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Tasks: UN Sustainable Development Goals

The tasks below relate to NDLA's podcast about the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, and to the goals in general.

Listen:

Tula, Max, and their guest Christoffer Ringnes Klyve speak English well, but they are not native speakers. Pick one of the episodes, listen carefully, and try to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes us aware that they are not native speakers. Use the key words found in the box below as a guide.

When you have listened and taken notes, share your findings with a partner or a group.

Pronunciation

Word choice

Grammar

Sentence structure

Other

Discuss:

Work in a group. In the box below, you find a number of statements related to the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. Pick the statements you find most interesting to discuss.

Statements for discussion:

It is impossible to end poverty in all its forms everywhere, because human beings are greedy and selfish by nature.

Ending hunger is achievable. But making sure everyone eats nutritious and well balanced food is unrealistic.

In the Western world, poor health is a choice. Most illnesses are a result of people eating things that are bad for them, smoking, drinking, using drugs, or skipping exercise.

The one thing that can change the world is ensuring that all children get a good education.

What we realise more and more today is that gender is a choice. In a few years, there will be no more gender inequality because people will stop thinking in binaries like male and female.

Clean water and good sanitation is a human right and should be accessible free of charge.

Clean energy is the future. We should end our dependency on fossil fuels within ten years.

Today we see automation replacing more and more jobs. How can we ensure meaningful employment and an income for people in the future if this trend continues?

Norway should invest half its oil fund every year to find alternative industries to replace the oil and gas industry in the future.

The welfare system we have in Norway is so good that it eliminates inequalities in society. Other countries should learn from us.

Cars should be banned from all city centres in Norway. This will make the air cleaner, and it will also be safer for everyone. In rural areas where public transport is not well developed, cars should be allowed.

The government should issue everyone an annual quota for how many items of clothing, shoes, cosmetics, etc. people can buy in a year. It could be similar to the ration cards people had during World War II. This would prevent overconsumption and waste.

We can stop climate change by simply taking personal responsibility, limit air travel, sorting our garbage, switching to a more plant-based diet, and buying most things second-hand instead of new.

Cleaning beaches and saving seals and birds that are trapped in plastic will make you feel good, but if we are really going to handle plastic pollution in the oceans, we need technological innovations.

If new human settlements threaten the lives of endangered animals, no matter if it is an elephant or an ant, the people should have to go somewhere else.

The problem with international cooperation is that no one has the power to force countries to do things they don't want to do.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals are a step in the right direction, but the goals do not go far enough to make lasting changes.

Research:

We often think of Norway as a very privileged country. The United Nations Development Goals are therefore often thought of as being relevant for other countries. Pick one of the tasks below to find out whether there is a potential for improvement in Norway when it comes to the goals talked about in the podcast.

Present your findings in a group. If each person in the group has a different topic, it may make the presentations more interesting.

How many children live in poverty in Norway? What is being done to help these children? Do the children live in absolute or relative poverty?
Those of us who have a disability often experience discrimination, or that we are excluded from participating in society because of accessibility issues. Find out what challenges someone with a disability may face in Norway, and what is being done to prevent discrimination and exclusion.
LGBT rights have been strengthened in recent years, but many still face prejudice and discrimination. Find out what Norway is doing to protect the rights of those of us who belong to the LGBT community.
Norway is working hard to cut its carbon footprint in order to meet the terms of the Paris Agreement. At the same time, the largest part of Norway's income comes from the production of oil and gas. Is Norway doing enough to combat climate change?

Study and discuss:

Study the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Discuss with a partner which goals Norway should pay most attention to. Make sure you argue for your opinion.

Try to agree on five goals that Norway is in a unique position to contribute to in a positive way.

Make a podcast:

Work together in groups of maximum four. The maximum is set to allow everyone time to speak.

Pick one or more of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and make your own podcast episode about it. The episode should be between 8-16 minutes long.

Don't just relate facts; also focus on the human interest stories behind the goals.

Try to have a natural conversation. It is very dull when someone just reads prepared material in a podcast.

Use Tula and Max's podcast for inspiration. Perhaps there are topics they talked about that you feel should have been covered in more depth?

Everyone in class should be allowed to listen to and learn from your podcast, so decide on a good way to share it.

Tips on how to make a podcast

Planning the podcast:

Start by making a loose script of what you want to talk about in the podcast. Make sure that the script isn't too rigid: you want it to sound like a natural conversation, not like you are reading from the page.

Find inspiration in other podcasts that you have already listened to, or find new ones to inspire your own podcast. (A quick google search for 'podcasts for young people' will help you on your way.)

Recording equipment:

To make a podcast, you need recording equipment. This can be as simple as the microphone on your computer, but you get better sound quality if you use a headset with a microphone. It is also possible to record using your cell phone.

If the school has access to more advanced recording equipment, you can use that. The most important thing is to get a digital audio file that you can make adjustments to.

Editing software:

Audacity is considered by many to be the best free editing software for audio files. Google 'Audacity' to find a website from which to download it. Your phone or computer may have built in editing software that you can use.

Podcast hosting service:

If you want your podcast heard outside the classroom you will need to get it on a podcast hosting service. The podcast hosting service will provide you with an RSS feed link that you can share to podcast directories like Apple Podcast or Google Play Music, or on social media. Examples of free podcast hosting services are Podbean, Spreaker, Podiant, and Anchor.

Write:

You have been put in charge of creating a project related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The project can be to increase awareness of an issue, or to raise funds.

Make a plan for a project that gets people in your class, school, or local community engaged to take action.

The project should be inexpensive and easy to carry out.

Fill in the blanks: 'less' or 'fewer'?

It can be difficult to know when to use 'less' and when to use 'fewer'. Today, usage has made these words more interchangeable than before, but the rule is that we use 'less' when something cannot be counted, and 'fewer' when something can be counted.

For example, we say 'there is less sand in the sandbox', or 'we have less time than we thought'. On the other hand we say 'there are fewer apples on the trees this year', or 'there are fewer students who fail the exam than ever before'.