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LESSON PLAN
The goal of this lesson plan is to connect and activate your creative capacity to affect positive change in support of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs refer to the seventeen global goals adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015. They are a universal call to action to end poverty, promote equity, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. The hope is to achieve these goals by 2030, which means we must take urgent action. Get started now by taking the SIMA Challenge.
The SIMA Challenge can be taken as a group, or as an individual. The instructions below offer suggestions for each variation.
BENEFITS:
This lesson plan aligns with Global Competency standards, including:
Global Competence Assessment – PISA
Global competence is the capacity to analyze global and intercultural issues critically and from multiple perspectives, to understand how differences affect perceptions, judgments, and ideas of self and others, and to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with others from different backgrounds on the basis of a shared respect for human dignity.
Knowledge
Skills
Attitudes
Global Competence – Asia Society, Center for Global Education
This lesson plan aligns with these Common Core Standards:
This lesson plan aligns with the International Baccalaureate focus and subjects.
International Baccalaureate Programme
The IB prepares students to succeed in a world where facts and fiction merge in the news, and where asking the right questions is a crucial skill that will allow them to flourish. The programmes focus on teaching students to think critically and independently, and how to inquire with care and logic.
Middle Years Programme 11-16 years (MYP)
The MYP aims to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning. The programme empowers students to inquire into a wide range of issues and ideas of significance locally, nationally and globally. The result is young people who are creative, critical and reflective thinkers.
Subject groups:
Diploma Programme 16-19 years (DP)
The DP aims to make students aware of the interpretative nature of knowledge, including personal ideological biases. It offers students and their teachers the opportunity to:
Participation in this process develops the capacity to analyze, synthesize and evaluate knowledge.
Subject groups:
Career-related Programme 16-19 years (CP)
The CP enables students to:
Take a 5 minute KICK OFF SURVEY to get started:
Individuals 11-18 years old click here.
Individuals 18 or older click here.
Watch this 8 minute compilation video #TeachSDGs addressing all 17 goals.
Explore/ research ideas about how we are currently addressing these goals, or how we might address them going forward. This is a warm up to get you thinking about the complexities of these global issues, and to recognize that while they are not easily “solved”, we can have a positive impact on them.
Start a deep reflection on your concerns and passions by answering the following:
This lesson plan aligns with Global Competency standards, including:
Global Competence Assessment – PISA
Global competence is the capacity to analyze global and intercultural issues critically and from multiple perspectives, to understand how differences affect perceptions, judgments, and ideas of self and others, and to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with others from different backgrounds on the basis of a shared respect for human dignity.
Knowledge
Skills
Attitudes
Global Competence – Asia Society, Center for Global Education
This lesson plan aligns with these Common Core Standards:
This lesson plan aligns with the International Baccalaureate focus and subjects.
International Baccalaureate Programme
The IB prepares students to succeed in a world where facts and fiction merge in the news, and where asking the right questions is a crucial skill that will allow them to flourish. The programmes focus on teaching students to think critically and independently, and how to inquire with care and logic.
Middle Years Programme 11-16 years (MYP)
The MYP aims to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning. The programme empowers students to inquire into a wide range of issues and ideas of significance locally, nationally and globally. The result is young people who are creative, critical and reflective thinkers.
Subject groups:
Diploma Programme 16-19 years (DP)
The DP aims to make students aware of the interpretative nature of knowledge, including personal ideological biases. It offers students and their teachers the opportunity to:
Participation in this process develops the capacity to analyze, synthesize and evaluate knowledge.
Subject groups:
Career-related Programme 16-19 years (CP)
The CP enables students to:
What are a few positive things about your community/school that others may not know about?
What are a few negative things in your community/school that should be changed or fixed?
What have you seen or experienced that isn’t fair or right that should be changed or fixed?
What Global Goal is connected to the issue that should be changed?
The answers will help you connect with the Sustainable Development Goal(s) that are most important to you, how they manifest locally and the change you want to see in the world.
Journal about which of the 17 SDGs speaks most to you and why. Use the prompt “Which Global Goal is important to me and why”.
