Learning and Teaching SDGs

The Global Goals for sustainable development are “17 goals to transform our world.” In creating the list of goals, the U.N. is inspiring people - especially students - around the world to take action to solve the world’s most urgent problems.

Information about the SDGs

·        UN Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations

·        About the Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations

·        Sustainable Development Goals, SDG Knowledge Platform

·        Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Development Programme

·        The 17 Goals, The Global Goals for Sustainable Development

·        U.S. National Statistics for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

·        SDGs in Action app

·        SDGs Sketchnote Project (also available as Google slides)

·        GlobalGoalscast - podcast focused on SDGs

Videos to Introduce the SDGs

·        ‘We the People’ for The Global Goals(3 minutes)

·        Global Voices - What’s so different about the Global Goals?(3.5 minutes)

·        No Point Going Half Way(2.5 minutes)

·        The World’s Largest Lesson(3 minutes)

·        World’s Largest Lesson - Just a Kid(2 minutes)

·        The Road to the SDGs: A discussion with students(6.5 minutes)

·        The Global Goals for Sustainable Development: Resources, for videos click on “Films & Pictures”

·        GlobalGoalsUN channel on Vimeo

·        What are the universal human rights? TEDEd video (5 minutes)

·        SDG Academy - free educational resources from the world’s leading experts on sustainable development - SDG Academy Library

·        100+ TED Talks categorized by SDG

Articles and Videos about Teaching the SDGs

·        Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times(2020) United Nations

·        Earth Owner’s Manual: 17 Things Young Adults Should be Studying, Getting Smart

·        How to Teach the U.N. Development Goals, and Why, British Council

·        Teaching Grade School Students How to Make Global Impact, Edutopia (3.5 minutes)

·        Helping Students Develop Empathy instead of Sympathy, Teaching Tolerance

·        4 Reasons to Teach the Sustainable Development Goals, Participate Learning

·        Social Good in the Classroom: What Impact Will You Make? Participate Learning

·        7 Ways the SDGs are Important in a Classroom, Participate Learning

·        Empowering Student Action through 21st Century Skills and the SDGs, Participate Learning

Lessons and Resources for Teaching the SDGs

·        World’s Largest Lesson, lesson plans and materials for teaching the SDGs (from the UN, UNICEF, and UNESCO)

·        Global Schools Program - resources for educators (lesson plans for each grade level) and resources for students

·        Projects Organized by UN Sustainable Development Goal, Asia Society’s Center for Global Education

·        Sustainable Development Goals - Resources for educators, UNESCO

·        SDG Resources for Educators - Partnerships for the Goals, UNESCO

·        Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning Objectives, suggested topics and learning approaches, UNESCO

·        UNICEF and the Sustainable Development Goals - resources include issue briefs on specific SDGs, The World We Want (child-friendly overview of the SDGs), Mapping the SDGs and the Rights of the Child, and a collection of videos

·        Teach SDG: Connect to the SDGs through resources - assets, projects, events, and teacher connections

·        The Sustainable Development goals: A guide for teachers from Oxfam Education - includes Learn-Think-Act framework, case study examples, ideas for integrating in specific subject areas, and suggested methodologies for teaching the SDGs

·        Resources guides for various SDG topics, Oxfam Education

·        Sustainable Foundations: A Guide for Teaching the Sustainable Development Goals, lessons with big questions, resources, and case studies, Manitoba Council for International Cooperation

·        Kiva U and Kiva Global Impact Game

·        Participate’s community of SDG resources and educators

·        West-Windsor Plains Middle School Global Challenge, project ideas, resources, and rubrics

·        Gaia Education for Sustainable Development

·        Go Goals! Board game for children

·        Games for Sustainability - teaching, learning and practicing sustainability through serious games

·        Infographics from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

·        SDGs in Spanish

·        Equipping Young Leaders to Take on the 32 Most Important Issues of Our Time, Getting Smart

·        Projects Organized by UN Sustainable Development Goal, Asia Society’s Center for Global Education

·        Case Studies from World Savvy - several address SDG issues

·        The Human Development Index - statistics on dimensions of human development

Individual Lesson Plans

·        Guide for Discussions on the SDGs, free download from Parlay

·        Hunger Project - PBL Unit

·        Why is it important to educate girls? PBS NewsHour Extra, grades 7-12 lesson plan

·        Climate change as a scientific theory, PBS NewsHour Extra, grades 9-12 lesson plan

·        World Food Day, Teaching the Power of School Meals, PBS NewsHour Extra, grades 7-10 lesson plan

·        What the United Nations means today, PBS NewsHour Extra, grades 9-12 lesson plan

·        Earth School from TEDEd

·        Kahoot games from United Nations

Texts

·        Frieda Makes a Difference (picture book about SDG’s and taking action)

·        SDG Reading List, Participate Learning

·        Recommended Books for Teaching the UN SDGs, San Diego State University

·        Best Inquiry Picture Books: Sustainable Development Goals Round Up

·        SDG Book Club

·        This UN book club is teaching children about the SDGs

·        Children’s Primers Court the Littlest Radicals, children’s books that promote activism, NYTimes

·        “What I Have Learned So Far,” poem by Mary Oliver

·        City Green by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan, picture book about environment and community

·        Farmer Will Allen and the Growing Table by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

·        One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia picture book by Miranda Paul - One Plastic Bag teaching resources

·        Kids United - “On Ecrit Sur Les Murs,”music video

·        #WhatIReallyWant music video - what I really, really want is gender equality

·        World Poetry Day: Poetry for Social Change, Huffington Post

·        Why Difference Making is the New Superpower

Climate Change - This Sustainable Development Goal gets its own section as there are so many resources!

Climate Change, SDG 13  

·        Subject to Climate

·        You Can Teach about Climate Change in Every Subject and Grade Level. Here's How. EducationWeek

·        Climate Action Tracker

·        Climate Action Toolkits

·        Climate Change Education: Curriculum. Stamford

·        Climate Action Project and Curriculum and Lesson Plans. WWF

·        Global Climate Change (lessons and resources). NASA

·        CLEAN Collection of Educational Resources

·        Climate Change and Food Security and Climate Change - Somalia. World Savvy

·        Climate: The Change We Need. PBL Works.

·        Project Drawdown

·        Climate Change Resources for Educators and Students. EPA

·        Climate Change Curriculum. CoolCalifornia

·        K12 Curriculum. Climate Champions

·        Climate Lessons. Boston Public Schools.

·        Climate Change. National Geographic Kids

·        MIT Climate Action through Education (launching this fall)