Earth Day, a time to recognize and celebrate environmental awareness, is on April 22nd. I thought it might be useful to have a “The Best…” list for that day.

This list isn’t very long since a previous list, The Best Sites To Introduce Environmental Issues Into The Classroom, really has the best environmental-related resources.

You might also be interested in:

The Best Online Carbon Calculators

The Best Sites To Learn About Climate Change

The Best Sites To Learn About “Earth Hour”

In order to make this list, of course, sites had to accessible to English Language Learners.

Here are my picks for The Best Earth Day Sites (not in any order of preference):

The History Channel has a nice Earth Day feature.

Everyday Is Earth Day is a “talking story” from Starfall for Beginning English Language Learners.

A Florida elementary school has a good description of Earth Day that provides audio support for the text.

ESL Holiday Lessons provides audio support for the text in its Earth Day Lesson. It includes this interactive sequencing activity.

The official Earth Day website has plenty of adaptable curriculum ideas for teachers.

Scholastic has an article describing the history of Earth Day.

CBS News has a slideshow showing Earth Day celebrations around the world in 2008.

Earth Day Through The Years is a slideshow from the Atlanta Constitution.

A Colorful History of Earth Day is a slideshow from TIME Magazine.

Earth Day 2009 is a series of photos from the Boston Globe’s The Big Picture.

Celebrating Earth is a slideshow from The Wall Street Journal showing Earth Day activities around the world.

CBS News has a slideshow also sharing 2009 Earth Day images from different parts of the globe.

Earth Day Celebrations is a slideshow from The Washington Post.

ABC News has a slideshow on Afghanistan declaring its first National Park on Earth Day.

You can send Earth Day eCards (you can post links to them on a teacher or student website) from either Blue Mountain or Yahoo Greetings.

Teaching Tolerance is on The Best Places To Find Free (And Good) Lesson Plans On The Internet list, and they just came out with two good lesson plans for Earth Day.  Both are related to environmental racism — the fact that low-income communities often have more hazards and pollution than in places that are better — off.

The two lesson plans are:

Fair is Fair: Introducing Kids to the Idea of Environmental Racism

Reporting on Environmental Racism

Thinkfinity also has a fair amount of resources, including lesson plans, on Earth Day.

NASA has some amazing multimedia resources related to Earth Day.

Redefining Progress has some very good lesson plans on Earth Day.

CNN has several good videos and slideshows, including:

Earth Day, The Three R’s

Earth Day’s Young Participants

One billion expected to celebrate Earth Day

Earth Day Turns 40 is an article from Scholastic.

National Geographic has a number of Earth Day resources, including interactives.

“Timeline Of Environmental Milestones” is an interactive from MSNBC that they are adding to each day.

ESL Library is offering some great Earth Day lessons free.

PBS has an Earth Day across America slideshow.

PBS also has some good Earth Day lesson plans.

Ten Ways to ‘Go Green’ and Mark Earth Day comes from The New York Times Learning Network.

Timeline: 70 Years of Environmental Change is an interactive from The New York Times.

In Honor of Earth Day: The Earth From Above is a slideshow from TIME Magazine.

Some of the “Top 40 Nature Photographs Of All Time” are being auctioned off to support environmental activities in support of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

They’re incredible….

Here is more information from the Flickr site:

The International League of Conservation Photographers, a fellowship of the top professional conservation photographers working today, was recruited to nominate nature photographs that the member photographers considered to be “the best,” in whatever way they chose to define it…

Some of these photographs have been generously donated by the photographers or their representatives for the inaugural Christie’s Green Auction in support of Conservation International, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Central Park Conservancy.

Earth Day At 40 is a Wall Street Journal slideshow.

Events Set Around the World as Earth Day Turns 40 is from Voice of America’s Special English, and provides audio support for the text.

Earth Day 2010 is from the Big Picture.

Here are 20 Earth Day lessons for English Language Learners.

Gearing up for Earth Day is a Washington Post slideshow.

Celebrating Earth Day across the world is another Washington Post slideshow.

As always, feedback is welcome.

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