Join the global movement of Earth Day on April 22, 2024, and inspire your students to become stewards of our planet. Earth Day is not just a day—it’s a call to action for environmental awareness and appreciation. With support from Microsoft Education, you can weave interactive and engaging Earth Day activities and more into your lessons, inspiring your students to care for our planet today and every day.
Dive into our curated list of educational resources from Microsoft designed to make your Earth Day lessons not just informative, but transformative. Let’s collaborate to build a world of conscious minds for a greener tomorrow.
Dig deeper using Search Progress
This Earth Day, elevate your classroom’s digital and environmental education by using Search Progress in Microsoft Teams for Education. Designed specifically for building information literacy skills, Search Progress is a fantastic way to lead students on a journey through the history and significance of Earth Day. Try some of these guiding questions to get them started:
- What are the origins of Earth Day, and what global events led to its creation?
- How has Earth Day evolved since its inception? How have its goals and activities changed over time?
- What impact has Earth Day had on environmental policies and practices at the local, national, and global levels?
- How do different cultures and societies around the world observe Earth Day, and what unique practices or traditions have they developed?
Search Progress and Search Coach help students learn how to form effective search queries, find trusted sites with NewsGuard, and think critically about their results in an ad-free environment.
As they delve into the origins, milestones, and impact of Earth Day, students can develop a deeper understanding of the environmental movement. Search Coach will guide them towards reputable sources, aiding in the development of essential internet navigation skills. By engaging with this tool, students will not only learn about environmental stewardship but also hone their ability to distinguish fact from opinion, a critical skill in today’s information-rich world. You can customize search settings to ensure students are led to credible websites and factual content, in addition to the integration of NewsGuard which assesses the reliability of online sources.
Sending your students on an Earth Day exploration is the perfect opportunity for them to practice forming effective search queries and critically analyzing their findings, preparing them for informed and responsible internet use. Plus, you can track the development of your students’ information literacy skills when you use Search Coach alongside Search Progress. Creating a window into students’ search activity and behaviors, Search Progress provides a deeper understanding of their research habits and interests, helping you identify ways to improve the quality of their search queries over time.
Craft a passion for the planet with Minecraft Education
Environmental literacy is a crucial skill in today’s world. For Earth Day, help build your students’ environmental awareness one block at a time with activities for all ages from Minecraft Education. Explore all these standards-based climate and sustainability lessons while helping your students build a passion for the planet. Celebrate Earth Day 2024 in your classroom with Minecraft’s Earth Day resources.
Celebrate Earth Day 2024 in your classroom with standards-based climate and sustainability lessons from Minecraft Education.
Research climate change while learning the principles of AI. With Minecraft Education AI for Earth students will learn principles of AI while taking their first steps into this exciting realm of computer science.
You can also bring the wondrous natural world into your classroom, no matter what subject you teach. See our planet from the perspective of sharks, leopards, Arctic foxes, and more in the Planet Earth III world inspired by inspired by the landmark series from BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit. Learn more and download Planet Earth III.
Additionally, learn how adaptation over time enables animals to survive in particular environments and in extreme conditions. With Frozen Planet II: Frozen South from Minecraft Education and BBC Earth, learners will develop an understanding of the impact that climate change is having on some of the animals living in Antarctica. Learn more and download Frozen Planet II: Frozen South.
Share Earth Day projects, reflections, and ideas with Flip
Flip, a free web and mobile app from Microsoft, provides an interactive platform enabling students to share and learn from one another’s short videos. For Earth Day 2024, consider organizing a Flip activity where students can share their environmental projects, reflections on what they have learned, or ideas for promoting sustainability in their community. This method promotes peer learning, fosters community spirit, and encourages collective environmental responsibility. Promote interaction by suggesting students comment on each other’s videos to foster a dialogue within the classroom.
Celebrate Earth Day 2024 with Flip using the Earth Day, environmental, and sustainability topics in the Make a Difference collection.
For Earth Day, get started with the Make a Difference collection from Flip. You’ll find Earth Day, environmental, sustainability topics to drive discussions and reflections for all grade levels. Topics in this collection inspire students to:
- Create a short video to showcase an environmental project and the impact they hope it will have on the environment.
- Reflect on one change they’ve made in their lifestyle to be more environmentally friendly. Share what inspired this change, how they implemented it, and the effects it has had on their daily life.
- Present an idea for a new product, app, or community initiative that promotes sustainability or addresses an environmental issue. Explain the problem their idea solves, how it works, who it helps, and how it promotes environmental awareness and action.
There’s also a new Earth Day lens in Flip that students can use in their videos. Inspire your students to use this special lens to share their voice and make a pledge to the planet.
Encourage your students to use the special Earth Day lens in Flip to express their opinions and make a pledge to the planet.
Starting with Flip is straightforward and free. Simply establish a class, add a topic, and students can start creating video responses using engaging video tools designed to amplify every student’s voice. Additionally, explore Flip’s extensive library of on-demand events, which can complement your students’ interests or age group.
Harvesting the future with FarmBeats for Students
Explore the intersection of technology and agriculture, where advancements are creating intelligent ecosystems for crop management. Cutting-edge tools like sensors and AI are revolutionizing the way agricultural professionals understand and oversee their fields, leading to more informed, efficient, and sustainable practices in food production and resource management.
The FarmBeats for Students program uses a cost-effective kit based on micro:bit technology, complemented by free, extensive curriculum and engaging activities that can be accessed from any device with internet capabilities. This kit empowers students to collect real-time data on their plant projects and visualize the data directly in Microsoft MakeCode. This innovative program introduces students to the concepts of precision agriculture, a system that helps farmers use water, nutrients, and other resources wisely to grow healthier crops. Learn more about FarmBeats for Students and download the program overview.
Using FarmBeats for Students, students build a garden monitoring system and gain direct experience with topics like digital sensors, data analysis, and AI. These agriculture projects for students not only expose them to modern farming techniques, but also instill a respect for sustainable food production and environmental care.
Take engagement further by joining the FarmBeats Beat Hunger Challenge 2024 group on Flip. Through this challenge, participants aim to harness technology to transform students’ ideas into practical solutions for improving agricultural products and services. This Earth Day, let’s empower students to use their creativity and innovative thinking to address global food insecurity. Learn more and join the group on Flip.
Planting seeds of change on Earth Day
Maximize the impact of your Earth Day lessons by tapping into these innovative resources and environmental projects for students from Microsoft Education. Integrate cutting-edge technology with interactive, hands-on learning to ignite your students’ passion for environmental stewardship. Encourage them to become informed, eco-conscious change-makers who are equipped to shape a better future.
Don’t just stop there—amplify their success. Transform your classroom’s achievements into shining examples for the world to see. Share the vibrant stories of your students’ Earth Day projects across social platforms and within your educational community. Celebrate and document their journey, challenges, and breakthroughs to inspire a wave of positive change among educators and students alike. Let’s make Earth Day 2024 not just a day of awareness, but a starting point for lasting change.
