different domains.
How I did that:
- Earth Day Reading Passages: I wrote original fiction and non-fiction texts (at three levels for differentiation) with comprehension questions and a secret code game. I start by writing the hardest level, and then I copy and paste it. I go through and simplify the vocabulary and sentence structure to make it approachable for my on-level learners. Then, I repeat that for my learners who need more support.
- Earth Day Writing: So many students are reluctant writers! Why is that??? I haven’t solved it, but I have found that having a variety of prompts to choose from, lots of supports (like graphic organizers), and interesting ideas makes it less painful.
- Math & Science Goodies: In this resource, students have the opportunity to measure triangular prisms, explore the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and even ‘visit’ the ocean with a marine biologist field trip activity. The math, science, ELA, and social studies activities all connect to each other. Even if I’m an ELA teacher, I know that many of my students see themselves as science geeks. I need to appeal to that crowd.
Why Gifted Learners Will Love It
Tailored for the Gifted:
As a grown-up gifted kid, I’m obviously concerned with making sure my high-ability students get what they need. I built this with our high-flyers in mind. The Depth and Complexity prompts nudge them to analyze Earth Day in a way that feels authentic, not fake.
Differentiation Made Easy:
Three levels of reading passages? Check. Optional Depth and Complexity frames for those who aren’t familiar with the framework? Check. It’s flexible enough for all your learners, but it shines for the ones who crave a challenge.
Engagement Factor:
Gifted kids get bored with fluff. This pack skips the busywork and dives into meaty, thought-provoking tasks they’ll actually enjoy, while also being appropriate for your on-level learners. It can feel hard to do at first, but with practice, it becomes second nature (like so many things).
I know that if my gifted kids are fully engaged, I’ll have more time to support my other learners, so it benefits everyone.
How to Use It
You can roll these Earth Day activities out as a whole-class celebration, sprinkle them into centers, or pick and choose your favorites. Most are super low-prep—perfect for those days when you’re running on fumes.
If you’ve got some extra time to prep some task cards, there are some other options, too. What’s really great is that even the low-prep activities are super engaging.
I’d suggest not trying to do it all in one day. There’s simply too much (over 100 pages!).
I hope that as you look through them, you’ll see what I did that you can replicate in your own class for high-ability learners.
Grab It and Celebrate Earth Day Smarter
Earth Day deserves more than a poster and a worksheet.
With Earth Day Low-Prep Depth and Complexity Activities, you’re giving your students a celebration that’s fun, clever, and packed with learning.
Plus, you’re sneaking in that all-important test prep without anyone blinking an eye.
Ready to make Earth Day unforgettable?
Find out more:
✅You can see more on TpT.
✅You can also get it directly from me.
