Ontario (Canada): Eco Heroes in the national curriculum

Goal 1 (Teaching and Learning): “By the end of Grade 12, students will acquire knowledge, skills, and perspectives that foster understanding of their fundamental connections to each other, to the world around them, and to all living things.”

1–17All 17 goals

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–17

All 17 goals have a lesson plan in each of these age bands. For example:

• SDG 17 · Ages 6–10 Better together

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain that the 17 goals need everyone working together.
• SDG 17 · Ages 11–13 The goals hold hands

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain at least 3 links between different SDGs.
• SDG 17 · Ages 14–17 How the world fixed the ozone layer

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Identify the features of a successful partnership (shared evidence, clear targets, support for poorer countries, monitoring).

Goal 2 (Student Engagement and Community Connections): “Increase student engagement by fostering active participation in environmental projects and building links between schools and communities.”

• SDG 11
• SDG 13
• SDG 14

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–17

• SDG 14 · Ages 11–13 Plastic interceptors: a litter survey

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Carry out a safe litter survey and classify what is found.
  • Propose an action to stop plastic before it reaches waterways.
• SDG 11 · Ages 11–13 Green spots in grey places

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Plan and justify a small improvement to a school or local space.
• SDG 13 · Ages 14–17 From evidence to action: making a climate campaign

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Design a campaign with a clear message, audience and one specific ask.

identify actions that can be taken to contribute to a healthy environment

Code: B1.2

• SDG 13
• SDG 14
• SDG 15

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 13 · Ages 6–10 Weather and climate: Earth’s warm blanket

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Name 2 actions that help the climate (walking, switching off, planting).
• SDG 14 · Ages 6–10 Ocean in a bottle

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Name 2 ways to keep rubbish out of the ocean.
• SDG 15 · Ages 6–10 Minibeast safari

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why every living thing matters in a habitat.

describe everyday uses of energy at school and at home, and suggest ways to use energy responsibly

Code: C1.1

• SDG 7

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 7 · Ages 6–10 Sun power

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Name 3 sources of energy (Sun, wind, fuel such as coal or gas).
  • Explain one way to save energy at school.

identify the kinds of waste materials produced by humans, and plan and carry out a course of action for minimizing waste in the classroom or at home, explaining why each action is important

Code: D1.1

• SDG 12

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 12 · Ages 6–10 Bin detectives

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Sort clean classroom rubbish into reuse, recycle, compost and landfill.
  • Explain why making less rubbish helps the planet.
  • Name one thing they could reuse instead of throwing away.

assess the impact of human activities on air and water, taking various perspectives into consideration, including those of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, and plan a course of action to protect the quality of the air and/or water in the local community

Code: E1.1

• SDG 14

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 14 · Ages 6–10 Ocean in a bottle

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Show with a model how pollution spreads through water.
  • Name 2 ways to keep rubbish out of the ocean.

assess their personal and household uses of water, and create a plan to use water responsibly

Code: E1.2

• SDG 6

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 6 · Ages 6–10 Every drop counts

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Name 3 ways we use water every day.
  • Explain one way to save water, such as fixing a dripping tap.
• SDG 6 · Ages 11–13 The water diary: how much do we really use?

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Estimate personal daily water use from a diary of activities.
  • Choose one habit to change and calculate the water it could save.

examine the availability of fresh water and drinking water around the world, and describe the impact on communities

Code: E1.3

• SDG 6

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 6 · Ages 6–10 Every drop counts

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Show that only a tiny part of the Earth’s water is fresh water we can use.
• SDG 6 · Ages 11–13 The water diary: how much do we really use?

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Compare that use with the reality for people who must carry their water.

assess positive and negative impacts of human activities on habitats and communities, while taking different perspectives into account

Code: B1.1

• SDG 11
• SDG 15

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 11 · Ages 11–13 Green spots in grey places

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain how green spaces help cities (cooler air, cleaner air, wildlife, well-being).
• SDG 15 · Ages 6–10 Minibeast safari

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why every living thing matters in a habitat.

analyse the impact of the depletion or extinction of a species on its habitat and community, and describe possible actions to prevent such depletions or extinctions

Code: B1.2

• SDG 15

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 15 · Ages 6–10 Minibeast safari

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why every living thing matters in a habitat.
• SDG 15 · Ages 11–13 Pollinator power

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain what pollination is and why many food crops depend on animal pollinators.
  • Plan a bee-friendly space and explain how it helps.

explain how food literacy can support decisions that affect physical and mental health

Code: B1.3

• SDG 3

• Ages 11–13

• SDG 3 · Ages 11–13 Designing a healthy day

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Plan a balanced day that includes physical activity, healthy food and enough sleep.

evaluate effects of various technologies on energy consumption, and describe ways in which individuals can use technology to reduce energy consumption

Code: E1.2

• SDG 7

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 7 · Ages 6–10 Sun power

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain one way to save energy at school.
• SDG 7 · Ages 11–13 Energy hunters: renewable and non-renewable

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Identify energy being wasted in a building and suggest fixes.

explain how the use of energy derived from fossil fuels changes the composition of the atmosphere and how these changes contribute to climate change

Code: E2.6

• SDG 13

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 13 · Ages 6–10 Weather and climate: Earth’s warm blanket

