I always love the last few weeks of the school year… and not just because they are the last few weeks of the school year! Many of my favorite OER activities are from Era 7, such as The Dollar Street Project, The World in 2050, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. What I love most about them is the way they challenge students to think critically and discover ways they can actively shape and influence the future of our world.
This year I decided to revamp the way I introduce the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In the past I noticed that my students often chose six goals at random without giving it much thought. This led to them researching a goal they didn’t feel passionately about and resulted in lackluster action on their part when they got to the final portion of the activity. Here are the steps I took to encourage students to be more intentional with their choices.
1. Many of my students were still unclear about the true meaning of sustainability.I started class with this video from UCLA and asked students to write their own definition of sustainability.
2. Next, we watched We the People to get a general overview of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
3. I then assigned each student one goal and gave them 5-10 minutes to do a quick read on the goal, analyze the infographic, and write down the facts they found to be most shocking or interesting. I used the first goal, End Poverty in All Its Forms Everywhere, to model this activity for them.
4. Next came the competition! Although all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals are significant, I wanted to see which matters my students felt were most pressing. I used this template to make a single elimination bracket. For each match I had students share what they learned about the goal they were assigned and then had all students get up and out of their seats to vote for the goal they felt was most imperative (go to the front of the room to vote for goal 1, the back of the room for goal 2, and so on). I did this purely based on numbers and gave students a sticky note to jot down their thoughts as they moved around the room, particularly with the matches they disagreed with.
5. The competition inspired informal debates between students but also helped them discover a goal they were more passionate about. My students are still in the midst of their research and action plans, but based on what I’ve seen so far their action plans are already more meaningful. I was also able to share some articles from the new Climate Project since so many of the goals align with climate change. A few students were even inspired to take the semester-long course next school year!
- What are your favorite end of year activities?
- How do you ensure students choose topics they are passionate about?
- Who else is planning to teach the new Climate Project?
Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below.
