As teachers, we all have the power to instill a sense of environmental responsibility and stewardship in our students, starting from the early elementary years up into high school. Anchor charts are powerful and visually engaging tools that can help reinforce these concepts. There are several types of sustainability anchor charts that can be created for grades K-12, offering inspiration and ideas to seamlessly incorporate eco-conscious practices into your teaching curriculum.
For lower grade levels, anchor charts should be interactive, but most of the information should either be provided or used as a review for the students. This helps students see and work with the information continually throughout the lesson or unit. In terms of sustainability, these anchor charts should also include visuals for students to see and make connections for that topic. Below are sustainability charts that can help students connect to the abstract ideas of conservation.
Teach students about the 3 Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) with this interactive anchor chart. First, have students discuss what they know about the 3 Rs. Ask questions like, “What does each ‘R’ stand for?”, “Have you ever done the 3 Rs?”, and “Why should we do the 3 Rs?” Have students think about the 3 Rs as they do a recycling tour around the classroom. Give students five minutes to walk around the classroom thinking about what items they could reuse, reduce, or recycle. Bring students back together and show them the anchor chart. Have students list the items they saw in the classroom that could be reused. Discuss why they think that and how it could be reused. Do this for “reduce” and “recycle.” A helpful tip is to laminate the chart before the lesson so students can use a dry erase marker to write their responses.
The next anchor chart is a great way to conclude the study of conserving Earth’s resources by having the students pledge to take care of the planet. This can also include the country, state, and community they live in. A simple pledge students can repeat with their hand raised is “I pledge to do my very best to care for the Earth and its resources.” Have students trace their hand on construction paper, cut it out, and write their name on it. Place tape on the backside and have students tape their hands to the pledge. Students can take the lesson home and have their parents make a similar pledge by visiting the Take Care of Texas pledge page.
For upper grade levels, anchor charts should be built by the students with the teacher guiding thoughts and ideas. These anchor charts can be used to stir up discussions, give new perspectives a platform, and allow students to oversee what they want to learn and what they are taking away from the lesson. The following anchor charts will allow students to provide information while at the same time collaborating with others to create new ideas.
When learning about ecosystems, create anchor charts that can be hung around the classroom to initiate movement within the classroom. One anchor chart can have the vocabulary that is important to the lesson. Students can work together to fill in the missing information. Another anchor chart can be labeled “Explain the difference between an ecosystem, community, and population.” Again, students will collaborate to add their own understanding. Once students have visited all the anchor charts and provided responses, gather the group and review what was written. Provide students time to explain their thinking and work together to create a classroom understanding of the topic.
In the upper grades, students are asked to collaborate and work together to think outside the box for solutions to real world problems. Have students think of environmental issues such as water pollution or deforestation (include at least three or four issues) and use the anchor chart to write each issue in the “ISSUE” box. Students can then divide themselves among the issues and discuss sustainable practices to curb the issue. These should be listed in the “PRACTICES” box. Have students research each practice and brainstorm practical ways to implement them into everyday life. Students can create resources to share these tips with others. These anchor charts can stay up throughout the lesson so that students can add detailed information as they research.
When discussing new topics at any grade level, teachers can create an anchor chart called a K-W-L chart. The K-W-L chart looks at three aspects of the topic that students will learn about. The “K” stands for “Know,” which outlines what students already know about the information. Students can give the response, write the response on a sticky note, or draw a picture on a sticky note to share their thoughts. The “W” stands for “What,” asking what the students want to learn about this topic. These are questions that students already have or new questions they come up with throughout the lesson or unit. The “L” stands for “Learn,” which means what the students have learned in the lesson or unit. This will occur at the end of the lesson or unit but can be built on with continued lessons on that topic.
Not only can anchor charts help students think more rigorously about their own green habits, but they can also allow students to share their thinking and collaborate with others to make a more global impact with their habits. By incorporating visually appealing and informative anchor charts into our teaching strategies, we can effectively instill a sense of environmental responsibility and stewardship in young minds at every stage of their educational journey.
