Section outline

  • EXPLORE / TŪHURA

    EXPLORE / TŪHURA learning intentions:

    • We are EXPLORING the problem and the End User
    • We are IDENTIFYING the characteristics of the circular economy

    LESSON THEME: WHAT ARE THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS? 

     This lesson is a refresher for students that are already familiar with the SDGs. We have begun this and are now beginning our project.

    UN SDG Support


     

    We will aim to think about specific Goals, and how New Zealand and our own communities can achieve the SDGs. 

    Lesson Objectives 

    1. Increase awareness and knowledge of the SDGs 
    2. Encourage thinking about New Zealand’s progress towards achieving the SDGs
    3.  Encourage us to think about how they can help to achieve the SDGs in their own communities 

    Key Competencies 

    •  “Thinking” 
    • “Using language, symbols, and texts”
    •  “Managing self” 
    • “Relating to others”
    •  “Participating and contributing”

    Introducing the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals 

    Watch video and make notes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoIafzc0k74 

    Some key points

    • The United Nations are a collection of 193 countries, that meet regularly in New York to make decisions about preventing war, respecting human rights, and improving the living conditions for humans everywhere. It is like a “world parliament”, although instead of making laws, it makes “resolutions” and “conventions”. 
    • The United Nations began in 1945 with 51 countries. It was first created to prevent another World War, but its role has since expanded to many other areas such as reducing poverty, preventing disease, environmental protection, economic research, and more.
    • Countries sign up to these conventions and resolutions, which is a commitment that the country will try to follow that convention’s principles. However, it is difficult for the UN to enforce its rules, so countries do not necessarily have to comply with what they have signed up to. 

    What are the SDG's?

    Some key points  are: 

    • All 193 member states of the United Nations adopted the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, which contains 17 Goals to be achieved worldwide by 2030. New Zealand signed up to help achieve these Goals. It’s a global agreement to make the world a better place for all. 
    • The Goals encompass many areas, including poverty, hunger, the environment, education, justice, peace, inequality and of course, sustainability. Here, it will help to open https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs, so that students become familiar with the 17 Goals. 
    • “Sustainable Development” refers to the idea that as countries become more prosperous and wealthy, this growth should occur in a way that doesn’t compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. As humans use Earth’s resources, cope with climate change and struggle with biodiversity loss, it is more important than ever to create sustainable societies. 
    • Who is responsible for achieving the Goals? Not just governments, but every community, business, organisation and citizen around the world can help to achieve the SDGs. That means you can help achieve them too. 

    Watch the videos on Google Classroom.

    Make notes in your book relating to the SDG's 9-12.

    1. Educational video – What are the SDGs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZbgIVgQyks 

    2. Educational video – What is sustainable development: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V8oFI4GYMY 

    3. Inspiring video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7D9fvg5CK4 

    Discuss the videos with your group: Debrief the videos, repeating important points and asking for students’ thoughts. 

    How is New Zealand progressing towards achieving the SDGs? 

    This activity should give students some context about New Zealand’s progress towards the SDGs, and should prompt thinking about how our societal successes and issues relate to the Goals. 

    On your device, open up the sdg.org.nz data visualisation tool and explore the Goals. 

    Tool: https://www.sdg.org.nz/datavis/ 

    Explore how the tool works by hovering on various Goals, check out your information what each Goal or Indicator means, and what the graph is displaying. 

     Next, we want to begin to think about why New Zealand is progressing well towards some Goals, but not others. Ask the class why they think some Goals in New Zealand are nearly achieved, and why some are getting worse. 

    Answer the questions

    • Why has good health and well-being improved since 1990? 
    • Why hasn’t New Zealand achieved “no poverty” yet? 
    • Why aren’t our cities and communities sustainable? 
    • Why might “life below water” be slowly declining?