About This Book

Welcome to Investigating Science—Environment! This book is one of ten must-have resource books that support the National Science Education Standards and are designed to supplement and enhance your existing science curriculum. Packed with practical cross-curricular ideas and thought-provoking repro-duc-ibles, these all-new, content-specific resource books provide pri-mary teachers with a collection of innovative and fun activities for teaching thematic science units.

Other books in the primary Investigating Science series:• Investigating Science—Amphibians & Reptiles• Investigating Science—Insects• Investigating Science—Solar System• Investigating Science—Plants• Investigating Science—Energy• Investigating Science—Mammals• Investigating Science—Weather• Investigating Science—Rocks & Minerals• Investigating Science—Health & Safety

Cross-curricular thematic units found in this book:• Earth Day• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle• Conservation and Preservation• Pollution• Changes in the Environment

Included in this book:Investigating Science—Environment contains five cross-curricular thematic units, each containing• Background information for the teacher• Easy-to-implement instructions for science experiments and proj-

ects• Student-centered activities and reproducibles• Literature links

Earth Day

EarthDay

Earth Day

Earth Day

Eart

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Earth DayStimulate your students’ interest in Earth Day and build global awareness with this collection of activities, experiments, and reproducibles.

Background for the Teacher

• EarthDayiscelebratedonApril22.• ThefirstEarthDaywasobservedonApril22,

1970.• Ittakes150poundsofrecycledpapertosaveone

tree.• Aleakingtoiletcanloseover22,000gallonsof

waterinoneyear.• Afive-minuteshowerusesabout25gallonsof

water.• IfyoutookalloftheStyrofoam®cupsthatare

manufacturedinonedayandlinedthemupendtoend,theywouldgoallthewayaroundtheplanet.

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Reading toSave the Planet

Celebrating Earth Day(CircletheYearWithHolidaysSeries)byJanetMcDonnell(Children’sPress,199�)

Dear Children of the EarthbySchimSchimmel(NorthWordPress,199�)

Earth Day byLindaLowery(FirstAvenueEditions,1992)

Fifty Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth byEarthworksGroup(AndrewsMcMeel

Publishing,1990)The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain

Forest byLynneCherry(HarcourtBrace& Company,1990)

Global Vision(Critical Thinking, Art)

Usethisworldlymobile-makingactiv-itytoshowcaseyourstudents’visionsfortheplanet.Providethreesmallpaperplates,crayons,andalengthofyarnforeachstudent.Next,displayaworldmapsothatitisvisibletoallstudents. Theninstructeachchildtodrawandcolorcontinentsandoceansonthefrontandbackofonepaperplatetoresembletheearth.Onthefrontofthesecondplate,havethechilddrawandcolorascene,suchasafieldorabeach,thatispollutedanddirty.Onthebackofthesecondplate,havehimdrawthesamescenewith-outthepollution.Finally,directthechildtoprogramthefrontandbackofthethirdplatewithames-sageabouthisvisionfortheplanet.Toassemblethemobile,havethestudenthole-punchthetopandbottomofthefirsttwoplatesandthetopofthethirdplate.Theninstructthestudenttousethelengthofyarntoconnecttheplatesasshown.SuspendthecompletedmobilesintheclassroomforabreezycelebrationofEarthDay.

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My vision for the planet…Charles

5

Good as New!(Community Service Project)

Findingnewhomesfortoysthatarenolongerinuseprovidesagreatopportunityforteachingstudentsanothermethodofrecycling!AfewweeksbeforeEarthDay,askstudentstobegincollectingtoysandgamesthattheyhaveoutgrownornolongercareforandbringthemtoschool.(Remindyoungsterstoobtainparentpermissionbeforetheybringatoytoschool.) Topreparethetoysforanewowner,setupa“goodasnew”centerwithsponges,mildde-tergents,water,andmaskingtape.Inviteeachstudenttovisitthecenterandusethematerialstowashandrepairthetoysthatsheisdonating. Asktheclasstobrainstormalistofpossibledonationplacesforthetoys.Encouragethemtothinkoflocalchildren’scharitiesorayoungerclassroomthatwouldbenefitfromreceivingthetoys.HavetheclassvotetodeterminewherethedonationwillbemadeandarrangetohavethetoysdeliveredonornearEarthDay.Nowthisactivityreallyhelpschildrenunderstandthateverythingoldisnewagain!

Environment Detectives

(Scavenger Hunt, Critical Thinking)

SendingstudentsonanEarthDayscavengerhuntissuretoinspirethemtoinvestigatetheworldaroundthem.OnEarthDay,taketheclasstotheplaygroundtocompletetheactivity.Ifanoutdoorareaisnotavailable,orincaseofinclementweather,studentscancompletetheactivitywhilelookingoutawindow. Haveeachchildchooseapartner,andprovideacopyofpage9foreachpair.Instructthetwosometolookatthethingsintheirenvironmentanddrawanappropriatepictureforeachstatementonthesheet.Oncethesheetsarecompleted,gatherthechildreninacircleandinviteeachpairtoshareitsfindingswiththerestoftheclass.

