“What can we learn from Germany’s Sustainable Development Experience?” by Jorge Aguilar
High School Inquiry Lessons
What can we learn from Germany’s Sustainable Development Experience? C3 Framework Indicator
D2.Eco.1.9-12. Analyze how incentives influence choices that may result in policies with a range of costs and benefits for different groups. D2.Eco.3.9-12. Analyze the ways in which incentives influence what is produced and distributed in a market system D2.Eco.15.9-12. Explain how current globalization trends and policies affect economic growth, labor markets, rights of citizens, the environment, and resource and income distribution in different nations.
Staging the Compelling Question
Students will be able to explain the concept of sustainability, the UN’s Global Goals for Sustainable Development, and describe some of Germany’s strategies and experiences in that area. Students will use these concepts to research and analyze the scope and effectiveness of the United States sustainability goals and practices, as well as lessons that we can draw from Germany’s experiences.
Supporting Question 1 How can societies reconcile or prioritize conflicting economic and social goals?
Supporting Question 2 What is sustainability and why should it be one of our goals?
Supporting Question 3 How is Germany implementing its sustainable development strategy?
Formative Performance Task
Formative Performance Task
Formative Performance Task
Students will learn about the economic goals of society, the potential for conflict among goals, and the need to reconcile and prioritize goals according to society’s needs and values. Students will complete the accompanying note-taking guide as they work on this task.
Students will explore the concept of sustainability and the UN’s goals for sustainable development. Students should understand how other goals have been prioritized in the past to the detriment of sustainability, and how sustainable development has become a global priority.
Students will explore some examples of Germany’s commitment to sustainable development, as well as examine a number of videos detailing some successful experiences.
Featured Sources
Featured Sources
Featured Sources
Source A: Sustainability Goals Presentation (Handout 1) Source B: Sustainability Goals Note-Taking Guide (Handout 2) Source C: “Germany recycles more than any other country“ (World Economic Forum) Source D: Recycling in Germany (YouTube) Source E: “Prentice Hall Economics, Florida“ (O‘Sullivan, A., et al)
Source A: Sustainability Goals Presentation (Handout 1) Source B: Sustainability Goals Note-Taking Guide (Handout 2) Source C: “Sustainable Development Goals“ (United Nations) Source D: Understanding Sustainable Development (YouTube) Source E: “17 goals for a better world“ (Deutschland.de) Source F: “Prentice Hall Economics, Florida“ (O‘Sullivan, A., et al)
Source A: Sustainability Goals Presentation (Handout 1) Source B: Sustainability Goals Note-Taking Guide (Handout 2) Source C: Black Forest: Sustainable Tourism (YouTube) Source D: Eco-city Hamburg (YouTube) Source E: Environmental Protection and Sustainability (YouTube) Source F: “German renewables deliver more electricity than coal and nuclear power for the first time“ (Miebac, E.) Source G: “National Accounts“ (Statistisches Bundesamt) Source H: Renewal Energy – The pioneer (YouTube) Source I: Sharing Economy (YouTube) Source J: Sustainable Development“ The UN‘S New Goals (YouTube) Source K: What we do: The German Sustainable Development Strategy (YouTube)
Summative Performance Task
Argument: Students will choose between writing an editorial or persuasive essay arguing for more sustainability efforts, or a video explaining the need for sustainability. Both choices should mention the UN’s goals and use Germany’s experiences as evidence. Extension: Students will create a poster calling for sustainable development actions in school and among their peers by using the UN’s Global Goals and the German experiences, as well as any additional research on this topic.
Taking Informed Action
Understand: Societies set different economic goals based on their needs, values, or traditions. Many of these goals were not sustainable in the long-run and societies are currently striving to adjust their economic goals and embrace sustainable development practices. Assess: Research how countries are committing to proposed sustainable development goals and how Germany’s experiences could serve as model to embrace more sustainable production or consumption practices around the world. Act: Research the efforts for sustainable development taking place in the United States. Inform others about these efforts, as well as actions that we can take to make our societies more sustainable.
56 | Top Lessons | Teach Germany
