Héroes del Clima: A unit revolving around Duolingo podcasts

 

I am presenting at the NHAWLT conference (New Hampshire) this Friday and I am presenting two sessions. One (two hour) session is about the los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de la ONU (the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals) and the Project Zero Thinking Routines. I am very excited to share that presentation and will probably write about after I present. 

I have written about using the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals in the past in this post: A Board Game in Spanish from the UN?!? and attendees will be playing that game during my session. 

As I have been preparing and learning, I have also been dreaming of a few things: focusing on more of the ODS in all levels and, a bigger dream, having an entire course that focuses on the ODS. (And, yes, I am aware of Carrie Toth's Huellas curriculum that focuses on many of these and I have used some of her units.)

In the meantime, I have created an Intermediate unit that revolves around el Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible #13: Acción por el clima and the Duolingo Podcast Series: Climate Heroes. While Acción por el clima is the most obvious objetivo, these podcasts hit MANY of the others.

If you haven't listened to these 8 episodes, I highly recommend them! 

• Saving Food in Uruguay

• Building Reservoirs in Peru

• Biking in Spain

• Harnessing Solar Energy in Puerto Rico

• Preserving the Forest in Peru

• Harvesting Rain in Mexico

• Marching for Change in Argentina

• Protecting Bears in Bolivia

You can see the unit below, but here is a basic outline:

• Students will first learn about the ODS by doing some interpretive listening activities.
• Students will learn a little bit more about ODS #13 Acción por el clima.
• Students will be divided into groups of 3-4.
• Each group will be assigned TWO Duolingo podcasts.
• Each student in the group will listen to the two podcasts and write about what they heard and learned (see pages 5-6).
• After students have listened to the podcasts, they will get together as a group, discuss what they learned and thought and choose one of the podcasts to focus on.
• The group will investigate more about the information, people, places and organizations mentioned in the podcasts.
• The group will write an email or Whastapp message and try to contact someone related to the podcast.
• Each member of the group will present to other classmates in a jigsaw style. 
• Students will fill out a table as they learn about what they learn from their classmates.
• Finally, there will be an assessment about what they learned and hopefully they will make connections to their own communities!