4 World Language Ideas for Earth Day

For this #earthday I decided to structure my lesson around the four language modes (speaking, reading, listening and writing) so students could practice a bit of each around the environment theme and, if you know me by know, I incorporated technology as much as I could to make it more interactive and engaging.

Here are four activities you can do on Earth Day or Earth week that can be adapted to any target language.

Speaking

I like to start with a speaking activity, in most cases, a conversation because it is an effective ice breaker and helps set a positive mood for the rest of the class. For this lesson, I chose Google's Doodle time lapse on the effects of climate change.

Why do I like this?

I can almost always rely on Google to have a Doodle available for earth day. So it is easy, available, and I can just tell students to open the Google page or I can project it on the screen and then discuss the Doodle meaning and its implications. I also like the fact that it is different every year and it is a no-prep activity! It is worth noting that at this point my students are knowledgeable about environment-related vocabulary since I usually teach this unit around February or March.

And...of course, you can do this in any language you teach.

Listening

After I have some volunteers share out what they discussed with their partners or groups, I show them a video about the 3 R's (reduce, reuse, and recycle) There are tons of videos out there that you can use to teach students about this concept in the TL you teach. You can also search for another topic related to the environment such as: climate change, endangered species, specific environmental problems in countries where the TL is spoken, recycling, and many more. I normally have some previewing questions and then some task that students have to do while watching (answer multiple choice questions, take notes, write down key vocabulary, etc). Then, I sometimes have a debriefing or "after-viewing" reflection that we can do as a whole-class discussion or in writing.

Reading

I like to follow this up with a reading activity. I have an unhealthy obsession with infographics (hyperbole here!) but I really, really like how they work in my classes. They are:

• Visually attractive

• Manageable for most students

• Adaptable

• Easy to transform into an interactive format.

My favorite way to present infographics is by making them interactive with digital tools such as Piktochart or Thinglink. With these tools you can add "active" icons that when clicked can display: text, images, audio clips, videos, and links to various web content. It is the perfect way to make reading more engaging and also expand on the information found on the infographics. Some infographics I have used for the environment unit are about recycling, endangered species, the garbage patch and many others. There are many you can find online in the TL of your choice.

Note: For reference, you can visit the sample work on my portfolio website and look at the one I posted on the "Mar de Basura."

Writing

I always feel like writing is an excellent way to wrap up a lesson. It provides opportunity for reflection and some independent practice before bringing the class to a close.

For a writing activity. I encourage students to take a pledge and write a post on the website : "Dear Tomorrow" and write a note about how they will commit to protect the environment and why.

Here is where you can incorporate various objectives depending on the proficiency level and scope & sequence you are following in your WL class:

• You can require a certain amount of relevant or key words to be used.

• You can ask students to use a specific grammar structure you are currently practicing when writing their pledge (because of the level my students have on this unit and also because of the topic, I ask them to use the subjunctive and-or future).

• Students might need to utilize a specific style in writing (informal or formal register, persuasive writing, etc.)

I hope you find these ideas helpful for your TL class on earth day and that this lesson structure provides some guidance for your future planning.

Feel free to share your own ideas in the comment section.

Happy planning and Happy Earth Day!