Adding current events and special occasions into your lesson plans is an easy way to encourage more engagement in your classroom. Talking about what’s happening in the world adds relevant context to your lessons, which makes the experience more meaningful to your class. 

Earth Hour is an excellent opportunity to help students become more aware of their energy use and how reducing energy consumption can positively impact climate change.  

What is Earth Hour?

Earth Hour is an international event that unites people around the world to raise awareness of climate change. During Earth Hour, people turn off their lights and electronic devices worldwide to support a future where climate change is no longer a threat. 

This year, Earth Hour will take place on Saturday, March 25 at 8:30 p.m. Many schools participate on the Friday before the official Earth Hour by turning off all non-essential electricity for one hour during the school day. 

Ways to Celebrate Earth Hour in the Classroom

Are you looking for additional ways to leverage Earth Hour with your students? There are many ways your class can celebrate that go beyond turning off the lights: 

• Host a brainstorming session: As a class, discuss activities that don’t require any energy. Your students will be surprised at how they can have fun without it! Check out our Lights Out! activity on our website to help guide your discussion. 

• Create a poster: Let your students get creative by having them design Earth Hour posters. They can draw anything from their favourite energy-free activity to what they think the planet will look like in the future. 

• Take a walk: Take your students around the school or community to learn about electricity and natural gas and how they’re used. Discuss how the world around you uses energy and what natural resources are needed to power our communities. 

Check out earthhour.org for even more ideas on how you can get your class engaged in Earth Hour. 

How Generation E can support your Earth Hour activities

If you’d like to take Earth Hour to the next level, Generation E has energy efficiency-related lesson plans for a variety of grades: 

Kindergarten to Grade 5 resources 

• Classroom Checklist: Students can use this checklist of energy-saving actions to complete every day in the classroom. These actions include turning lights off when no one’s in the classroom or unplugging electronics that aren’t being used. This will encourage students to be mindful of their energy use and develop energy-saving habits. 

Grade 6 resources 

• Lights Out!: Students will create a plan for how they’d manage three days without electricity. They’ll consider how their typical day-to-day activities will change, such as how they would stay busy and what they would eat. This activity will encourage students to think about how they use or save energy in their daily activities. 

• My Pledge to the Planet: Students will reflect on the simple everyday tasks they do that may waste energy or have a negative impact on the environment. They’ll make a “pledge to the planet” by choosing one action they can take to be more energy efficient and contribute to a greener future.  

• Classroom Checklist: Students can learn about different ways their classroom uses energy and why it’s important to use that energy wisely. They can then use this checklist to track their energy-saving actions, such as turning lights off when no one’s in the classroom or unplugging electronics that aren’t being used. This will encourage students to be mindful of their energy use and develop energy-saving habits. 

Grade 9 resources 

• Home Energy Review: Students will conduct an energy review of their home to learn more about how their home consumes energy. This exercise will help students identify where their families can make improvements to their homes and reduce their energy use. 

Earth Hour is a fun way to introduce energy efficiency to your students. By learning through involvement and participation, the discussions your students start in the classroom will end in energy-saving habits being created at home. 

Visit our website to discover even more ways to bring energy-saving activities into the classroom for Earth Hour and beyond.