Swiss German cantons: Eco Heroes in the national curriculum

Bildung für Nachhaltige Entwicklung: „Nachhaltige Entwicklung ist eine Leitidee für die Entwicklung der Gesellschaft.“

Education for Sustainable Development: sustainable development is a guiding idea for the development of society.

Code: BNE

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).

BNE-Thema „Natürliche Umwelt und Ressourcen“: „Im Zentrum dieses Themas stehen die natürliche Umwelt in ihrer Komplexität und Vielfalt sowie die Auseinandersetzung mit ihrer Bedeutung als Lebensgrundlage für den Menschen.“

ESD theme 'Natural environment and resources': the natural environment in its complexity and diversity, and its importance as the basis of human life.

Code: BNE

• SDG 6
• SDG 7
• SDG 15

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–17

• 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 15 · Ages 6–10 Minibeast safari

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why every living thing matters in a habitat.
• 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 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.

BNE-Thema „Globale Entwicklung und Frieden“: „Innerhalb der Thematik globale Entwicklung und Frieden werden Fragen über weltweite Zusammenhänge, Interessenslagen, Konflikte und Potentiale erörtert.“

ESD theme 'Global development and peace': questions about worldwide connections, interests, conflicts and potential are discussed.

Code: BNE

• SDG 1
• SDG 2
• SDG 17

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–17

• SDG 17 · Ages 11–13 The goals hold hands

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain at least 3 links between different SDGs.
• SDG 1 · Ages 14–17 What actually works against poverty?

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain how a cycle of poverty can pass from one generation to the next, using at least 3 linked causes.
• 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.

BNE-Thema „Wirtschaft und Konsum“: „Wirtschaft und Konsum sind eng miteinander verzahnt. Ausgehend von Erfahrungen der Schülerinnen und Schüler werden verschiedenste Aspekte von Wirtschaft und Konsum, sowie deren Wechselwirkungen thematisiert.“

ESD theme 'Economy and consumption': economy and consumption are closely linked; starting from pupils' own experience, many aspects of both and their interactions are addressed.

Code: BNE

• SDG 8
• SDG 12

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–17

• SDG 12 · Ages 6–10 Bin detectives

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why making less rubbish helps the planet.
• SDG 12 · Ages 11–13 Fix it, don’t bin it

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why repairing and reusing products saves resources and money.
• SDG 8 · Ages 14–17 Decent work and the hidden cost of cheap goods

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Analyse a supply chain to identify where decent-work risks occur.

BNE-Thema „Geschlechter und Gleichstellung“: „Das Thema leistet einen Beitrag zur Umsetzung der rechtlichen und tatsächlichen Gleichstellung der Geschlechter in Familie, Ausbildung und Arbeit.“

ESD theme 'Gender and equality': contributes to legal and actual gender equality in the family, education and work.

Code: BNE

• SDG 5

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–17

• SDG 5 · Ages 6–10 Any toy, any job

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain that toys, colours, games and jobs are for everyone.
• SDG 5 · Ages 11–13 Fair shares: unpaid work at home and in the world

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain what unpaid care and domestic work is and why it matters for equality.
• SDG 5 · Ages 14–17 Counting the voices: who makes the decisions?

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain at least 3 causes of the gender pay gap.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können Mitverantwortung für Gesundheit und Wohlbefinden übernehmen und können sich vor Gefahren schützen.

Pupils can take shared responsibility for health and well-being and protect themselves from dangers.

Code: NMG.1.2

• SDG 3

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 3 · Ages 6–10 Germ busters

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Name 3 habits that help us stay healthy (washing hands, moving our bodies, sleeping well).
• 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.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können Geschlecht und Rollen reflektieren.

Pupils can reflect on gender and roles.

Code: NMG.1.6

• SDG 5

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 5 · Ages 6–10 Any toy, any job

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain that toys, colours, games and jobs are for everyone.
  • Spot a stereotype in a picture or story and say why it is unfair.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können Tiere und Pflanzen in ihren Lebensräumen erkunden und dokumentieren sowie das Zusammenwirken beschreiben.

Pupils can explore and document animals and plants in their habitats and describe how they interact.

Code: NMG.2.1

• SDG 15

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 15 · Ages 6–10 Minibeast safari

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Find, observe and record at least 5 living things in the school grounds.
• 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.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können die Artenvielfalt von Pflanzen und Tieren erkennen und sie kategorisieren.

Pupils can recognise the diversity of plant and animal species and categorise them.

Code: NMG.2.4

• SDG 15

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 15 · Ages 6–10 Minibeast safari

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Sort living things into simple groups (plants, insects, other animals).

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können Einflüsse des Menschen auf die Natur einschätzen und über eine nachhaltige Entwicklung nachdenken.

Pupils can assess human influences on nature and reflect on sustainable development.

Code: NMG.2.6

• SDG 14
• SDG 15

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

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

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain that most rubbish in the sea starts on land.
• 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:

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

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können die Bedeutung von Energie und Energieumwandlungen im Alltag erkennen, beschreiben und reflektiert handeln.

Pupils can recognise and describe the importance of energy and energy conversion in everyday life and act thoughtfully.

Code: NMG.3.2

• SDG 7

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

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

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können Bedeutung und Folgen technischer Entwicklungen für Mensch und Umwelt einschätzen.

Pupils can assess the importance and consequences of technical developments for people and the environment.

