Exciting Environmental Initiatives for Today's Classroom

In response to the growing focus on issues affecting our planet, Scholastic presents a series of online and offline initiatives to support student learning.

• PRINT
• EMAIL

Find exciting ways to build students' understanding of issues such as global warming and pollution. Highlights include:

• Student competitions for scholarships and grants!
• The first-ever Greenerator which operates only on kid power
• Guided writing activities for letters to political leaders
• 100 tips on how to help preserve the planet

Use the introduction below to learn more about each initiative and find tips, activities, and contests that you can incorporate into your curriculum.

1. 1. ACT GREEN!
   Learn how your class can green themselves, their school, and their home.
   Web Site: www.scholastic.com/actgreen

   When You Can Participate: Explore the site now. Teachers can also enter the Scholastic ACT GREEN! sweepstakes for a chance to win exciting prizes.
   

   What It Is: Scholastic ACT GREEN! is a corporate initiative with the goal of inspiring kids to take action to make their lives green.
   
   Kid activities include:

   • The Greenerator, which operates only on kid power and gives kids a customized green action plan
   • 100 helpful tips on how to go green at school or at home.
   • Message boards that showcase great examples of greening from coast to coast

   Grades: K-8

   Curriculum Connections: Environmental Science

   How You Can Use It in Your Classroom: Integrate the classroom activities and lesson into your teaching plans.

   Encourage students to enact the 100 tips on their own at home with their family as lesson extensions.

2. 2. Kids' Environmental Report Card
   
3. Students voice their opinions on weekly topics.
   Web Site: www.scholastic.com/reportcard

   When You Can Participate: Join the voting today. Votes will be tallied and reported on Earth Day.

   What It Is: In cooperation with the American Museum of Natural History, Scholastic is presenting weekly environmental forums for kids. Topics include trash, oceans, genetically engineered foods, and more. As part of each week's feature, kids can:

   • read background information about the topic
   • send questions to a scientist and read answers from the expert online
   • participate in message board discussions
   • vote on the important issues

   Student votes will be part of a comprehensive environmental report card to be published on Earth Day 2008.

   Grades: 3-10

   Curriculum Connections: Environmental Science, Ocean Life, Wildlife, Critical Thinking, and Nonfiction Literacy

   How You Can Use It in Your Classroom: Incorporate the informative articles into your science curriculum. You can invite students to participate individually in the voting option and discussion boards, or use the site as a 15-minute computer lab activity.

4. 3. The Down-to-Earth-Guide to Global Warming
   Encourage kids to become responsible and informed global citizens.
   Web Site: www.scholastic.com/downtoearth

   When You Can Participate: Join in now

   What It Is: Activities, quizzes, research links, and discussion boards let readers take action on the issues described in the new book The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming. This kid-friendly guide to environmental issues was co-written by Laurie David, the producer of the Academy Award-winning film An Inconvenient Truth. The site and book explore issues such as global warming and ways kids can make a difference.

   Among the take-action features is a letter kids can personalize and send to their mayor asking him/her to fight global warming.

   Grades: 4-7

   Curriculum Connections: Environmental Science, Civics, and Writing

   How You Can Use It in Your Classroom: A great destination for students to explore independently or as part of a science class, this site also provides opportunities for students to do research or gain background knowledge for related assignments.

5. 4. Instructor Magazine: The Green Edition
   See what other schools are doing to help the planet - and how you can take the initiative in your classroom.
   Web Site: www.scholastic.com/instructor

   When You Can Participate: Get inspired today!

   What It Is: Enjoy a full issue of Instructor dedicated to ways you and your students can make a difference. Look at the rise of environmental education programs, efforts to make schools and the world more "green," and how kids themselves get excited about efforts to save the earth.

   Grades: K-8

   Curriculum Connections: Literacy, Environmental Science, Professional Development and Classroom Management

   How You Can Use It in Your Classroom: Find ideas to help your class protect the planet, best practices for environmental studies, and activities you can start using right away.

5. Lexus Environmental Challenge
Create an action plan for your community, and enter to win scholarships and grants! 

Web Site:  www.scholastic.com/lexus

When You Can Participate: You can get started today!

What It Is: The Lexus Environmental Challenge is a nationwide competition that invites student teams and their teacher advisors to create an action plan to help the environment in their local communities, implement their plans, and show results. Teams can enter up to three times during the school year. There is $1 million in scholarships and grants to be awarded!

Grades: 6-12

Curriculum Connections: Environmental Science, Critical Thinking, Writing

How You Can Use It in Your Classroom: Integrate online tools and lesson plans to create a real-world experience where students build teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills.
.

 

The Lexus Environmental Challenge: The Air Factor
Lexus Environmental Challenge 3: Air

The Great Debate
Which side is right?

LESSON PLAN	Teaching math skills about natural resources Students will learn about natural resources and fossil fuels while practicing math skills.
UNIT PLAN	Democracy: A Big Challenge Presents a unit plan on the drafting and signing of the U.S. Constitution, with an exercise geared towards cooperative learning through research,...
ONLINE ACTIVITY	Kids' Environmental Report Card Make your voice heard by voting in the Kids' Environmental Report Card.