Greening the ELT Classroom: Tips & Teaching Ideas

There are many reasons to bring environmental matters into the ELT classroom: 

• 2023 was the warmest year on record. 
• Greenhouse gas levels are rising. 
• Ice caps and glaciers are melting. 
• Sea levels are rising. 
• The number or extreme weather events has increased. 

This may sound like a scary list, but that is exactly why climate change is an important topic to discuss in class. These things are happening to the planet we live on right now and, consequently, the environment is a subject of global importance. 

Including green-themed lessons in the ELT classroom can raise awareness of the climate crisis and inspire learners to make tiny changes to Earth. 

In this post, I’ll explore some ways to do this: 

1. Follow green ELT accounts

One of the best ways to get ideas for greening your classroom is by following the experts. I always feel inspired by the content on ELT Footprint, Green Action ELT, and Renewable English socials. I also love being part of the ELT Footprint Facebook group, where I can share my own ideas, ask questions, and find out about events.  

2. Take action

Some of the best opportunities for students to learn English happen outside of the classroom. This can provide a chance for learners to use their language skills to work together towards a shared goal. For example: 

• visiting a site of environmental importance (e.g., a recycling plant)
• attending a green event (e.g., a conference, rally, or concert)
• organizing a fundraiser (e.g., creating a recipe book to reduce food waste)
• creating something with upcycled materials (e.g., a greenhouse from plastic bottles)
• taking part in a community cleanup (e.g., a gardening event or litter pickup)
• starting a green-themed petition (e.g., to have more bicycle lanes)
• Plant something (e.g., trees, vegetables, fruit)

3. Get inspired

At Ellii, we absolutely love Ali Waters, daughter of ELT green guru Harry Waters. This unstoppable human has a mission, and she is on track to succeed. On her 11th birthday, Ali launched the #1millionlitterpick challenge. The goal is to collect and recycle one million pieces of plastic litter.

To get involved, get your students to collect as much litter as possible. Then count it and log it on "Ali’s Map" app. You could also take photos and share your own successes with the world. This will spread the word, help Ali to achieve her goals, and make the world a cleaner, shinier place. 

Learn all about Ali's one-in-a-million mission in this post.

Here are some Ellii lessons you could use to introduce the theme of litter: 

• Ocean Garbage: Discussion Starters
• Garbage Solutions: Discussion Starters
• Composting: Discussion Starters
• Food Waste: Discussion Starters
• Throw It Out!: Photo Prompts
• Plastic: Famous Things

4. Encourage debate & discussion

As with any topic of global importance, students will bring their own experiences and opinions to class. It’s important to give them the opportunity to share their ideas in an open and respectful way. 

Ellii Polls are a great way to do this. They allow learners to anonymously share their views and they provide supported discussion questions. 

Take this poll on Water Conservation, for example: 

Students scan the QR code to get started and then enter their name. Once everyone has joined the poll, the teacher can start the sequence of questions, discussion starters, and vocabulary. 

Students answer a question and then stop to discuss the responses, which they can see on the teacher's screen. After the responses come in, you could take the opportunity to encourage discussion around: 

• whether students are surprised by the results
• students’ feelings about the results
• possible reasons for the results
• how to change the results

After the initiating yes/no question, you can continue the poll sequence to cover vocabulary input, agreeing and disagreeing, and more in-depth discussions.

Next, students get a chance to agree or disagree about a set of statements related to the topic.

After that, students see further poll questions that allow them to elaborate.

 

Finally, if your students seem interestsed in the topic, you can find related lessons at the end of the poll. Note that the polls are free for anyone to use; however, the lessons require a paid subscription. 

If you like the sound of this, you can check out Elli’s ever-growing bank of poll topics.

Here’s a few green ones to get you started: 

Food Waste
Water Conservation
Climate Change 

5. Browse the collections

Finding ways to incorporate green issues into the classroom is simple when you have Ellii. All of the awesome environmentally themed lessons you can use in class are in this Environment collection. There is also a collection that curates Ellii's content with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals in mind.

How do you include green topics in your classes? What tips and teaching ideas would you add?