Code: NMG.5.3

• SDG 9

• Ages 11–13

• SDG 9 · Ages 11–13 Little inventors: designing a fix

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain how an innovation (mobile money in Kenya) solved a real problem.
  • Evaluate an invention by who it helps and what it needs to work.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können die Produktion und den Weg von Gütern beschreiben.

Pupils can describe the production of goods and the path they take.

Code: NMG.6.3

• SDG 8
• SDG 12

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 8 · Ages 6–10 Who made my pencil?

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Name at least 4 jobs needed to make and deliver an everyday object.
• SDG 12 · Ages 11–13 Fix it, don’t bin it

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Investigate how an everyday object is made and why it breaks.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können Rahmenbedingungen von Konsum wahrnehmen sowie über die Verwendung von Gütern nachdenken.

Pupils can perceive the conditions of consumption and reflect on how goods are used.

Code: NMG.6.5

• SDG 12

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 12 · Ages 6–10 Bin detectives

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why making less rubbish helps the planet.
  • Name one thing they could reuse instead of throwing away.
• SDG 12 · Ages 11–13 Fix it, don’t bin it

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why repairing and reusing products saves resources and money.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können Veränderungen in Räumen erkennen, über Folgen von Veränderungen und die künftige Gestaltung und Entwicklung nachdenken.

Pupils can recognise changes in places and reflect on their consequences and on future design and development.

Code: NMG.8.3

• SDG 11

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 11 · Ages 6–10 My dream street

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Suggest one change that would make a street better for everyone.
• 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).
  • Plan and justify a small improvement to a school or local space.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können eigene Anliegen einbringen sowie politische Prozesse erkennen.

Pupils can put forward their own concerns and recognise political processes.

Code: NMG.10.5

• SDG 16

• Ages 11–13

• SDG 16 · Ages 11–13 Fair rules for everyone

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why communities need rules and what makes a rule fair.
  • Write and test class rules against the needs of the quietest person.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können die Nachhaltigkeit naturwissenschaftlich-technischer Anwendungen diskutieren.

Pupils can discuss the sustainability of scientific and technical applications.

Code: NT.1.3

• SDG 7
• SDG 9

• Ages 14–17

• SDG 7 · Ages 14–17 Planning the switch: the clean energy transition

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Design a 3-step transition plan for a school or town and evaluate its trade-offs.
• SDG 9 · Ages 14–17 Mind the gap: the digital divide

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Design and evaluate a local infrastructure solution, including cost and maintenance.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können Einflüsse des Menschen auf regionale Ökosysteme erkennen und einschätzen.

Pupils can recognise and assess human influences on regional ecosystems.

Code: NT.9.3

• SDG 14
• SDG 15

• Ages 11–13
• 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.
  • Explain the main drivers of biodiversity loss identified by IPBES.
• SDG 14 · Ages 11–13 Plastic interceptors: a litter survey

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Use data to identify the main sources of litter in an area.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können Folgen des Konsums analysieren.

Pupils can analyse the consequences of consumption.

Code: WAH.3.2

• SDG 6
• SDG 8
• 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.
• SDG 6 · Ages 14–17 Hidden water: virtual water and who goes without

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain the concept of virtual (embedded) water and estimate it for everyday products.
• SDG 8 · Ages 14–17 Decent work and the hidden cost of cheap goods

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Analyse a supply chain to identify where decent-work risks occur.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können globale Herausforderungen der Ernährung von Menschen verstehen.

Pupils can understand global challenges in feeding people.

Code: WAH.4.5

• SDG 2

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–17

• SDG 2 · Ages 11–13 Food waste detectives

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why wasting food also wastes water, land, energy and work.
• SDG 2 · Ages 14–17 Why do people go hungry in a world with enough food?

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why hunger is mainly about access to food, not only the amount produced.
  • Analyse how conflict, climate shocks, poverty and prices interact to cause hunger.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können Wetter und Klima analysieren.

Pupils can analyse weather and climate.

Code: RZG.1.2

• SDG 13

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–17

• 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.
• 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.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können natürliche Ressourcen und Energieträger untersuchen.

Pupils can investigate natural resources and energy sources.

Code: RZG.1.4

• SDG 6
• SDG 7

• 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 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.
• SDG 7 · Ages 14–17 Planning the switch: the clean energy transition

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Use data to describe the global gap in electricity and clean cooking access.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können die Entwicklung, Bedeutung und Bedrohung der Menschenrechte erklären.

Pupils can explain the development, importance and threats to human rights.

Code: RZG.8.2

• SDG 10
• SDG 16

• Ages 14–17

• SDG 10 · Ages 14–17 Different starts: understanding inequality

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain how inequality of opportunity affects life outcomes, using a simulation with fictional characters.
• SDG 16 · Ages 14–17 Trust and accountability: how fair decisions are made

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why transparency, accountability and participation build trust in institutions.

Die Schülerinnen und Schüler können Anliegen einbringen, Konflikte wahrnehmen und mögliche Lösungen suchen.

Pupils can put forward concerns, perceive conflicts and look for possible solutions.

Code: ERG.5.6

• SDG 16

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–17

• SDG 16 · Ages 11–13 Fair rules for everyone

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Identify who a rule might accidentally leave out and improve it.
• SDG 16 · Ages 14–17 Trust and accountability: how fair decisions are made

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Propose changes that make a system fairer and more accountable.