Unit 1:
Exploring the Sustainable Development Goals
In this unit, students will research the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and connect these goals with issues at their own school and in their own lives.
Please read the introduction to this curriculum before beginning any lessons.
Grade Level:
6 - 12 grade or equivalent
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Performance Expectations:
Middle and high school:
Asking questions and defining problems
Developing and using models
Planning and carrying out investigations
Constructing explanations and designing solutions
Engaging in argument from evidence
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
5E Unit Element:
Engage
Ecological Society of America 4DEE Framework:
Human-Environment Interactions
Cross-Cutting Themes
Enduring Understandings (the Big Ideas)
Students will understand that:
The SDGs are interlinked global goals that provide a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all.
Global goals can be applied to local situations to envision ways to improve our own personal lives, culture, and place.
There is value in being aware of the SDGs if applied to our everyday life. Students will become aware of what they value in the SDGs.
Essential Questions
How do our personal experiences, culture, and place shape what we find important?
How do the SDG goals connect to our personal experiences, culture, and place to allow for a more sustainable future for all?
Can we address any of these SDGs in our own school? In our own places?
Assessments:
Pre-assessment question (entrance slip)
Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (C-E-R) presentations
Student rubric for Gallery Walk
Group reflection on C-E-Rs
Journal entries
Preparation of slide(s) for presentation in Lesson 5