15-Apr-2008
“Passengers on Spaceship Earth”
“There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew.” ~Marshall McLuhan, 1964
Melting polar ice caps, vanishing forests, violent storms, species extinction, pollution, global warming, climate change, carbon footprint...if all of these terms have a dreadful meaning for adults, imagine the disheartening effect that they have on our students.
One of the dismal effects of the environmental crisis is that many of us feel a sense of helplessness caused by the enormous complexity of this problem. Many of us listen to the gloomy news each day and then wonder what we can do to mitigate the damage that the human race has done to the planet.
It is logical to suppose that while none of us can do it alone, one way to help is to work together. Collectively we are strong. Even though we all agree that it is important to raise environmental awareness and to work together, with the approach of the end of the year and the dreaded high-stakes testing season, it is difficult for many teachers to find time to do anything but prepare students for testing.
Unless they teach a subject with standards that directly address the issue of our changing climate, how can teachers include activities that improve global awareness into a lesson without losing class time that is dedicated to other material?
“To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping.” ~Chinese Proverb
While there is no simple solution to this issue, there are many, many Internet resources available for those teachers who want to make their classrooms part of “Spaceship Earth.”
A good starting point to begin your own investigation into how you can make your students more environmentally aware is with Earth Day. Begun in 1970 with small observances, it has grown each year since. On April 22, 2008,it is estimated that more than 500 million people will observe Earth Day in over 175 countries (http://ww2.earthday.net/node/80).
Some of the best of the many Internet sites for classroom Earth Day observances are these:
www.EarthDay.gov: Use this portal to access other government links, learn about classroom activities appropriate for students at all levels, and what citizens can to do to “celebrate and accelerate” Earth Day progress at school, at home, and at work. The timeline at this site is especially helpful.
www.worldwildlife.org/earthhour/: Learn about the movement to reduce energy consumption at this site. You can also link from this site to the home page of the World Wildlife Fund to learn about the work of this important environmental organization.
http://edhelper.com/caring_for_earth.htm: Here you can access dozens of activities and themed units related to Earth Day. The comprehensive scope of the material is impressive. You will find resources for all grades and student achievement levels.
www.epa.gov: At the Environmental Protection Agency Web site, teachers can access numerous resources for classroom use. Of particular interest is the “Eco Tips” button in the upper right hand corner.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonrepro/lessonplans/earthday/index.htm: At this teacher-friendly site you can find activities, many, many links to other useful sites, experiments, as well as ways to incorporate Earth Day into almost every subject area.
http://www.vocabulary.com/VUearthday.html: Make sure students know the meaning of some of the common vocabulary words related to environment and earth day.
“Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.” ~Cree Indian Proverb
In addition to the many activities that you can access with a few mouse clicks, here are just a few simple ones that you can adapt to meet the needs of your students. Most of these are not time consuming and can be integrated in various ways into almost any classroom.
• Ask students to list the things in your classroom that they can reuse instead of replace.
• Hold class discussions on topics related to Earth Day.
• Create slogans and use them to raise awareness.
• Brainstorm ways to reduce energy use at school.
• Brainstorm ways to reduce energy use at home.
• Research the history of Earth Day.
• Try a hands-on activity such as planting seeds or creating a school garden.
• Read poetry about nature.
• Write poetry about nature.
• Pick up litter at school.
• Brainstorm ways to make schools more environmentally friendly.
• Read! A great new book for young students is
The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming by Laurie David and Cambria Gordon. (Orchard Books/Scholastic)
• If you do not have a recycling program at your school, this could be a good time to begin one. Even if you and your students just collect paper instead of sending it to a landfill, you are helping the environment. To get started, try contacting the refuse collection department of your local government.
• Create bookmarks to share an environmental fact with fellow students.
• Compare different types of packaging to determine which ones are environmentally responsible.
• For more ideas about how to make your classroom a significant part of “Spaceship Earth” click on this new, extensive blog site: http://www.greendaily.com/.
