Earth Day Worksheets by Workybooks

Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to teach your class about the environment and to inspire your students to take good care of our planet. This Earth Day, use informational texts to teach your class about ecology and earth sciences while also strengthening imperative reading fluency and writing skills. Read on to see how you can incorporate no prep earth day worksheets and Earth-related ELA activities into your lesson plans this year to celebrate. 

Use passages to teach context clues

Earth day reading compression worksheets are full of new words and domain-specific vocabulary. Teach your students some vocab through context with these nonfiction passages from Workybooks. Your students will love learning about pandas, jellyfish, toucans, the sun, volcanoes, and more all while building upon their science vocabulary. 

Use passages to teach compare and contrast. 

Animal passages are a great way to teach compare and contrast because so many species are similar in nature. Have students read two texts on two animals that share some characteristics. Then have them compare the animals in a Venn diagram. These passages on moles and gophers are a great resource for practicing this skill!

Use passages to teach finding the main idea. 

You can never have enough resources to teach finding the main idea. Students can practice this skill with these animal-themed reading passages. This packet from Workybooks contains differentiated sheets that cover this topic. Students must find the main idea in the passage and then provide reasons that support the idea. Some sheets utilize a multiple choice format which can help struggling readers. Other sheets, like this one on birds, use a more challenging free-response format. click here for free printable worksheets.

Do a drawing activity

Art in elementary classrooms has a positive effect on learning. It helps to bridge understanding and to ensure student engagement. This reading passage on clouds is perfect for bringing ELA and art into your classroom this Earth Day.Students will read the text on the different types of clouds and their formations, using the pictures to help them visualize and understand in this earth day worksheets. Then they will draw their favorite type of cloud they learned about in the provided space. As a bonus activity, you can have your students tell you what type of cloud they saw in the sky during their recess break. 

Do a mini research project

I bet each student in your class can think of an animal they’d like to know more about. Have them participate in a short research project where they pick an animal of their choice to learn about. They can browse the internet or rent a book from the library to find the information. Guide their research with a graphic organizer – this one from Workybooks contains a section to write about threats that their animal faces. This earth day worksheets for fourth  grade also comes with a page to draw a picture of their animal – perfect for earth day!

Set up a terrarium with insects 

Insects are nature’s unsung heroes. They keep our soil healthy, recycle nutrients, provide food for the birds, pollinate flowers and crops, and control pests. Students are often amazed to learn that these little creatures can do so much! Curate a hands-on insect lesson by setting up a terrarium in your classroom and adding small bugs. Insects like millipedes or isopods are low maintenance and are easy to care for. Carnivores like praying mantises require more care and attention, but will be a hit in the classroom. The terrarium can be a fun addition to your daily routine. Choose a student each day to spray the terrarium to keep it moist. If you choose a carnivore, a new student can feed it each week. They will be so invested in maintaining the new little world you have created! Take your lesson a step further by teaching students the different parts of an insect. This sheet and drawing activity has all of the information you need to teach. Your students will love having this knowledge and applying it to the insects that reside in the terrarium!

Earth Day is an important reminder of our responsibility to protect our planet. By engaging your students in hands-on activities and teaching them about our earth and its processes, you start to create a bond between your classroom and the planet. You will be amazed to see how much your students care when they are given the proper exposure to conservation and environmental sciences. These no-prep Earth and animal reading comprehension passages from Workybooks are a great way to incorporate educational activities into your Earth Day lesson plans this year.