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April 22 is Earth Day, while April 29 is Arbor Day. Environmental activities are extremely popular with students in K-8.

So, with two environmental themes, April provides a bonanza for teacher to get students involved with learning more about the environment and how students can be proactive in protecting it.

Recently, an environmental issue has been given the world stage through the work of Al Gore and his Academy Award wining documentary An Inconvenient Truth. However, there are many other issues that students will want to study and report on as well.

Activity: To access a variety of subjects that focus on environmentalism, use this procedure: Click the Environment subject tree icon and have students select, or the teacher assign, from this list of Topics/subtopics:

	Careers--Working with or to Save & Protect the Environment
	Conservation of Natural Resources
	Energy
	Environmental Health
	Environmental Law
	Environmentalists
	Garbage Disposal & Recycling
	Global Warming & Greenhouse Effect
	Pesticides & Poisons
	Pollution

Two-minute oral reports on a variety of topics will provide an opportunity for student reports to be unique, beneficial to other students and develop essential presentation skills. Students should select at least two resources for their reports.

They should be encouraged to create a visual such as a poster or PowerPoint slide show if appropriate. Essential questions help focus students in their research and in how they express their reasoned opinion in their reports/presentations. Here are some examples to share with students. Teachers may want to add or substitute their own:

	What is the environmental problem or problems addressed by this topic?
	How do these problems cause damage to the environment?
	What are some examples of harm that affects the student's life?
	What can be done to help cure the problem and protect the environment?
	Who may be hurt by any new actions that the student supports?
	How can the student directly support environmentalism in their school, home and community?

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