2025 Earth Day Activities for High School Students

Lesson Plans

Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APCivics, English Language Arts, Engineering

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by Population Education

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What it is

Celebrate Earth Day with your high school students using these four lesson plans and two readings about how we produce, use, waste, and need energy.
Students research an energy-related topic, take on the role of a community member in Monrovia, Liberia, to investigate the intersections between poverty and climate change impacts, play a game to analyze the pros and cons of cap and trade as a policy, identify factors of importance in a sustainable community and develop models to measure those factors, read about different energy sources to better understand our energy future, and read a case study about solar energy use in Germany.

Teaching tips

Positives

These lessons have a global perspective and focus on justice.
The lessons include discussion questions with answers to prompt rich conversation with your students.

Prerequisites

Teacher needs to submit a short questionnaire to download the packet. The download is free.
Students will need some background in climate change. This resource can be used if needed.
Learning about the effects of climate change can be emotionally charged for students. This educator's guide on climate emotions can help you have these conversations with your students.
The links to ONE and Practical Action in Lesson 2, Lighting Up Lives, are broken.
In Lesson 3, Cap and Trade Game, the directions tell the teacher to ask students to identify the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions on a graph, leading them to say electricity. This answer is incorrect, and teachers will need to have students to identify the second largest source to lead into the conversation about conserving electricity.

Differentiation & Implementation

The lesson plans have numerous links to suggested resources as well as follow-up activities to extend learning.
To extend learning about environmental justice, these resources can be used.
To extend learning about renewable energy, this resource can be used.
Check out our Earth Month calendar and the Earth Month educator's guide for high school for more ideas on what to teach around Earth Day.

From the scientist review

This resource features four lessons and two readings focused on renewable energy and climate change. All figures have sources cited, and the text has citations in footnotes throughout. The focus is placed on engaging students with sources and ensuring that they understand the bias in many industry sources. This resource highlights energy equity alongside climate concerns and is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12, AP
Subjects: Civics, English Language Arts, Engineering
Other types: Articles/Websites, Videos, Data, Graphs, and Maps, Activity - Classroom, Worksheets, Games
Format: PDF
Language: English
Location: Africa, North America, North America > United States
Provider: Population Education
Authors: Population Education
Published: April 4, 2025
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · SL.9-12.1 + 14 more

Maine Climate Education Hub

English Language Arts

SL.9-12.1Prepare for and participate in conversations across a range of topics, types, and forums, building on others' ideas and expressing their own.
SL.9-12.3Present information and supporting evidence appropriate to task, purpose, and audience so listeners can follow the line of reasoning and incorporate multimedia when appropriate.
R.9-12.4Read various texts closely to determine what each text explicitly says and to make logical inferences; cite specific textual evidence to support conclusions drawn from the texts.
R.9-12.10Evaluate the argument and specific claims in various texts.
W.9-12.3Routinely produce a variety of clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, audience, and purpose.

Science and Engineering

HS-ESS3-1Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
HS-ESS3-2Evaluate competing design solutions for developing, managing, and utilizing energy and mineral resources based on cost-benefit ratios.
HS-ESS3-4Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.
HS-ETS1-3Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

Social Studies

Civics& Government 1 (D1): Students understand the ideals, purposes, principles, structures, and processes of constitutional government in the United States and in the American political system, as well as examples of other forms of government and political systems in the world by evaluating and comparing the relationship of citizens with government in the United States and other regions of the world.
GlobalConnections (F2): Students understand economic aspects of unity and diversity in Maine, the United States, and the world, including Maine Native American communities, by analyzing how resource distribution effects wealth, poverty, and other economic factors.
Geography1 (F2): Students understand the geography of the United States and various regions of the world and the effect of geographic influences on decisions about the present and future by evaluating and developing a well-supported position about the impact of change on the physical and cultural environment.
Geography1 (D2): Students understand the geography of the United States and various regions of the world and the effect of geographic influences on decisions about the present and future by using inquiry to predict and evaluate consequences of geographic influences.
Geography1 (D3): Students understand the geography of the United States and various regions of the world and the effect of geographic influences on decisions about the present and future by describing the major regions of the Earth and their major physical, environmental, and cultural features using a variety of geographic tools, including digital tools and resources.
Geography2 (F2): Students understand geographic aspects of unity and diversity in Maine, the United States, and the world, including Maine Native American communities, by summarizing and interpreting the relationship between geographic features and cultures of Maine Native Americans, and historical and recent immigrant groups in Maine, the United States, and the world.

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