Connecting the UN Sustainable Development Goals to the Ontario Social Studies Curriculum: A First Attempt

Even if you don't read or watch the news on a regular basis, you must have a vague notion in your head that "something's gotta give." We eat too much, or in most places not enough, or not enough of the right stuff. It's possible to buy that cute t-shirt with the cat driving a car for $5 because the woman who made it works for pennies an hour. A man's chance for financial freedom and social mobility are ruined because of a mistake he made in early life and a prison-industrial complex that has no interest in rehabilitation or providing post-incarceration job opportunities.

What I'm trying to say is there is a lot that needs to be changed.

The UN happens to agree. Their 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda has 17 goals they wish to implement to help eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and promote human dignity (to name a few). The goals fall under five main headings: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace, and Partnership. For a full description, check out the UN site here.

These are relevant issues that should be discussed and researched in the Social Studies classroom. Wouldn't it be great if there was a way to link these goals to the Ontario Social Studies curriculum? At Brock University, we've started to do just that.

My Social Studies class, helmed by Dr. Branigan-Pipe have mapped the Ontario curriculum to match with the five UN categories mentioned above. Not every strand or every grade relates to all the categories; we've found that certain grades seems to correspond very strongly to one set of goals in particular e.g. Planet. This is by no means exhaustive, there may be more curriculum expectations that relate to each of the topics, but this gives a starting point to open up discussion and inquiry in the classroom on UN Sustainable Development.

Let me know what you think of the curriculum map or if you find any creative ways to interweave Sustainable Development and Social Studies in your classroom!