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Earth Day
The first Earth Day was a nationwide environmental teach-in held on April 22nd, 1970…
Reads at Grades K-2 Listens at K–3
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28 worksheets · answer keys · full story · quiz · Ages 6-8 · CEFR A2
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Just want Earth Day?
Hello there. My name is Gaylord Nelson, and I want to tell you about a very special day. For my whole life, I have loved America’s beautiful outdoors. I loved tall green trees that reached for the sky, rivers that sparkled in the sun, and air that was fresh and clean to breathe. But as I got older, I started to feel a little sad. I saw rivers that looked brown and yucky instead of sparkly blue. I saw skies in big cities that were filled with gray, hazy smoke that we called smog. It made me worry about our wonderful planet. One day, I saw how powerful young people were when they spoke up about things they cared about. They had so much energy and so many great ideas. That’s when a thought popped into my head like a bright lightbulb. What if we had one special day, just for the Earth? A day when everyone in the whole country could come together and show how much we care about our planet and learn how to protect it.
My Big Idea for a Better World
Hello there. My name is Gaylord Nelson, and I want to tell you about a very special day. For my whole life, I have loved America’s beautiful outdoors. I loved tall green trees that reached for the sky, rivers that sparkled in the sun, and air that was fresh and clean to breathe. But as I got older, I started to feel a little sad. I saw rivers that looked brown and yucky instead of sparkly blue. I saw skies in big cities that were filled with gray, hazy smoke that we called smog. It made me worry about our wonderful planet. One day, I saw how powerful young people were when they spoke up about things they cared about. They had so much energy and so many great ideas. That’s when a thought popped into my head like a bright lightbulb. What if we had one special day, just for the Earth? A day when everyone in the whole country could come together and show how much we care about our planet and learn how to protect it.
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About
The first Earth Day was a nationwide environmental teach-in held on April 22nd, 1970, which mobilized 20 million Americans and is credited with launching the modern environmental movement.
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Why was Gaylord Nelson worried at the beginning of the story?
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