If you choose more than one SDG, explore how the SDGs are inter-related. Identify the specific cause/theme you wish to focus on. For example, you may feel particularly concerned about child poverty (SDG 1). You may recognize the relationship between child poverty, hunger and malnutrition (SDG 2) and how this affects their access to quality education (SDG 4).
Select the SIMA Academy Collection that relates to your chosen SDG and consider using the SIFT Worksheet. This is a graphic organizer designed to help you keep track of you reactions while viewing the films. Using the worksheet during the film viewing, note and record any physical SENSATIONS, any IMAGES that are particularly evocative, any FEELINGS that you experience, and any THOUGHTS that occur to them. In addition, write down any thoughts and questions you have while watching the films.
Use the SIFT Worksheet to spend time on personal/group reflection. This reflection is a critical step in learning from film as it allows an opportunity for participants to make an emotional connection to the issues through the first-person storytelling.
This lesson plan aligns with Global Competency standards, including:
Global Competence Assessment – PISA
Global competence is the capacity to analyze global and intercultural issues critically and from multiple perspectives, to understand how differences affect perceptions, judgments, and ideas of self and others, and to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with others from different backgrounds on the basis of a shared respect for human dignity.
Knowledge
Skills
Attitudes
Global Competence – Asia Society, Center for Global Education
This lesson plan aligns with these Common Core Standards:
This lesson plan aligns with the International Baccalaureate focus and subjects.
International Baccalaureate Programme
The IB prepares students to succeed in a world where facts and fiction merge in the news, and where asking the right questions is a crucial skill that will allow them to flourish. The programmes focus on teaching students to think critically and independently, and how to inquire with care and logic.
Middle Years Programme 11-16 years (MYP)
The MYP aims to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning. The programme empowers students to inquire into a wide range of issues and ideas of significance locally, nationally and globally. The result is young people who are creative, critical and reflective thinkers.
Subject groups:
Diploma Programme 16-19 years (DP)
The DP aims to make students aware of the interpretative nature of knowledge, including personal ideological biases. It offers students and their teachers the opportunity to:
Participation in this process develops the capacity to analyze, synthesize and evaluate knowledge.
Subject groups:
Career-related Programme 16-19 years (CP)
The CP enables students to:
Start a “mind-mapping” exercise by writing the chosen SDG in the center of a large whiteboard or paper and circle it. Next, brainstorm what you/ your group have learned about the issue from the film(s). This may include other related SDGs, various stakeholders and other elements that somehow fit into the overall story. 1) Write these impressions around the circled topic. 2) Name and list the learned causes of the problem. 3) Add any suggested solutions to the map. 4) Draw lines to connect related ideas.
Take a step back and reflect on the complexity of the topic, the range of impacts you have observed and how the map informs or illuminates what you have previously known about the issue.
Hint: Allow this process to be messy. If you are interested in a variety of SDGs, the above exercise may serve as a model and you may repeat the exercise in groups, focusing on an SDG of your choice.
Research the root causes of the selected SDG; to understand it’s complexity and relevance to the people around you and to the world at large:
Use the Impact Gaps Canvas (developed by Daniela Papi-Thornton) to explore the root causes of the selected topic; to understand its relevance to the people around you and to the world at large, and to identify solutions that may already exist.
Investigate the main contributors and causes of the problem:
Use the UN Sustainable Development Goals website for a global perspective. Click on the goal, then scroll to OVERVIEW (the first tab) to view the infographic issue on a global scale.
Take note of the following:
This lesson plan aligns with Global Competency standards, including:
Global Competence Assessment – PISA
Global competence is the capacity to analyze global and intercultural issues critically and from multiple perspectives, to understand how differences affect perceptions, judgments, and ideas of self and others, and to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with others from different backgrounds on the basis of a shared respect for human dignity.
Knowledge
Skills
Attitudes
Global Competence – Asia Society, Center for Global Education
This lesson plan aligns with these Common Core Standards:
This lesson plan aligns with the International Baccalaureate focus and subjects.
International Baccalaureate Programme
The IB prepares students to succeed in a world where facts and fiction merge in the news, and where asking the right questions is a crucial skill that will allow them to flourish. The programmes focus on teaching students to think critically and independently, and how to inquire with care and logic.
