Exploring Our World: Global Connections and Local Landscapes · 5th Class

Active learning ideas

Climate Justice & Vulnerable Communities

Active learning works for this topic because students need to move from abstract ideas about fairness and responsibility to concrete, local actions they can picture taking themselves. When children investigate, role-play, and plan together, they see how the SDGs connect to their own lives and communities, which builds both empathy and agency.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Environmental awareness and care
• NCCA: Primary - People and other lands

• 20–60 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The SDG Scavenger Hunt

Students are given a list of the 17 goals. They must find examples in their school or local news of people working toward these goals (e.g., a recycling bin for Goal 12, or a fundraiser for Goal 1).

Explain why climate change is considered a matter of global justice.

Facilitation Tip

During the SDG Scavenger Hunt, circulate with a clipboard and note which pairs struggle to connect global goals to local issues so you can guide their thinking with examples like 'What does ‘No Poverty’ look like in our town?’.

What to look for

Ask students to write on a card: 'One reason climate change is a justice issue is...' and 'One way a vulnerable community might be impacted differently is...'. Collect and review for understanding of core concepts.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Role Play
• 60 min · Small Groups

Role Play: The UN Youth Summit

Groups choose one SDG and prepare a 2-minute 'pitch' to the class on why their goal is the most urgent and what one simple change everyone in the school could make to help achieve it.

Analyze how climate change impacts vulnerable communities differently.

Facilitation Tip

In the UN Youth Summit role play, provide sentence starters on cards ('I represent… because…') to support students who need extra structure to articulate their position clearly.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'If a country that has contributed very little to climate change is severely harmed by it, what responsibility do countries that have contributed more have towards helping them?' Facilitate a class discussion, guiding students to consider fairness and shared responsibility.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Our Sustainable School 2050

Students imagine their school in the year 2050. They discuss in pairs what would be different if they met all the SDGs (e.g., gardens on the roof, no waste, everyone walking to school).

Justify the need for international cooperation to address climate change.

Facilitation Tip

For the Think-Pair-Share activity, assign roles explicitly (Recorder, Reporter, Timekeeper) to ensure every student contributes and stays engaged.

What to look for

Present students with two brief scenarios: one describing a wealthy coastal city investing in sea walls, and another describing a small island nation with limited resources facing inundation. Ask students to identify which scenario better represents a 'vulnerable community' and explain why, using terms like 'adaptive capacity'.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers often find that starting with students’ lived experiences builds stronger engagement than beginning with global statistics. Research suggests that children grasp complex ideas like ‘justice’ and ‘responsibility’ best when they are embodied in role play or collaborative problem-solving. Avoid overwhelming students with the full list of 17 SDGs—instead, anchor learning in the three goals most relevant to climate justice to deepen understanding rather than dilute it.

Successful learning looks like students recognizing that climate justice is not just about faraway places but about fairness in their own town, classroom, and country. They should be able to explain how small, collective actions add up, and they should feel confident proposing real steps their school or family could take to support vulnerable communities.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the SDG Scavenger Hunt, watch for students assuming the SDGs only apply to countries with fewer resources.

  Use the scavenger hunt checklist that includes Irish-based examples like ‘Fairtrade Towns’ or ‘Cycle to Work Scheme’ to redirect their thinking toward local relevance.

• During the UN Youth Summit role play, watch for students expressing helplessness or doubt that their actions matter.

  After they share their concerns, pause the role play and facilitate a quick Think-Pair-Share using the phrase ‘the Butterfly Effect’ to guide them to see how small, collective actions can lead to big changes.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Role Play
• Think-Pair-Share