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Earth Day Heroes(Writing, Self-Esteem)

Understandingthattheycanplayapartinsavingtheplanetwillmakeyourstudentsfeellikeheroes!Usethefollowingbookmakingactivitytohelpyourstudentstellothersabouttheirheroics.Prepareforthelessonbyshar-ingTaking Care of the Earth: Kids in ActionbyLaurencePringle(BoydsMillsPress,1997).Next,havestudentsbrainstormideasaboutthethingstheycandotomakeadifference,andlisttheirsuggestionsonchartpaper.Thendistributeasheetofwhiteconstructionpaperandcrayonstoeachstudent.Haveherusetheideasfromthebrain-stormedlisttowriteandillustrateasentenceaboutwhatshecandotohelpsavetheplanet.Bindthecompletedpagesintoabooktitled“EarthDayHeroes.”(Ifdesired,laminatethepagesfordurabilitybeforebinding.)Readthebooktotheclassbeforeplacingitintheclasslibrary.

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It’s in the Bag!(Recycling, Community Involvement, Art)

What’sthebestwaytoadvertiseEarthDaywithinyourcommunity?Getyourlocalgrocerystoreinvolved!ForinformationaboutTheEarthDayGroceriesProject,2000,visittheWebsite(http://www.earthdaybags.org/).Togetyourclassinvolved,tellthestoremanagerabouttheproj-ectandaskherforaclasssupplyofpapergrocerybags.Havestudentsusecrayonsandmarkerstodecoratethebagswithenvironmentalmessagesandillustrations.Re-turnthebagstothestoreandaskthemanagertousethebagsforcustomers’groceriesonEarthDay.Nowthat’sagreatwayforstudentstospreadthewordaboutEarthDay!

Earth Day Sing-Along(Song)

Havestudentsjoinyouinthissongabouttheearth!

This Earth Is Your Earth(sung to the tune of

“This Land Is Your Land”)Thisearthisyourearth.Thisearthismyearth.AndwecanallhelpTopreserveitsworth.WecanrecycleAndpickuplitter.Keepthisearthcleanforyouandme.

WhenIseetreesgrow,Ismile,forIknowTheymaketheairclean,Andkeeptheworldgreen.Sowhenit’sEarthDay,IcheerandIsay,Keepthisearthcleanforyouandme.

Help OurEarth!

PleaseRecycle!

Plastic

Recycle

I can help save the

planet by recycling

plastic !

Lara

Earth DayHeroes

by Mrs. Ryan’s Class

Rodney Luck

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Acid Rain Effects(Science Experiment)

Acidrainoccurswhenrainmixeswithgasesintheatmosphere.Thesegasescancomefromfactories,carexhausts,forestfires,andothersources.Acidraincankillordamagetrees,plants,andanimals.Giveyourstudentsfirsthandexperiencewiththeeffectsofacidrainwiththefollowingexperiment. Obtaintwosmallplantsthatareassimilaraspossible,twosmallspraybottles,andabottleofwhitevinegar.Fillonebottlewithwaterandtheotherbottlewithamixtureofhalfvinegarandhalfwater.Labelthebottlescarefully.Usestickynotestolabeloneplant“water”andoneplant“acidrain.”Thenplacetheplantsonasunnywindowsill.Giveeachstudentacopyofpage10andhavehimdrawapictureofeachplantatthebeginningoftheexperiment. Eachday,assignadifferentchildtomistthe“water”plantwithwaterandthe“acidrain”plantwiththevinegarmixture.Encourageeachstudenttoexaminetheplantsweeklyandrecordanychangesbyillustratingthemonhissheet.Withintwoweeks,the“acidrain”plant’sleavesshouldbegintoturnyellowandfalloff.Eventually,theplantwilldie.Thishappensbecausemostplantscannotsurvivewhentheacidlevelintheirwaterishigh.Discusstheresultsoftheexperimentwiththeclass.

“Tree-rific” Plant(Planting a Tree)

Anavocadoseed,afewtoothpicks,andajarofwateraretheonlypropsyouneedforthis“tree-mendous”les-son.Gathertheneededmaterials.(It’sbesttouseaseedfromanavocadothathasneverbeenrefrigerated.)Thenstickthetoothpicksintheseedasshownandsuspendtheseedinthejar.Fillthejarwithenoughwatertocoverthebottomthirdoftheseed;thenplacethejarnearasunnywindow.Assigndifferentstudentstorefillthejarwithwaterasneeded. Oncetheseedhassprouted,itwillbereadytoplant.Fillalargepotwithsoil.Digasmallholeinthemiddleofthesoilandcarefullyplacetheseed,rootsdown,inthehole.Gentlycovertheseedsothatthe“tree”isshowing;thenplacethepotinasunnyspot.CulminatetheactivitybygatheringstudentsaroundthetreeandreadingBut-ton, Bucket, SkybyJacquelineBriggsMartin(CarolrhodaBooks,1998).

Water Water

Acid Rain Acid Rain