Voices for Change

Overview

This is Lesson 16 of 25 in the unit Farming for the Future. In this 60-minute session, students will explore how to advocate for sustainable farming practices. They will collaboratively develop clear, age-appropriate advocacy messages and design simple campaigns to raise community awareness — integrating creativity, peer collaboration, and inquiry aligned with the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) framework and Reggio Emilia philosophy.

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Learning Objectives

Aligned with IB PYP Phase 2-3 standards appropriate for Grades 2-5 and Reggio Emilia principles:

• ATL Skills: Communication & Social Skills

  • Students express ideas clearly through oral and visual advocacy messages.
  • Students collaborate effectively in pairs or small groups to co-construct a campaign plan.

• Transdisciplinary Theme: Sharing the Planet

  • Understand the importance of sustainable farming practices on environmental responsibility.

• Learner Profile Attributes

  • Be caring by advocating for the well-being of the environment.
  • Be principled in developing honest, clear messages.

• Approaches to Learning (ATL) - Phase 2-3

  • Communication: Organizing information and expressing ideas.
  • Social: Working collaboratively with peers and negotiating roles.
  • Self-management: Meeting deadlines and following through on commitments.

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Success Criteria

Students will be able to:

• Develop a clear advocacy message related to sustainable farming using age-appropriate language and visuals.
• Collaborate effectively to create a simple campaign poster or digital slide with key information and persuasive language.
• Identify and articulate at least one reason why sustainable practices benefit the community.

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Materials

• Chart paper, markers, crayons, colored pencils
• Pre-prepared examples of age-appropriate advocacy campaigns (print and visual)
• Sticky notes
• Tablets or laptops (if available) for digital poster creation (optional)
• Dyslexia-friendly font flashcards for writing support (sans-serif fonts, colored overlays)
• Sentence starters and vocabulary cards related to sustainability and advocacy
• Timer or visual countdown clock

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Engage & Explore (10 minutes)

Reggio Emilia: Student-led inquiry & connections

• Begin with an open-ended question: “What does it mean to speak up for something you care about?”
• Show 2-3 brief examples of advocacy campaigns designed for children (pictures, slogans, simple videos).
• Facilitate a short discussion: What did you notice about the words or pictures they used? What made their messages clear?
• Use guiding questions to prompt student reflection and support emerging ideas: “How could we help our community understand why farming sustainably matters?”

Differentiation:

• Provide sentence starters on cards (e.g., “We should... because...”) for students needing language support.
• Use visuals/audio for students who learn better through multiple modes.

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2. Investigate & Create (30 minutes)

IB Inquiry & Reggio Emilia hands-on expression

• In small groups (3-4 students), students brainstorm ideas for their advocacy message using sticky notes.
• Using chart paper or tablets, groups create their campaign message—this can be a poster, digital slide, or storyboard. Encourage them to:
  • Use persuasive sentences and slogans (support with vocabulary cards).
  • Include visuals (drawings, symbols) to support understanding.
  • Think about their audience: community members, parents, or classmates.
• Teacher and student peers circulate as research partners to support wording, spelling, and idea clarity.
• Groups practice presenting their messages aloud — peer feedback focuses on clarity and engagement.

Differentiation:

• Pair students strategically for peer support and mixed ability collaboration.
• Offer dyslexia-friendly paper and colored overlays for written work.
• Students with advanced writing skills can draft a short letter or speech as an extension.

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3. Reflect & Share (15 minutes)

Metacognition & communication

• Each group shares their campaign briefly with the whole class. Focus on:
  • What is your message and why?
  • How did your images help explain the message?
• Class co-creates criteria for a “Great Advocacy Message” on chart paper using students’ ideas.
• Reflect on how advocacy can influence community actions — introduce idea of a community event (extension activity).

Differentiation:

• Allow non-verbal presentations (gesture, puppets, drawings) for students less comfortable with speaking.
• Use prompting questions for reflection to support students needing scaffolded thinking.

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4. Wrap-Up & Next Steps (5 minutes)

• Summarize the key learning points: clear messages, collaboration, empathy for the environment.
• Announce the extension opportunity: Organize and invite community members to a sustainable farming awareness event.
• Hand out a simple reflection sheet or journal prompt (“One thing I learned about speaking up for the earth is...”) — use dyslexia-friendly font and sentence frames.

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Differentiation Summary

Learner Need	Strategies
Language support	Sentence starters, vocabulary cards, auditory examples
Fine motor challenges	Option for digital creation or collaborative drawing
Dyslexia	Dyslexia-friendly fonts, colored overlays, oral instructions
Advanced learners	Writing letters, speeches, or planning the community event

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Extension Activities for Advanced Learners

• Plan and lead a community awareness event: create invitations, organize a schedule, and speak publicly.
• Research local sustainable farms and interview a farmer via video call or letter.
• Design an advocacy video or digital book with voiceover using tablets.

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Assessment

• Formative: Observation during group collaboration, peer feedback quality, engagement in presentations.
• Summative: Campaign artifact (poster/slide/storyboard) assessed for message clarity, relevance, and creativity using the co-created “Great Advocacy Message” criteria chart.

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Teacher as Researcher Reflection Prompts

• How did student-led inquiry deepen understanding of advocacy?
• Which strategies best supported diverse learners?
• What artifacts best demonstrate student voice and creativity?
• How might this lesson inform next steps in community action planning?

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By integrating IB’s inquiry-based approach with Reggio Emilia’s emphasis on expression and collaboration, this lesson places students as active advocates, partners, and creators — ready to sow seeds of change in their communities.