The end of the year is here and it is time to pull out those engaging end of year activities for environmental students! As an environmental educator, I create lesson plans for elementary students, middle school students and high school students. The end of the year is always an interesting time to lesson plan because most of the end of the year exams are over, but there are still a few weeks of school where students need to stay focused. Below are some awesome engaging activities for students of all grade levels with important topics that should fit with your entire unit. Some of these options are free, and some are from my Teachers Pay Teachers store where I sell affordable activities for teachers to make a big impact on their science students.
I hope you enjoy this blog post about engaging end of year activities for environmental students!
Environmental Debate:
Organize a debate on a controversial environmental topic. First, divide the class into teams. Next, assign each team different viewpoints. Give the teams time to collaborate and discuss together to narrow down their stance on the topic. They may need time to research and prepare their arguments. Make sure students have an introduction, clear claims, and evidence to support the claims. The students may even want to present rebuttals of the other team and provide evidence to deny those rebuttals.
Topics to consider:
- Is nuclear power sustainable?
- Should fracking be illegal?
- Renewable energy vs. Fossil Fuels for energy
- Electric cars vs. gas-powered cars
- Should pesticides be banned?
- Organic farming vs. traditional farming
- Humans have a positive (or negative) impact on the environment
- We should (or should not) ban single-use plastics
- Is the impact of climate change irreversible?
- Does recycling really benefit the environment?
- Who is responsible for climate change?
- Should animals have rights?
- Landfills vs. Incineration
- Can someone really live a zero-waste lifestyle?
- Should people be fined for littering?
- Climate change is natural and is not impacted by humans
- Purpose of National Parks
- Carbon emission trading
- Should we prioritize the environment or economic growth?
- Are windmills harmful for the environment?
- Should the United States be in the Kyoto Protocol
- Is access to clean, safe drinking water a right or a privilege?
- Overconsumption does (or does not) have an impact on the environment
Environmental Movie with Discussion Questions
I’ve created an entire blog post with a list of movies and discussion questions that would be perfect for end of the year science class activities. The questions listed with each movie help to facilitate class discussions and make connections to the environmental problems we are currently facing. Check out the blog post here: 12 Best Eye-Opening Environmental Movies For Students to Inspire on Earth Day (with FREE discussion questions!)
Field Trip
If you have time and permission, take the students on a field trip! Check out these field trip ideas for your students below.
Field Trip Ideas:
- Zoo
- Local farm
- Wastewater Treatment Plant
- Drinking Water Plant
- Recycling Center
- Landfill
- Botanical Garden
- Nature Reserve
- State/National Parks
- Aquarium
- Science-Related Museums
- Renewable Energy Site
- Sustainable Development Project
- Local environmental non-profit visit
- Restoration Project
- Tree Planting/Edible Garden
- Nature Walk At School
Community Service Project
Encourage students to plan and execute a community service project related to environmental conservation. This could involve organizing a beach clean-up, planting trees, or raising awareness about recycling and waste reduction in their community. My favorite community service project is partnering with local environmental community groups to execute volunteer projects that are needed in the area. Community service projects I have used to help students include Adopt A Spot, community cleanups, teaching about compost bins and what to compost, and encouraging students to come up with possible solutions to environmental issues. Another great project idea is putting storm drain medallions on storm drains to let people know that litter placed in the storm drains leads to open waterways. I love community service projects because it helps students do independent work to find solutions to real-world problems.
Guest Speaker Series
Invite environmental professionals, scientists, or activists to speak to your class about their work and experiences. This can provide valuable insights into potential career paths and inspire students to take action in their own communities. Pair this activity with my guest speaker worksheets to give your students the best experience and create a captivating audience for the presenter.
Environmental Art Exhibition
Have students create artwork (such as paintings, sculptures, or photography) that reflects environmental themes. Host an exhibition in your school or local community center to showcase their creations and raise awareness about environmental issues.
Let’s bring the “A” in STEAM! Using art, have students create masterpieces that can help to showcase different environmental issues and the effects of climate change. My favorite way to do this is through a environmental science photo journal project. For this assignment, students will take topics from throughout the semester and create a digital notebook with photos of these concepts. The photos can be taken in person or from properly cited internet sources.
Environmental Blog Post
Encourage students to collaborate on creating a podcast series or blog focused on environmental topics. They can conduct interviews, share research findings, and discuss current events and debates in the field of environmental science.
Obviously, I LOVE a good blog post. Blogging is an excellent way to teach others, but also to share your own experience in a relatable and helpful way. Here is a breakdown to help your students create a great environmental blog post.
Main Idea or Theme: What is the main idea of your blog post? Here are some things to consider:
- What are you teaching your readers or helping them learn?
- What is the main point of your blog post?
- What are you sharing with your reader?
Introduction: You’ll want to capture your readers from the beginning and introduce them to what they’ll be reading about. Here are some things to consider:
- Start your blog off with a hook. Your hook can be a story, a question, or a fact. Introduce the theme you are going to talk about.
- Why is it important for you to be writing this blog post or talking about this topic?
- Why should anyone care?
- How is this topic important in today’s world?
Main Points: What are the main points of this blog post? Here are some things to consider:
- Discuss the history or background of the topic
- What are the causes of the issue?
- What are the consequences or environmental impacts of the issue?
- Are there pros and cons?
- Propose or examine potential solutions
Conclusion: Time to wrap up the blog post. Don’t forget a call to action at the end! Here are some things to consider:
- Summarize the main theme you discussed
- Emphasize the main issues
- Discuss the different ways the reader can take action/get involved (this is your call to action)
References: Be sure to include credible sources, website, articles, or organizations where you received the information
End of Year Reflection
Use these reflection worksheets and summer goal-setting guidelines to help your students reflect on the current school year and prepare for the summer break ahead!
These worksheets are available to print and use for your classroom or to use through Google Slides*. There is space available for your students to type their answers to the questions.
Summer Bucket List
This is an easy worksheet for your students to fill out at the end of the school year to get them ready for summer. I’ve used this with younger students and older students and it is a hit! This summer bucket list includes an already done for your list of things to do for the summer. It also includes a blank bucket list for your students to fill in their own ideas. This is a quiet exercise after a final exam or the end of another classroom activity.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post about end of the year activities for environmental students after exams.
These end of year activities for environmental students offer a mix of hands-on experiences, critical thinking exercises, and opportunities for creativity and collaboration, allowing students to apply their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways while wrapping up the school year on a high note.
Other Posts You May Like:
Leave a Reply