Earth+Day

media type="custom" key="9006782" align="left" Did you know that the first Earth Day Celebration was held on April 22, 1970 and was the brain child of then United States Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, as a way to raise awareness and appreciation of our earth's natural resources? As you can see by this image of the original poster from the first Earth Day Celebration (designed by Walt Kelly, the creator of the Pogo comic strip series) the focus has always been on what humans can and need to do to keep our environment clean and safe for future generations. As we prepare to celebrate Earth Day 2011 on April 22nd below are some cool resources that you might like to check out. [|Scholastic Virtual Forest Game-] take this test to see how your choices will impact the environment. [|Scholastic Kid Reports]- a collection of articles of what people in their communities are doing to "make every day Earth Day." [|United States EPA Environmental Kids Club]- a site for students to help you explore your environment and learn how to protect it. [|Environemntal Kids Club Games(EPA)-] a collection of games and activities to help you learn about the importance of helping to keep our environment clean and safe. [|Children of the Earth]- a nice video presentation that explains how we should celebrate Earth Day Everyday!
 * EARTH DAY[[image:earth_day_poster.jpg width="168" height="235" align="right"]] **
 * Earth Day Resources **

**Assignment** Last week you were asked to write a brief descriptive essay about a specific animal and then your partner was given the opoportunity to guess your animal. You all did a very nice job both writing your descriptive essay and responding. You will need to know **your partner's animal** to complete this week's assignment. If you have forgotten please head over to your group page to find out. It is important to write your essay from the perspective of the animal that your partner wrote about last week (please identify the animal). When writing from the animal's point of view remember to be persuasive by giving specific examples. So you will "become" that animal and write an essay on what you think humans should be doing to help keep the Earth clean and how some of our decisions have had a negative affect on the environment. Below is an example.

**Please remember that a short essay should be longer than one or two sentences.** An essay should have a thesis statement telling the reader what the essay will be about, and what point you, the author, will be making. In addition you should explain, describe and/or argue your point in the body of your essay and don't forget to write a conclusion to give closure to the reader, summing up your points or providing a final perspective on your topic. Check your spelling and grammar and when your essay is ready to post, go to the discussion feature **on your group page** and post your essay. **EXAMPLE:** My partner, Mary Ellen, described a squirrel and so I will be speaking from a squirrel's perspective.

On this Earth Day I wish humans would stop and think about all of the damage they are doing to the environemnt when they throw garbage out of their car windows. Many days I will be sitting in my nest, high in the oak tree, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the sweet smell of the rose garden below when a car will drive by and throw out empty water bottles or candy wrappers. I don't understand why humans can't just wait until they get home and throw their garbage in the trash where it belongs. Is that so difficult? Don't they understand that all of this garbage is it hurting our environment? Don't they understand that animals can hurt themselves if they accidentally get caught in a plastic bag or injure themselves by stepping on cut glass. On this Earth Day I wish all humans would help clean all of the garbage on the roads and more importantly I wish they would remember every day- 365 days a year- to not throw garbage out their car windows.