Overview

Here, you’ll learn about the operating plan behind each middle school session. You’ll find below a step-by-step guide which outlines the activities and programs in detail. Bear in mind that no one knows your specific school and students as well as you do! Please make adjustments as you see necessary. 

Introductions

As middle schoolers begin trickling into the session, student leaders will give each a Sustainable Development Goal Placard. Some will be self-explanatory for students (climate change, gender equality, etc.), but others may require a short explanation (responsible consumption, industry and innovation, etc.). In this period as students meander in, leaders and teachers should be prepared to have short conversations with students to confirm and support their understanding of their delegated SDGs. 

When all students are present, high school leaders and middle school students should introduce themselves with their name, a fun fact (Best ice-cream flavor? Spirit animal?), and the SDG they will represent for the day. 

Starting Activity

Next, students will move into a Starting Activity to warm up their speaking skills and begin the lesson with some fun. Below are several fun and historically-successful options! Choose one.

Blow Up the Balloon

In a circle, a student makes a factual statement (i.e. “More and more people are playing pickleball”). You can either ask students to volunteer a statement, or introduce one yourself. The next person adds on by saying “which leads to…”, and so on until each student has gone. Each result should be increasingly more impactful to “blow up the balloon”. 

Justify It

Have students arrange themselves in a circle, and select a volunteer to start. This first volunteer says that a certain statement is true (they don’t have to believe it), such as “Gorillas would make great pets.” The next person in the circle (to the first volunteer’s right) then has to respond by saying why this statement is true, such as “Totally! Gorillas can help you reach things up high and they always have bananas, which are a great source of potassium.” After they respond, this person will pose another statement, and the game continues as the next player to the right justifies it, and then poses their own statement!

Word-by-Word

Divide students into two teams, each attempting to tell a well-known story. Make sure everyone in the class knows both stories! Then, have students stand in a circle alternating which team they’re on. Then, students will build a story by each volunteering one word after the other, with the end goal of making their story as similar to the story their team is trying to tell as possible! End the game by recapping the final creation, and laughing at the likely absurdity.

Introducing the Simulation

This simulation will be the bulk of the session. High school student leaders are responsible for making sure students are engaged and able to participate by guaranteeing that directions and topics are presented clearly. 

1. Start by posing the topic question you chose prior to the lesson. Define any key terms so that all students are on the same page. 

2. Secondly, remind students of the Sustainable Development Goals they learned about in the “Introductions” phase. Throughout the simulation, students will be representing the goal signified by their SDG Placard! Explain that their responsibility will be to consider how their given goal will be affected by proposed solutions to the question.

3. Finally, close by posing 3 to 5 guiding questions supporting your central topic. These questions should direct students to interesting points of debate within the larger issue! 

Running the Simulation

For those familiar with the traditional Model United Nations process, the Little League of Nations is similar, with several added key differences. Firstly, students represent the interests of Sustainable Development Goals, rather than of countries or individuals. 

The simulation is broken into several key parts:

1. Opening Speeches

Every student should give a short “speech” of no more than 30 seconds on their initial ideas on the topic! There is no pressure to fill the full allotted time. Should students be at a loss for ideas on which to speak, invite them to attempt to answer any/all of the guiding sub-questions!

2. Unmoderated Caucus (Unmod)

After every student has spoken, the class has an allotted 10 to 15 minutes to discuss ideas for potential solutions and to draft informal resolutions using the Resolution Template. As a high school leader, be sure to check in with every group several times through the resolution process. 

3. Author’s Panel

Following resolution drafting, students will be welcomed once more to give speeches. Every student will defend and justify the solutions brought up in their group’s resolution in another speech of up to 30 seconds. Once more, there is no pressure to fill this full allotted time!

4. Q&A

The final committee procedure will be a short Q&A. Any student (high school or middle school!) will be welcome to pose questions about any of the proposed solutions in resolutions in a moderated forum, and anyone can answer – or provide a follow up!

5. Voting Procedure

In the final minutes of the session, each resolution will be brought to a vote. Leaders and teachers should simulate a professional environment! Whether this means following traditional Model UN voting procedure or simply asking for complete silence, find a way to make this piece of the simulation sacred to students. 

Vote on resolutions in alphabetical order by raising SDG Placards. A ½ majority will suffice to pass any resolution in this simulation. Applaud after every passed paper to celebrate!

Closing

Student leaders: thank the teachers for their support throughout the process, thank your fellow student leaders for assisting in running the activity, and thank the middle school students for their engagement and energy.