Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

In 2015, United Nations Member States shared their agenda for sustained development by 2030 through 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The goals recognize that ending poverty and improving equity go hand-in-hand with other strategies, including improving health, education, and economic growth. In an increasingly interconnected world, educating students about the SDGs is more important than ever. By integrating these global objectives into the curriculum, educators can foster a sense of global citizenship and social responsibility. Teaching the SDGs provides students with insight into the needs of global communities and encourages them to think critically, consider themselves members of the larger international community, and engage with real-world problems at an early age.

Teaching the SDGs provides students with insight into the needs of global communities and encourages them to consider themselves members of the larger international community. Not all curriculums incorporate the SDGs; however, it is possible to integrate teaching the goals with engaging activities that meet content standards and include developmentally appropriate lessons. 

Goal 2 focuses on zero hunger. Current statistics show that one in three people struggle with moderate to severe food insecurity, and projections indicate that up to 600 million people worldwide will face hunger in 2030. This goal can seamlessly integrate with lessons on nutrition, plants, community workers, social justice, geography, and other social studies topics.

Let’s look at ways you might incorporate Goal 2: Zero Hunger activities at different grade levels. 

Elementary School: Food Helper Maps

• Share books in your classroom from this reading list.
• Students create simple maps showing where food comes from and who helps share it.
• Mark friendly places on students’ maps that give food (food banks, school cafeterias, community centers).
• Draw helping hands connecting farms to hungry families.
• Use stickers/drawings to show how food moves from gardens to tables.
• Add superhero helpers (farmers, delivery drivers, lunch staff) along the journey.
• Final activity – design stickers for superhero helpers using Canva Sticker Maker or Adobe Express Sticker Maker and write a short story about why they are a superhero.

Middle School: Food Justice Mapping

• Share books in your classroom from this reading list.
• Students research and map food insecurity statistics in their region.
• Create digital story maps showing income levels vs grocery store access using StoryMap JS (reviewed here).
• Research and document local organizations fighting hunger with service area maps.
• Analyze local transportation routes and barriers to food access.
• Calculate food distribution efficiency from farms to high-need areas.
• Design optimized routes for mobile food pantries.
• Map potential locations for community gardens in underserved areas, including possibilities for a community garden at your school.
• As a final activity, create a Google Earth (reviewed here) project to share stories and images that map underserved areas and propose community garden locations.

High School: Food Security Analysis & Action

• Share the book The Water Princess with students as you introduce the topics of hunger and food insecurity.
• Calculate food security metrics across demographics using sites such as International Human Development Insights (reviewed here), the Living Wage Calculator (reviewed here), and World Mapper (reviewed here).
• Research and map correlations between poverty and hunger.
• Analyze policy impacts on food access.
• Design intervention strategies using data gathered from student research.
• Research sustainable agriculture distribution networks. Find ideas and information at Cornell Garden-Based Learning (reviewed here).
• Develop a Policy Advocacy Project:
  1. Choose a Focus: Consider specific topics such as school meal programs, urban farming initiatives, or subsidies for local farmers.
  2. Research Policies: Investigate current local or national policies and identify gaps that need to be addressed.
  3. Create an Advocacy Plan: Prepare a letter to send to policymakers, design a petition, or develop a public awareness campaign to raise support.

These projects encourage students to think critically, analyze data, and develop systemic solutions as they learn about the Zero Hunger Sustainable Development Goal. By connecting local issues to global food security challenges through grade-appropriate activities that raise awareness, students will begin to develop an understanding of their role as global citizens.

Learn about the Sustainable Development Goals throughout the school year by participating in TeachersFirst XW1W (Across the World Once a Week), a global collaboration for cross-cultural understanding. Each week, XW1W connects elementary and middle school students using X (formerly Twitter) as they respond to questions related to the SDGs. 

What suggestions do you have for teaching SDG 2: Zero Hunger? Share your ideas in the comments as we learn together.