Earth Day Middle School Science Activities to Try

Michelle Rudolph — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 16:00:34 +0000

Earth Day is quickly approaching and I am sure you’re trying to find ways to celebrate in your middle school science classroom. It’s one of my favorite “holidays” to celebrate in class because, as a science teacher, it’s one of the best because a lot of the ways to celebrate will align with the standards you are already reviewing.

If you are using NGSS, Earth Day is a perfect day to tackle these standards:

MS-ESS3-4

MS-ESS3-3

MS-ESS3-2

So, if you’re trying to plan something special, here are some Earth Day middle school science activities:

Earth Day Choice Board

My favorite go-to activity for Earth Day because it allows students to show how they want to spread the love for our planet on Earth Day. I provide my students with a menu that provides them with 9 choices for project activities they can do. Sometimes, students will come up with their own ideas and I welcome that too. They come up with some amazingly creative ideas sometimes if you give them the change to do it. You’d be surprised to learn of some of the many talents and strengths your students have when you give them a choice to showcase them. Of course, a rubric is included so that students know what the expectations of the assignment are. Here are some things I learned about using choice boards in the science classroom.

If you’re looking for an Earth Day choice board to use in your classroom, fill out the form below and get this one sent to your inbox free!

Sea Turtle Conservation Activity

If you want to be a little bit more focused on how human impact aspects of our planet, this sea turtle conservation activity focuses on how some human activities have a negative impact on sea turtles. Students read about the impacts humans can have on sea turtles and answer questions based on the nonfiction reading article. This topic can bring up a lot of discussion topics in the classroom about light pollution and the effects of habitat destruction on different animals. This is an activity I love to use in my marine science class specifically but can work in any science class.

Hunan Impact on Earth Activities

This activity covers a lot of Earth Day related topics in one! Students can review/learn about renewable and nonrenewable resources on Earth, and discuss the difference between the two. Then, students will observe different images of human impact on land including urbanization, deforestation, erosion and desertification. They will need to describe those types of impact and how they are represented in each image. A water pollution slide focuses on eutrophication, biological pollution, chemical pollution and thermal pollution. Students will also research decomposition times of different everyday materials and how some marine organisms are impacted by this type of pollution. Another slide focuses on global warming indicators and allows students to research two and discuss them. The final slide in the activity is an opportunity for students to identify a way that they can help protect our planet and make a difference!

Recycled Art

This one requires a little bit of prep beforehand but the students come up with some amazing creations! About 2-3 weeks before Earth Day, ask your students to bring in some recycled materials from home. Then, dedicate a day to creating art pieces that represent the importance of Earth Day in some way. I have had students make models of a healthy vs. unhealthy Earth, bleached coral out of bottle caps and other creative projects!

Plastic Pollution Project-Based Learning

If you teach life science or marine science, this may be one for you. It is a long term project, but it is perfect to do around Earth Day. It covers coral reefs, biodiversity, ecology and the impact of plastic pollution on coral reefs. You can learn more about the project here or grab the resource for the project here. You will need about 2-3 weeks to complete this PBL.

Here is a quick summary of the project plan:

Introducing the project. This really sets the tone for the unit and keeps students on track with a goal in mind. I like to write the question (How does plastic pollution affect the biodiversity of life on coral reefs?) on the board and come back to it throughout the project.
Create a sketch. Have students create a sketch of what they think a healthy, biodiverse coral reef looks like. They can apply what they know about coral reefs here.
Research. Students will begin researching the coral reef and the current state of things. This can be done individually, with a partner, or even in small groups depending on your class size and dynamics.
Create a new sketch. After researching, have students create another sketch that represents the “true” state of coral reefs based on what they learned.
Create a PSA. Now that students know why coral reefs are important and what is happening with coral reefs – they can inform others! Put students into groups to create a PSA about biodiversity and how plastic pollution has affected coral reefs.
Create an Action Plan. Finally, have students create an action plan that gets the school or community involved in efforts to reduce the plastic in the oceans. Their action plan will focus on why coral reefs are important and what the average citizen can do to help.

Organize a School-Wide Clean Up

If your administration allows it, have your students go outside and help clean up the school. As they clean up, have them track the garbage they found as they cleaned up. After cleaning up, you can have your students discuss what they found, how much trash was there and help come up with a plan to reduce the amount of trash left around campus for the future. Present this plan to your admin if you can!

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