Middle Years Programme 11-16 years (MYP)
The MYP aims to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning. The programme empowers students to inquire into a wide range of issues and ideas of significance locally, nationally and globally. The result is young people who are creative, critical and reflective thinkers.
Subject groups:
Diploma Programme 16-19 years (DP)
The DP aims to make students aware of the interpretative nature of knowledge, including personal ideological biases. It offers students and their teachers the opportunity to:
Participation in this process develops the capacity to analyze, synthesize and evaluate knowledge.
Subject groups:
Career-related Programme 16-19 years (CP)
The CP enables students to:
What have I/we learned about the root causes?
What solutions have I/we found that address the issue?
How could I/we support that solution?
In accordance with your research and interest, create an impact campaign based on the film’s social issue/ your chosen SDG that is both plausible and actionable inside your own community.
Example of a successful impact campaign: One group of students observes a great deal of waste in their community with an overflowing landfill. After watching E-WASTELAND they decide that SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production and SDG 15: Life on land are the SDGs most connected to the problem. After talking with people and researching the topic, they decide that where they can make an impact is to build a campaign urging students to recycle their electronic devices. They raise awareness by creating an information resource and impact by creating e-waste recycling stations positioned throughout their school/neighborhood.
Make use of the Advocacy Campaign Brainstorming worksheet to brainstorm and generate as many good ideas as possible. Narrow down their ideas by asking themselves:
This lesson plan aligns with Global Competency standards, including:
Global Competence Assessment – PISA
Global competence is the capacity to analyze global and intercultural issues critically and from multiple perspectives, to understand how differences affect perceptions, judgments, and ideas of self and others, and to engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions with others from different backgrounds on the basis of a shared respect for human dignity.
Knowledge
Skills
Attitudes
Global Competence – Asia Society, Center for Global Education
This lesson plan aligns with these Common Core Standards:
This lesson plan aligns with the International Baccalaureate focus and subjects.
International Baccalaureate Programme
The IB prepares students to succeed in a world where facts and fiction merge in the news, and where asking the right questions is a crucial skill that will allow them to flourish. The programmes focus on teaching students to think critically and independently, and how to inquire with care and logic.
Middle Years Programme 11-16 years (MYP)
The MYP aims to develop active learners and internationally minded young people who can empathize with others and pursue lives of purpose and meaning. The programme empowers students to inquire into a wide range of issues and ideas of significance locally, nationally and globally. The result is young people who are creative, critical and reflective thinkers.
Subject groups:
Diploma Programme 16-19 years (DP)
The DP aims to make students aware of the interpretative nature of knowledge, including personal ideological biases. It offers students and their teachers the opportunity to:
Participation in this process develops the capacity to analyze, synthesize and evaluate knowledge.
Subject groups:
Career-related Programme 16-19 years (CP)
The CP enables students to:
What would be the goals, short and long term, for the campaign?
Who would be a good partner and ally? Who else has interest in achieving these goals?
Who is the target audience? Who am I trying to reach and/or convince to join/support this cause?
What actions or tactics can I use? What initiatives can I create to reach/mobilize the target audience?
Utilize the Advocacy Campaign/ Project_Planning worksheet as a guide for an eight step planning process that will lead to success.
You have created the building blocks for your Impact/ Advocacy Campaign in your community. NEXT STEP: Contact your identified partners and ally’s and execute your campaign.
Afterwards, be sure to take some time for Reflection, about your role in the campaign, what challenges you faced, what you are proud of, and what this experience has taught you about the change you are able to make in the world.
Take a 5’ wrap up SURVEY:
Individuals 11-18 years old click here.
Individuals 18 or older click here.
Last but not least: You are now eligible to apply to the SIMA Changemaker Award
Apply here. Applications close Februrary 10 every year, winners are announced March 21 Rolling submissions!
The timeline for this can range from three days to twelve weeks, depending on existing background knowledge and the extent of the impact campaign. We suggest that you allow ample time for research into the issue associated with the SDG and film topics before development and implementation of the campaign begins.
Review the history and purpose of the Global Goals via the 2030 Agenda and Declaration: Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for background information, definitions, facts and indicators.
Make your Impact count by adding your campaign to the Global Map of SDG Actions and receive a unique profile page to share with your network.