Skill: Exploratory Thinking

Exploratory Thinking

Climate Action Storytelling Toolkit

This toolkit has been designed to help your students find their voices as advocates for the Earth. Students will learn how to translate environmental awareness into compelling narratives that inspire action. Whether they are imagining a hopeful future, fighting for nature restoration or reflecting on the biodiversity in their own backyard, these lessons empower young people to shift from being passive observers to active storytellers for climate action and biodiversity conservation.

What to expect in this toolkit:

  • 3 customisable lesson plans, bite-sized activities and discussion questions to help develop storytelling abilities alongside SDG skills  
    • Storytelling mediums covered in lesson plans: collage art, poetry, film
  • Extension activity for students ages 14+
Activities, Lesson Plan
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Age 14+ - (Upper Secondary/ high school), Ages 8-14 - (Upper Primary/lower secondary/middle school )
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English
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< 1 hour
Download

Related Goals

Related Resources

Voices of the Earth

This lesson, Voices of the Earth, uses performance poetry to bridge the gap between environmental science and creative writing. By analysing the poem: Hope by Salome Agbaroji students explore how personification (giving nature a human voice) can create an emotional connection that facts and figures often miss. Students will move from being passive listeners to active advocates, craft their own "voice for the voiceless," and perform their work in class.

Collage Art: Hopes for Our Planet

Students explore biodiversity and their hopes for the planet through a nature walk and collage-making. Outside, they collect natural materials; back inside, they combine found objects, prints, and drawings on a heart-shaped canvas to create a personal vision for a thriving 2030.

Learning Guide on Ecosystem Restoration

This module invites learners to explore the urgent need for ecosystem restoration and understand their role in shaping a more sustainable future. It includes a three-part learning journey with relevant background information, video-based contents, interactive visuals, guided research, and systems thinking activities designed to inspire reflection and action.
More resources

Collage Art: Hopes for Our Planet

This lesson is part of WLL’s Climate Action Storytelling Toolkit.

Students explore biodiversity and their hopes for the planet through a nature walk and collage-making. Outside, they collect natural materials; back inside, they combine found objects, prints, and drawings on a heart-shaped canvas to create a personal vision for a thriving 2030.

Lesson Plan
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Ages 8-14 - (Upper Primary/lower secondary/middle school )
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English
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< 1 hour
Download

Related Goals

Related Resources

Climate Action Storytelling Toolkit

This toolkit has been designed to help your students find their voices as advocates for the Earth. By exploring three distinct mediums: film, poetry, and collage art, students will learn how to translate environmental awareness into compelling narratives that inspire action.

Voices of the Earth

This lesson, Voices of the Earth, uses performance poetry to bridge the gap between environmental science and creative writing. By analysing the poem: Hope by Salome Agbaroji students explore how personification (giving nature a human voice) can create an emotional connection that facts and figures often miss. Students will move from being passive listeners to active advocates, craft their own "voice for the voiceless," and perform their work in class.

Wild Futures for Storytelling

This World Wildlife Conservation Day (December 4th), join the World’s Largest Lesson as we bring you a storytelling lesson for nature!

More resources

Learning Guide on Ecosystem Restoration

This module invites learners to explore the urgent need for ecosystem restoration and understand their role in shaping a more sustainable future. It includes a three-part learning journey with relevant background information, video-based contents, interactive visuals, guided research, and systems thinking activities designed to inspire reflection and action.
Learners will
  • Understand the urgency and potential of ecosystem restoration
  • Explore interconnected systems and stakeholders
  • Reflect on global and local solutions
  • Develop ideas for youth-led action
Activities, Lesson Plan
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Age 14+ - (Upper Secondary/ high school)
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English
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3+ hours
Download

Related Goals

Related Resources

2025 Global Goals Week Toolkit

The World’s Largest Lesson, in partnership with UNICEF and UNESCO, brings the Sustainable Development Goals to life, with free resources for teachers and children around the world.

This year’s toolkit is packed with 3 ready-to-use, SDG skills resources to help you:

  • Bring the Global Goals into your teaching in new ways
  • Explore timely topics like global trade, supply chains and peace-building
  • Foster peace, empathy, and hope in the classroom

Created in partnership with DP World, a global leader in supply chain solutions, this toolkit helps young people understand the systems that move our world and prepares them with the skills they’ll need for a sustainable future. You can explore more DP World teaching resources on their Global Education Platform.

