Planet Earth
Teacher Resources

Planet Earth: Finding Balance on the Blue Marble with Environmental Science Activities for Kids

Illustrated by Tom Casteel
Discover the story of our planet in Planet Earth: Finding Balance on the Blue Marble with Environmental Science Activities for Kids! Middle school kids master ecology basics while learning all about the balance among the natural parts of the world and how and environmental issues such as climate change threaten this delicate balance. Essential questions, fun facts, and hands-on STEM experiments make this book a fully immersive learning experience!
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Build It Environmental Science (4 titles) Gr. 4–8. Mixing comics and thoughtfully designed activities with solid information, this series accessibly explores with precision such topics as biodiversity, biomes, and Earth’s garbage problem.”Read more online.

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For educators! Download a packet of essential questions, mentor texts, and Common Core State Standards to use in classrooms and libraries.

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Free Printables

Download a free activity from this book!

DO SOME VERMICOMPOSTING! Download a free activity from this book!

Detailed Book Description

The environment is all around us, whether you live in a city, suburb, or the country. Sometimes, it’s easy to ignore. But forgetting about the environment isn’t an option if we want our planet to be healthy!

Planet Earth: Finding Balance on the Blue Marble with Environmental Science Activities for Kids introduces middle grade readers to all the parts of the natural world, including the oceans, the atmosphere, the earth, and everything in between. In this book, kids master ecology basics, such as the food web and animal habitats, while also learning about environmental issues such as wind and solar power, endangered species, climate change, and more. Stories about new innovations in fields such as recycling, agriculture, and energy production galvanize readers to turn their creative thinking skills to their own inventions.

Planet Earth includes hands-on STEM activities and critical thinking exercises to encourage readers to discover connections among their observations of their immediate environment and the larger world around them. Fun facts, links to online primary sources and other supplemental material, and essential questions encourage readers to ask themselves what they could do differently to make the world a healthier place.

Planet Earth is part of a set of four Build It Environmental Science books that explore the history and science of the planet and all that live on it through hands-on STEM activities and real-life environmental connections. Other titles in this series are Planet Earth, Garbage, and Biomes.

Try these hands-on environmental projects!

  • Build your own worm castle
  • Conduct your own food supply experiment
  • Make your own Tullgren funnel
  • Observe air pollution in your home
Available In:
Hardcover, $22.95
9781619307407
Paperback, $17.95
9781619307438
Includes: Table of Contents | Timeline | Glossary | Resources | Index
Specs: 8 x 10 size | 4-color interior | 128 pages
Subject: Science

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Timeline

Introduction
Welcome to Planet Earth

Chapter 1
 Earth: Our Spot in Space

Chapter 2
The Planet of Air and Water

Chapter 3
Our Star, the Sun

Chapter 4
Life on Earth

Chapter 5
Pollution

Chapter 6
Climate Change

Chapter 7
Recycling

Chapter 8
 Finding the Balance

Glossary
Metric Conversions
Resources
Essential Questions
Index