Eco-Choices Challenge: How Green Is Your Week?

Introduction

Go Green Week - Guild of Students

Okay, everyone—now imagine that your school is organizing a special event called “Go Green Week.”

The principal wants students to come up with realistic, low-cost, and effective ideas to reduce environmental damage.

You are part of a Green Team. Your mission is to design a 7-day eco-friendly plan for a teenager like you.

Each day must include one environmentally friendly action and a short explanation of why it is good for the planet.

But first, here is a really important question for you:

How can small personal choices make a big difference for the environment?

 

Task

You are a member of a Green Team chosen by your school to prepare a 7-day eco-friendly lifestyle plan for teenagers.

Your task is to research, plan, and present practical daily actions that help protect the environment while remaining realistic, low-cost, and age-appropriate. Each day of your plan should include one eco-friendly action and a short explanation of why it is good for the environment.

As part of this task, you will:

  • Explore real-life eco-friendly habits

  • Use target vocabulary related to the environment

  • Give advice using should / shouldn’t

  • Make comparisons to explain why some choices are better than others

Your final product will be either:

  • a Canva poster (A4), or

  • a presentation with at least 5 slides,

showing your complete 7-day eco plan clearly and creatively.

Important note:

The goal of this task is not only to share information, but also to use English to persuade and encourage your classmates to make environmentally responsible choices in their daily lives.

By completing this task, you will use English for a real and meaningful purpose, just like in real life.

 

Process

STEP 1 – Vocabulary

First, let’s look at the words we might encounter while researching this topic.

I have prepared an activity for you to practice vocabulary. You can access it via the link below:

👉 https://wordwall.net/resource/105706143

 

 

STEP 2 – Language Focus

 Giving Advice

  • You should turn off the lights.
  • You shouldn’t waste water.

 Making Comparisons

  • Public transport is greener than driving alone.
  • Reusable bags are better than plastic bags.

You will use these structures actively in your final product.

 

 

STEP 3 – Thinking about eco-friendly choices in daily life

Before you start using the internet, think about your own daily habits.

Individually, write down three things you do every day that may have an effect on the environment

(for example: how you go to school, how you use water, what you eat or drink).

  • Which habits are good for the environment?
  • Which habits are not very eco-friendly?

You are going to create a 7-day eco-friendly lifestyle plan for a teenager.

This plan will later become your final product (poster or slides).

Your eco plan must include actions from the following categories:

  • Food
  • Energy use
  • Transportation
  • Waste and plastic use

STEP 4 – Research

Now it is time to collect ideas.

  • Use the links provided below.
  • Read the information carefully. You may skim to get general ideas and scan to find specific actions.
  • Take notes.

⚠️ Do NOT copy and paste sentences from the websites.

Write your own sentences.

Resources:

STEP 5 – Creating the 7-day eco-friendly plan

You are now ready to fill in the “My Weekly Eco-Challenge” table

(the link to the table is provided below).

  • Decide on one eco-friendly action for each day (Day 1–Day 7).
  • Each action must come from the categories mentioned in Step 3.

For each day, write:

  • The eco-friendly action
  • A short explanation (1–2 sentences)

👉 My Weekly Eco-Challenge Table:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAG-xKfdPOI/nLi8wassZybPKpLcAzleXg/edit

Tips:

  • Choose actions that are realistic for teenagers.
  • Make sure you understand each action clearly.
  • Focus on simple but effective ideas.

 

STEP 6 – Producing the final product

Now you will create the final product.

Choose ONE format:

  • A Canva poster (A4)
  • A presentation with at least 5 slides

Your product must:

  • Clearly show all 7 days
  • Include short explanations (don’t forget to use the vocabulary and language focus)
  • Be easy to read and visually clear
  • Focus on content, not decoration

STEP 7 – Preparing and giving the presentation

Lastly, you are going to present your eco plan to the class.

  • Your presentation should last 1–2 minutes.
  • Try to speak freely instead of reading.
  • Use your product as visual support.

Useful presentation language:

  • My eco-friendly plan focuses on …
  • I chose this action because …
  • I believe this plan is realistic because …
Evaluation
Criteria Excellent (5) Good (4–3) Needs Improvement (2–1)
Content & Task Completion All 7 days completed; each day includes a clear eco-friendly action and logical reasons; all required categories are covered Mostly complete; 1–2 days lack clear explanation or some categories are weak Several days missing or unclear; categories not followed
Language Use Accurate use of target vocabulary, should / shouldn’t, and comparisons with very few or no errors Minor grammar or vocabulary errors that do not affect meaning Frequent errors that make meaning unclear
Organization & Design Very clear, well-organized, and visually attractive; easy to follow Understandable but slightly crowded or uneven Disorganized, unclear, or hard to read
Speaking & Presentation Clear, confident, and persuasive delivery; good use of visual support Some hesitation; relies on visuals or notes Very limited speaking; mostly reads or speaks unclearly
Conclusion

Conclusion

Well done! You have now completed the Eco-Choices Challenge.

Through your research, planning, and creative work, you have explored practical ways to live more sustainably as a teenager. You learned:

  • how small personal choices can reduce environmental impact
  • how to use English vocabulary and structures to explain and justify your ideas
  • how to create a clear weekly plan and present it confidently

By creating your own 7-day eco plan, you have not only practiced English for a real purpose, but you have also thought about how you can make a positive change in daily life.

Remember, small actions can create big change — and the habits you start now can make a difference in the future!

Credits

Credits

This WebQuest was created by Eray KOCAMAZ  for B1-level  EFL learners (9th Grade students).

The following resources were used to design the content of this WebQuest:

Websites used for student research:

  • 25 Eco-Friendly Habits You Should Incorporate Into Your Day-to-Day Life (greenfeels.in)
  • How Recycling Works (science.howstuffworks.com)
  • What Is Energy Saving? (gamak.com)
  • Sustainable Transportation (seagoinggreen.org)
  • Preventing Wasted Food at Home (epa.gov)

Digital tools:

  • Canva (canva.com) for planning tables and poster/design templates
  • Wordwall (wordwall.net) for vocabulary practice activities

All materials are used for non-commercial educational purposes.

No copyrighted material has been reproduced without acknowledgement.

Teacher Page

Teacher Page

Target Learners

Turkish EFL learners in a state high school, B1 (CEFR) level, ages 14–15 (Grade 9)

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this WebQuest, students will be able to:

  • Understand and use key Enviroment related vocabulary
  • Use modal verbs for advice (should / shouldn’t) and comparative structures
  • Collect and summarize information from online sources
  • Create a clear 7-day eco-friendly plan
  • Present and explain ideas in English

Materials Needed

  • Internet access (devices or computer lab)
  • Research website links (see Step 4)
  • Canva or a similar design tool
  • Posters or slides for final presentations
  • Wordwall vocabulary activity (Step 1)

Process Overview

Students will:

  • Prepare vocabulary and language focus
  • Reflect on their own eco habits
  • Research eco-friendly actions online
  • Plan a weekly eco-friendly plan
  • Create a final product (poster or slides)
  • Present their plan to the class

Assessment

Students are evaluated using a clear rubric (see Evaluation section), which assesses:

  • Content completion and relevance
  • Appropriate language use
  • Organization and design
  • Speaking performance

Differentiation Strategies

  • Lower-level learners:

    Sentence starters, simplified vocabulary lists, and visual support
  • Higher-level learners:

    Add 1–2 conditional sentences (e.g., If we reduce waste, we will…) and include one statistic or fact
  • Mixed-ability classes:

    Stronger students act as peer helpers

Classroom Management Tips

  • Encourage note-taking in students’ own words to avoid copying