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Describe, with a simple model, how gases around the Earth trap heat like a blanket.
• SDG 13 · Ages 11–13 The greenhouse effect and our carbon footprint

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain the greenhouse effect and how burning fossil fuels strengthens it.

assess the benefits of biodiversity and the consequences of the diminishing of biodiversity

Code: B1.1

• SDG 15

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 15 · Ages 6–10 Minibeast safari

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why every living thing matters in a habitat.
• SDG 15 · Ages 11–13 Pollinator power

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain what pollination is and why many food crops depend on animal pollinators.

analyse a local issue related to biodiversity while considering different perspectives; plan a course of action in response to the issue; and act on their plan

Code: B1.2

• SDG 15

• Ages 11–13

• SDG 15 · Ages 11–13 Pollinator power

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Plan a bee-friendly space and explain how it helps.

describe the importance of biodiversity in supporting agriculture, including Indigenous agriculture around the world

Code: B2.8

• SDG 15

• Ages 11–13

• SDG 15 · Ages 11–13 Pollinator power

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain what pollination is and why many food crops depend on animal pollinators.
  • Identify which foods in a meal rely partly on pollinators.

analyse various social, economic, and environmental impacts, including impacts related to climate change, of using non-renewable and renewable sources of energy

Code: E1.2

• SDG 7
• SDG 13

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–17

• SDG 7 · Ages 11–13 Energy hunters: renewable and non-renewable

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Classify energy sources as renewable or non-renewable and explain the difference.
• SDG 7 · Ages 14–17 Planning the switch: the clean energy transition

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why the energy transition is a whole-system change, not a single switch.
• SDG 13 · Ages 11–13 The greenhouse effect and our carbon footprint

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain the greenhouse effect and how burning fossil fuels strengthens it.

describe the transfer of energy in a food chain, and explain the effects of altering any part of the chain

Code: B2.4

• SDG 15

• Ages 14–17

• SDG 15 · Ages 14–17 Pull one thread: food webs and extinction

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Model a food web and predict the effects of removing one species.

assess the social and environmental impact of the scarcity of fresh water, and propose a plan of action to help address fresh water sustainability issues

Code: E1.1

• SDG 6

• Ages 14–17

• SDG 6 · Ages 14–17 Hidden water: virtual water and who goes without

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Analyse why water scarcity is often about access and management rather than total supply.
  • Propose a realistic action to reduce hidden water use and evaluate its impact.

assess impacts of climate change on the sustainability of local and global ecosystems, describe local or global initiatives for combatting climate change, and identify solutions to address some of the impacts

Code: B1.1

• SDG 13
• SDG 15

• Ages 14–17

• SDG 13 · Ages 14–17 From evidence to action: making a climate campaign

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Interpret climate data (CO₂ concentration and temperature) and explain the link.
  • Explain why systemic change needs collective action as well as individual choices.
• SDG 15 · Ages 14–17 Pull one thread: food webs and extinction

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain the main drivers of biodiversity loss identified by IPBES.

explain the effects of various human activities on the dynamic equilibrium of ecosystems

Code: B2.5

• SDG 14
• SDG 15

• Ages 14–17

• SDG 14 · Ages 14–17 Fish for the future: overfishing and the commons

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain how overfishing can cause fish stocks to collapse, using a simulation.
• SDG 15 · Ages 14–17 Pull one thread: food webs and extinction

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Model a food web and predict the effects of removing one species.
  • Explain the main drivers of biodiversity loss identified by IPBES.

analyze issues related to sustainability, with a focus on the resources extracted for, and the production, distribution, consumption, and disposal of, a few products that people living in Canada use in their everyday lives

Code: C2.5

• SDG 12

• Ages 14–17

• SDG 12 · Ages 14–17 Cradle to grave: the life cycle of a product

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Map the life cycle of a product from raw materials to disposal and identify its biggest impact point.
  • Explain the principles of a circular economy (reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, redesign).

analyze issues related to the sustainability of Canada’s food system and strategies for managing and/or mitigating these issues

Code: E2.1

• SDG 2

• Ages 14–17

• SDG 2 · Ages 14–17 Why do people go hungry in a world with enough food?

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Analyse how conflict, climate shocks, poverty and prices interact to cause hunger.
  • Build balanced arguments for and against one food-system solution (urban farming) and reach a justified view.

analyze existing and proposed transportation systems, locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally, with a focus on their sustainability, and assess options for their future development

Code: E2.2

• SDG 11

• Ages 14–17

• SDG 11 · Ages 14–17 Who is the city for? Auditing how people move

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Assess a real route by walking, cycling and public transport against agreed criteria.
  • Explain how transport choices affect air quality, safety, cost and fairness.
  • Propose 3 evidence-based improvements and identify who the current system serves worst.

analyze environmental, economic, social, and/or political consequences for Canada of changes in some of the Earth’s physical processes, including the impact of climate change, and assess local and regional mitigation and adaptation strategies

Code: B2.4

• SDG 13

• Ages 14–17

• SDG 13 · Ages 14–17 From evidence to action: making a climate campaign

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Interpret climate data (CO₂ concentration and temperature) and explain the link.
  • Explain why systemic change needs collective action as well as individual choices.