In partnership with:

Lesson Plan
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Age 14+ - (Upper Secondary/ high school), Ages 8-14 - (Upper Primary/lower secondary/middle school )
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English
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< 1 hour
Download

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Planet Protectors Toolkit Guide

Welcome to the Planet Protectors Toolkit Guide!

This guide is your one-stop shop for WLL’s curated climate action and sustainability resources, designed to help you easily integrate sustainability learning into your learning environment. It covers five engaging sections, each focused on developing key sustainability competencies:

  • Data Explorer: Data Explorers & Data Explorers Unplugged

  • Nature Guardian: Climate Change Dodgeball

  • Waste Warrior: Food Heroes

  • Eco Inventor: Sustainability Hour, do your :bit

  • Visionary Artist: Visions of Tomorrow, Voices of Future Generations

With bite-sized activities, discussion spaces, and classroom-ready slides, this guide empowers you to create a dynamic, customisable learning experience tailored to your students’ needs.

Activities, Lesson Plan
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Ages 8-14 - (Upper Primary/lower secondary/middle school )
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English
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1-3 hours
Download

Related Goals

do your :bit (Micro:bit Educational Foundation)

do your :bit brings together the BBC micro:bit and the UN’s Global Goals to provide inspiring activities for your classroom or club and an exciting digital challenge for you to run. Use the resources on this page to introduce the Global Goals, have fun with the micro:bit and develop world-changing ideas and solutions using technology.

SDG skills covered

  • Valuing Sustainability: Understand and reflect on how your personal values influence your impact on sustainability and be open to challenging them.

  • Circular Design Thinking: Design solutions that reduce waste and reuse resources by thinking creatively and working together with others.

  • Exploratory Thinking: Tackle sustainability challenges by thinking holistically, creatively, and across different perspectives

Activities
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Ages 8-14 - (Upper Primary/lower secondary/middle school )
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English
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1-3 hours
Check out the website here!

Related Resources

Visions of Tomorrow: Creating Films for a Sustainable Future (Open Planet)

In collaboration with Open Planet, this activity empowers students to create a 1-minute film envisioning the future they want to see. Using Open Planet’s free, open-source library of over 13,000 cinematic clips, students will explore climate change, nature, and solutions, crafting compelling stories that raise awareness about environmental issues.

SDG skills covered:

  • Futures Literacy: Imagine better futures and figure out the steps needed to make them a reality.

  • Exploratory Thinking: Tackle sustainability challenges by thinking holistically, creatively, and across different perspectives.

Lesson Plan
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Ages 8-14 - (Upper Primary/lower secondary/middle school )
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English
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1-3 hours
Download

Related Resources

Voices of Future Generations: A Storytelling Journey for Change (VOFG)

In collaboration with Voices of Future Generations, this resource introduces students to short stories focused on sustainability and children’s rights, inspiring them to think critically about their role in shaping the future. The stories explore themes of environmental stewardship and social impact, with reflection questions that help students connect with the characters and apply the lessons to their own lives. Through stories like “The Tree of Hope,” “The Voice of an Island,” and “A Monarch Adventure,” students are encouraged to explore their potential to contribute to a sustainable world.

SDG skills covered:

  • Futures Literacy: Imagine better futures and figure out the steps needed to make them a reality.

  • Exploratory Thinking: Tackle sustainability challenges by thinking holistically, creatively, and across different perspectives.

Books and comics
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Ages 8-14 - (Upper Primary/lower secondary/middle school )
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English
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< 1 hour
Download

Related Resources

Sustainability Hour (lesson plan & presentation)

Sustainability Hour is an engaging, one-hour lesson designed to help teachers introduce students to important sustainability concepts. The program provides an easy-to-teach, expert-designed lesson that requires no prior experience and is available in multiple languages.

With just one hour, teachers can guide their students through practical, interactive activities that explore key sustainability topics and inspire them to take action for a better future. Whether you’re teaching about climate change, resource conservation, or global goals, Sustainability Hour equips you with everything you need to deliver a meaningful and impactful lesson.

SDG skills covered

  • Valuing Sustainability: Understand and reflect on how your personal values influence your impact on sustainability and be open to challenging them.

  • Circular Design Thinking: Design solutions that reduce waste and reuse resources by thinking creatively and working together with others.

  • Exploratory Thinking: Tackle sustainability challenges by thinking holistically, creatively, and across different perspectives

Activities
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Ages 8-14 - (Upper Primary/lower secondary/middle school )
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English
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1-3 hours
Download Check out the presentation deck here!

Related Resources

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