Article
Shutterstock.com
Infographic,

How to Show Your Love for the Earth

So you want to help protect the planet—but where do you start? Here are a few ideas.

From the March/April 2021 Issue
Featured Skill: Main Idea and Supporting Details,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    R.1, R.2, R.7, W.2
  • Grade 4
    RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.7, W.4.2
  • Grade 5
    RI.5.1, RI.5.2, RI.5.7, W.5.2
  • Grade 6
    RI.6.1, RI.6.2, RI.6.7, W.6.2
TEKS Standards
  • Grade 4
    4.9f; 4.12c
  • Grade 5
    5.9f; 5.12c
  • Grade 6
    6.8f; 6.11c

Presentation View
See Student View

Pick Up!

Take your family on a “litter pickup picnic”: You can toss out trash in your neighborhood park, then reward yourselves with lunch.

Plant

Trees and plants slurp up pollution from the air. Ask an adult to help you plant seeds in your yard—then don’t forget to water them!

Unplug

Gadgets like laptops suck up electricity even when you’re not using them. Make sure you unplug when you’re done (or plug them into a power strip you can switch off).

Switch From This

→

To This

Instead of Tossing Your Trash, Turn It Into:

A pencil holder!

A bird feeder!

A work of art!

Write to Win

Imagine you’re starting a Save the Planet club at your school. Write a short speech to give at the club’s first meeting, explaining how members can get started. Use information from the infographic. Send your speech to “Earth Contest” by May 1, 2021. Five winners will each receive a Storyworks prize. Five winners will each receive a Storyworks prize. See our Contest Page for details. 

This infographic was originally published in the March 2021 issue.


Elena Abrosimova/Alamy Stock Photo (pencil holder); Maxal Tamor/Alamy Stock Photo (bird feeder); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)

Activities (3)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Activities (3) Download All Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)

More About the Story

Skills

reading for information, evaluating    

Complexity Factors

Purpose

The infographic presents numerous ideas for protecting the planet.  

Structure

Information is presented using text and images around a central image.

Language

The language will be mainly familiar. There are a few instances of personification (e.g., “plants slurp up pollution”).

Knowledge Demands 

No special knowledge is required.

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Download the Lesson Plan

1. Reading and Discussing 

Project the infographic as students follow along in their magazines.

Prompt students to use the headline, subhead, and central image to identify the topic of the infographic.

Ask: Is the purpose of the infographic to

  • explain something to you?
  • convince you of something?
  • tell you how to do something?

Have students look over the labels and images surrounding the central image. Ask:

  • How are they related to the central image? (They provide details about the main idea.)

Break students into groups to read each section of the infographic and discuss what they find interesting, surprising, or convincing.

Come back together as a class and ask volunteers to summarize the main idea and supporting details from the infographic.

2. Writing

Preview the writing prompt in the “Write to Win” box.

Download and distribute the guided-writing activity that goes along with the infographic (available in your Resources tab).

Have students respond to the writing prompt. If you wish, send their responses to our infographic contest. 

Ideas to Engage and Inspire

Have students create their own infographics! Download our “Make Your Own Infographic” activity from Storyworks Digital.

Text-to-Speech