Young Voices for the Planet: Words Have Power
Videos
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Civics, Health
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by Children's Environmental Literacy Foundation
What it is
- This video presents the story of Jaysa Hunter-Mellers, a young activist from Bridgeport, Connecticut whose testimony helped shut down a coal-fired power plant.
- Students will see that children can fight for environmental justice and address environmental threats through civic actions and words.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This video and the additional links in the description can inspire students to take action to protect the environment.
- This video has a powerful message related to environmental justice, environmental racism, and one person's ability to make change.
Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with the following concepts: air pollution, environmental racism, activism, and burning fossil fuels.
- Teachers can check out the various articles and videos on Jaysa's awards, projects, and press releases.
Differentiation & Implementation
- In ELA classes, teachers can show students the video and ask them to write a paragraph about the impact of words to make a positive change.
- In art classes, teachers can ask students to make a piece of art that depicts the powerful words Jaysa Hunter-Mellers.
- This video can be used for a class discussion about environmental racism.
- It can be used as a starting point for a lesson on actions to restore the environment or on air pollution and its impacts on human health.
From the scientist review
This resource is a story of climate activism. Additional links are also recommended to inspire students to lead in climate conversations and take urgent action to restore their environment.
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