Self-efficacy
A person’s belief in their ability to make change in their own life and in the world at large.
Lynne Cherry
The mission of the Young Voices for the Planet film series is to limit the magnitude of climate change and its impacts by empowering children and youth, through uplifting and inspiring success stories, to take an essential role in informing their communities — and society at large, challenging decision-makers, and catalyzing change.
YVFP’s Civic Engagement and Democracy Curriculum brings our mission into classrooms across all grades and subject areas. With fifteen different lesson plans available across elementary (3-5), middle (6-8), and high school (9-12), teachers have access to a variety of options to implement into their classrooms. We have selected the most inspirational YVFP stories as the center of each lesson and extracted themes of building courage, confidence, and creativity in the fight against climate change.
Preview & download the Curriculum below.
Preview the Curriculum
Get started with these standards and introductory lessons to the right and preview sample lessons below. Or, fill out the form at the bottom of the page to download the full curriculum of 15 lessons for grades 3-12.
Learn how to develop an ACTION Plan and brainstorm ideas for your school or community. A-C-T-I-O-N stands for: Assess & Analyze, Collaborate, Create a Timetable, Identify, Organize & Share the News. Get started! Find your team. Find your passion. Find your power!
GRADES 3-5
THE POWER OF OUR VOICE
Film: “Words Have Power”
EQ: How can we use our voices to improve our community?
GRADES 6-8
OUR FOOTPRINT, OUR FORESTS, OUR FUTURE
Film: “Plant for Planet”
EQ: What actions can we take as individuals to sequester carbon?
GRADES 9-12
ECO-DETECTIVES
Film: “Dreaming in Green”
EQ: How can we influence decision-makers in our community?
Download the Full Curriculum with 15 Lessons: Grades 3-12
Help develop the self-efficacy of young people who are on the frontlines of climate change.
Fill out the form to the right to download fifteen different lesson plans available across elementary (3-5), middle (6-8), and high school (9-12). Give more young people the tools to change minds, change laws, & change the world.
Facilitating Peer Learning & Self-Efficacy
The YVFP films document youth solutions and facilitate peer learning. Each lesson includes:
- A cover page that provides an overview of the film and lesson
- Step-by-step directions for instructors, including essential questions, objectives, required materials and suggested modifications for diverse learners
- Student handouts that are colorful, engaging and ready to print
Though each lesson can be used independently, we welcome teachers to deliver them as thematic units in science, civics, and other subject areas. Through these films and activities, we hope students of all ages will build the self-efficacy to speak out, take action, and create change in their communities and beyond.
Curriculum Development
This curriculum is based on the Young Voices for the Planet film series produced and directed by Lynne Cherry, YVFP’s founder and NY Time Best-Selling Children’s Book Author and Illustrator.
The curriculum was derived by Samantha Skach from lessons developed by Lynne Cherry. The lesson plans are Samantha’s original creations. She teaches Social Studies at the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart and at Sidwell Friends’ summer school in Washington, DC. She received her B.S. in Secondary Education & Psychology with Broad Field Social Studies from Marquette University where she graduated cum laude and received the Magis Leadership Scholarship.
Common Core, Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), and College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards
To ensure educators are able to implement our lessons into a variety of educational settings, the YVFP Civic Engagement and Democracy Curriculum includes a table of standards addressed in various pedagogical frameworks. These frameworks include Common Core, Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), and College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Standards. Since many lessons address the same standards, we have bundled each set of standards by grade cluster.
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