Celebrate Earth Day 2026
Environmental health impacts children in numerous ways, from the air in the hallway to the water in the school fountain. Bringing environmental health justice into the classroom is about providing students with the tools to understand how their surroundings impact their bodies and their future. The theme for Earth Day 2026 is “Our power, our planet.” This is a great opportunity to leverage current events and connect learning in the classroom to things students care about.
To celebrate Earth Day, dfusion has developed a series of environmental inquiry lessons called “Ground Truthers: An Environmental Health Investigation Lab.” In our work funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences we have been developing creative ways to introducing students to environmental health that motivates and connects to real-world experiences. By meeting students where they are and framing these topics in their own community, we transform standards into a relatable experience that boosts knowledge retention, genuine student enjoyment, and a potential passion for public health.
From Real-Life Problems to Real-World Solutions
In middle school, students are developing a sharp sense of fairness and a desire for independence. They are beginning to notice that not every neighborhood looks or smells the same. When students learn that environmental health is often tied to local history and policy, it shifts their perspective. By introducing these topics now, we provide a gateway for students to realize they can be active participants in the health of their own communities.
“Ground Truthers” is a comprehensive and accessible lesson plan focused on environmental health literacy. The goal is to help students identify environmental exposures and find ways to reduce negative health impacts in their own school. Applying these relevant environmental health issues to daily life will help students make connections to these problems in their wider community. Environmental justice can feel like a heavy topic, but this lesson plan uses collaboration and a student-driven approach for immersive and age-appropriate learning. This approach highlights the agency students have to brainstorm ways to make changes in their world. Starting with problems close to home can be a gateway to understanding public health.
Using School for Real-World Application
This lesson plan taps into natural curiosity by turning the school itself into the subject of study. By focusing on four critical pillars, we move the conversation from global to local:
- Indoor air quality: understanding how ventilation and allergens on campus affect their health
- Water quality: investigating the safety of the water fountains and plumbing on campus
- Community environmental health: identifying community resources and pollution sources while researching community health statistics and community member concerns
- Transportation: investigating common routes taken to school, high-traffic areas near campus, and local air quality data
Implementation: How to Use This in Your Classroom
The full lesson series is designed to be conducted over 4-5 school days and includes interactive activities and concludes with a group presentation to share findings and potential solutions. The activities are also modular and teachers can select the activities or components that work best for their schedules.
Educational Standards Alignment
This lesson plan is designed to support the following standards:
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):
- MS-ESS3-4: Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth’s systems
- MS-ETS1-1: Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment
- MS-LS2-5: Evaluate competing design solutions for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services.
ELA Standards:
- RST .6-8.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts
- RST.6-8.7: Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in text
- WHST.6-8.1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content
National Health Education Standards (NHES):
- 1.8.6: Analyze how individual, interpersonal, community, and environmental factors impact health and well-being
- 5.8.4: Evaluate how various options may affect health-related outcomes at individual, interpersonal, community, societal, and environmental levels
- 8.8.1: Analyze opportunities to advocate for the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities
Lesson Takeaways
By the end of this lesson plan, students will understand the factors that build a healthy environment, the barriers to that success, and how to advocate for their community. We cannot expect students to change the world if they don’t understand the environment they spend 7 hours a day in. Let’s start at school and remember it is “Our power, our planet..”
This lesson can be accessed through dfusion’s teacher pay teachers store.
About the Author
Bella Phan is a dedicated public health professional committed to bridging the gap between health literacy and community empowerment. She currently holds a B.S. in Public Health with a minor in Business and is completing an MPH in Community Health Education. Her passion for education began as a health educator for young adults in special needs classrooms at Goodwill; she uses this passion as a registered behavior technician where she supports behavioral and social development through evidence-based interventions. Phan’s commitment to community engagement was shaped by a fifteen-year journey attending and working at a local summer camp for low-income Bay Area youth. Having seen firsthand how health and environmental access can transform a child’s life, she focuses on creating educational gateways that help students connect to relevant public health issues.