Is this my home?
Short Description
This session will introduce sustainable development and to a lesser extent migration through the use of storytelling. The free eBook ‘Is this my home?’ will be used. After the story, a discussion on some story points will follow, then the Sustainable Development Goals are introduced to the students.
Estimated Activity Duration: 40 minutes
Recommended Ages: 5-9
Aims of Workshop
- To introduce the SDGs
- To make the connection between unsustainable development and migration
- To think on how to apply the SDGs in everyday life
- To understand that the SDGs need to be owned by everyone
Competences and Knowledge required
Materials Needed
- Is this my home Free ebook (found in resources)
- PowerPoint Presentation (found in resources)
Learning Outcomes
- Social Studies (Levels 5 & 6): Social Change; Populations, Development and Environments
- I can list examples of ethical and unethical behaviour towards the physical and social environment e.g. affecting habitats and species.
- I can identify consumerism of the past and present and causes of this change including technological progress and concern for the environment; and the consequences of this change including the careless/careful disposal/recycling e.g. of old television sets.
- I can state connections between outcomes of ethical and unethical behaviour towards environments, habitats, species and social justice including global citizenship, which refers to being responsible for people one will never meet as in the case of human-induced rise in temperatures causing climate change which leads to forced migration, food shortage and rising sea-levels.
- I can suggest basic solutions to solve local and national environmental problems.
- I can discuss the strengths and weaknesses of solutions to solve local and national environmental problems.
- Social Studies (Level 7): Populations, Development and Environment
- I can define population and its impact on the development and environment of a country.
- I can differentiate between wants and needs.
- PSCD (Level 5) – Citizenship
- I value natural resources and can discuss why they are limited.
- Cross-curricular themes
- Literacy
- Learning to learn
- ESD
- Education for Diversity
Outlines of the session, including detailed description of the activities carried out
Energizes + Opening Activity (20 min.):
The educator starts by explaining that on that day we would be understanding sustainable development through a story and then discussing it. This story is ‘Is this my home?’ by Ørsted an energy company. It is a free ebook that can be used and there is also the video available for free (see references)
The narration video is either projected or screen shared/the link sent to students if the internet is slow or there are technical difficulties in case the session is done remotely. The story could also be read.
Facilitation tip: Know how to put a pdf in full screen. Have both the ebook and a video (in good resolution but not the full resolution since the internet may lag, 720p suggested)
The story should be read in full, then some points from it should be shown again. Suggested points:
When the girl went into the garden it was windy. Do you think Malta is windy? (Yes, Malta as an island is very windy) What happens when we leave something outside then? Or even if we throw something in a bin without a lid on a windy day? (It flies away!)
When the girl went into the town square, it was raining. When is the rainy season in Malta? (usually September to March). Recently it has been raining out of season (meaning not from September to March), what do you think this means? (What happens to fields and farmers? To people’s plans? Sometimes farmers lose all their crops! Because fruit and vegetables depend on stable weather, that weather stays the same through the year)
There’s a lot of rain in the town, what does that mean for waste? (If it’s in the street, or in open bins, it ends up in the water table (Underground store for water) and in the sea.
When the girl was on the mountain, why was the shy snow leopard huddled in a corner? (because there was only a little snow left, because temperatures are increasing melting the snow)
When the girl was in the desert, the chameleon said it had to move where there was more water? Why do you think is this? Do you think water is important to humans too? Do you think some people have to move when there is no water?
When the girl was on the ocean, the whale was hungry? Why do you this is? (there are little to no fish left in the ocean because of pollution and overfishing) Did you notice what there was instead of fish? (plastic). There is also another animal in the corner of the page, which animal is it? (polar bear)
The mouse tells the girl that we have to be kind to the world. How do we do this though? Do you have any ideas?
What is this story telling us?
Introduce the SDGs (20 min.):
The sustainable development goals are introduced to the students using the 17Goals Powerpoint or the comic Global Goals. Examples for each Goal are given.
The concept that because of climate conditions both animals and people move should be mentioned again. The term climate refugee/environmental migrant is introduced.
Climate Refugee – any person who has to move and migrate because of climate. There is no official definition and there may be more climate refugees than thought. Climate changes include increased droughts (lack of water), desertification (when an area becomes a desert), sea level rise, and disruption of seasonal weather patterns (i.e. monsoons). This should be explained simply to the young students.
To conclude, the last 7 minutes should be spent in relating the SDGs to the story. Students should be asked if they see or feel similar scenarios such as rain in summer or plastic everywhere. Ask them what they can do to lessen the impact. A mindmap or cloud can be designed (online (screen shared/projected) or on a board with all the suggestions so they are visual and easier to remember. The students can even pledge to do these things.
The educator ends the session by stating that the SDGs are our goals too.
Acknowledgement
Is this my home? Is a free ebook created by Orsted and W + K Amsterdam. Copyright 2018 – Yeji Yun