Earth Day is Saturday and the environment is the focus of an English II research assignment with students combining an environmental issue with what they have learned in class.

“It’s a way to apply the skills you build in class to a real-world situation,” English II teacher Sarah Baker said. “After you leave the education system, you will not be doing isolated assignments in order to assess your ability to research, write, and consider various perspectives.”

For students, it’s helping them focus on something they may not pay attention to otherwise.

 “This project allows students including myself become more aware about the kind of world we live in and what impact we have on it by doing normal daily activities,” sophomore Aarti Poduval said. “The research that we participate in helps us find out more about those environmental issues and the specific impacts we have on them.”

After the conclusion of the individual project, the students are required to participate in a group project that is centered on one of the topics they researched.

“Researching about the environmental issues is beneficial to students because it allows students like me to actually learn about issues,” sophomore Fiza Basheer said. “It helps us learn about issues affecting us and how they’re affecting the earth, and how much humans impact these issues.”

A group presentation will wrap up the project in the next six weeks.

“Collaboration is a critical life skill,” Baker said. “Tackling a project that not only requires you to consider the perspectives of outside stakeholders to find a compromise, but also requires you to work efficiently with your peers on a complex assignment.”