SDG14: 4th grade edition now available!

By Judah Jones

From changing sea temperatures, to plastic pollution and dangerous runoff from industries, threats to our aquatic ecosystems are all around us. The United Nations’ 14th Sustainable Development Goal, “Life Below Water,” focuses on how we can all move towards a more sustainable world that preserves crucial ecosystems in aquatic environments around the world. However, it can often be difficult for students to understand large, complex issues pertaining to environmental dangers and threats, especially in our world’s vast oceans and seas. Luckily, MiniMUN’s newest curriculum is designed to help with exactly that!

Our newest full set of curriculum is centered around SDG 14, Life Below Water! As with all of our SDG-centered curriculum, this set of classroom instruction and activities hones in on a specific part of a goal for sustainable development, allowing students to process and comprehend information in a way that brings sustainability to life. Our SDG 14 curriculum focuses on Safe Living Environments for Aquatic Animals. This curriculum will equip students to think critically about both environmental policy and sustainable life choices, and how they impact everything from the fish in your neighborhood pond to animals at the top of the endangered species list. 

As with our other resources centered around other SDGs, this set of activities will encourage students to identify key issues facing the achievement of a specific area of sustainability, such as overfishing or plastic pollution in the ocean. Students will receive a country and will research specific issues facing their country and possible solutions. A number of assignments and worksheets are provided in order to develop in-depth research skills through fun, applicable problem-solving. Our “Topic Background Guide” provides an excellent starting point for research, helping to jumpstart students’ exploration of ocean sustainability and point them in the right direction. Additionally, our originally-developed “Research Guide” and graphic organizers are specifically designed to accompany our curriculum, helping to teach important skills through the activities provided.

Once your class has completed their research on issues facing their particular countries, they get to participate in a student-favorite: the Model UN Conference! As with all our curriculum sets, our latest comes equipped with a comprehensive “Teacher Guide” and accompanying resources to help run your very own, hassle-free conference. Preparing for the conference is a great way to keep students engaged, while also helping them see the application of all their hard work and research.

The full version of the curriculum is available right now - for free! Request it here. Whether you are a classroom teacher, independent organization, or high school student looking to bring Model UN to your local elementary school, our materials are for you!

We are always developing new resources and curriculum on the United Nations, Model UN, and the SDGs. Keep in touch to hear more about our curriculum and all things MiniMUN!