SDG 10 Explained for Students: 8 Digital Lesson Plans on Reduced Inequalities

Reduced inequalities are the focus of Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG 10). This goal aims to ensure equal opportunities for all, regardless of gender, race, age, disability, income, or background. Teaching SDG 10 in the classroom helps students understand fairness, privilege, and the systemic barriers that create inequality — empowering them to imagine and work toward a more just society.

In this post, you'll discover 8 free digital classroom activities using BookWidgets that make SDG 10 engaging and accessible for students of all ages. These interactive lesson ideas will help your learners explore the basic principles of SDG 10.

The digital SDG 10 activities are created with BookWidgets, a content creation and student learning evaluation tool for teachers. You can make a free copy of the lessons below to your BookWidgets account, or you can navigate to this BookWidgets group folder where you can find them all together.You can duplicate the activities, make changes (such as language, instructions, or settings) as needed, and share them with your students. ** When your students complete the activities, you will also receive the results and be able to provide feedback.

Make sure to check out more SDG resources below, and stay tuned as we release a new blog post with ready-to-use SDG lessons every month!

What is SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities?

Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG 10) focuses on reducing inequalities within and among countries. It aims to ensure equal opportunities for all, regardless of age, gender, race, disability, income, or social background. SDG 10 emphasizes that economic, social, and political inequalities limit development, access to resources, and individual potential.

From fair access to education, healthcare, and employment to inclusive policies and social protection, SDG 10 empowers young people to think critically about fairness, justice, and equality. It challenges students to explore how societal structures and policies affect people differently and what can be done to create a more equitable world.

Why should teachers include SDG 10 in their lessons?

Integrating SDG 10 into your teaching doesn’t just meet curriculum goals—it helps students develop empathy, critical thinking, and social responsibility. Here’s why educators should include SDG 10 in the classroom:

• Encourages empathy and awareness: Students explore how different life circumstances influence opportunities and learn to consider perspectives other than their own.
• Promotes critical thinking and problem-solving: Lessons on inequality encourage students to analyze systems, identify barriers, and propose solutions for more equitable societies.
• Supports cross-curricular learning: SDG 10 fits well with subjects like social studies, economics, civics, geography, and ethics.
• Inspires active citizenship: Teaching about inequality motivates students to engage in their communities and advocate for fairness and inclusion.
• Connects classroom learning to global goals: Understanding SDG 10 helps students see the real-world impact of social policies, laws, and initiatives on people’s lives.

Review this checklist, which outlines all the target goals for SDG 10.

8 Free and Interactive Lesson Plans to Teach SDG 10 – Equal Opportunities for All

1. Our Friend, Martin - Video Quiz

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, founded in 2013, advocates for the end of systemic racism and violence against Black communities. Its goals align with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10, which seeks to reduce inequality within and among countries by promoting social, economic, and political inclusion. BLM's fight for racial justice echoes the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., who championed civil rights and equality. Both movements emphasize the importance of addressing systemic disparities to create a more just society. King’s vision and activism laid the groundwork for contemporary efforts like BLM to challenge and dismantle institutionalized discrimination.

This digital lesson is about Martin Luther King Jr. and his journey to equality and justice for everyone.

2. SDG 10 Vocabulary - Flashcards

Help students review and understand the key terms of SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities with an engaging BookWidgets flashcards activity. Each flashcard introduces essential concepts like equal rights, diversity, discrimination, social justice, and inclusion. Students can flip the cards to test themselves, reinforce their knowledge, and make connections between their own lives and the real-world goal of creating equal opportunities for all.

3. SDG 10 Vocabulary - Crossword

Challenge your students with a fun and interactive BookWidgets crossword puzzle that builds their understanding of SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. In this activity, students solve clues about key concepts such as fairness, equal opportunities, discrimination, diversity, and inclusion. While completing the puzzle, they strengthen their vocabulary and deepen their knowledge of how reducing inequalities creates a fairer world for everyone.

4. SDG 10 Vocabulary - Pair Matching

Engage students with a BookWidgets pair-matching game where they connect SDG 10 key terms to relevant images. Students match different concepts of (in) equalities with pictures that represent them. After matching, they discuss with their elbow partner why each image correlates with the term, encouraging reflection on how small actions can reduce inequalities in real life. This interactive activity combines visual learning, collaboration, and critical thinking while reinforcing the core ideas of SDG 10.

5. The Tale of Penny, Nickel, and Dime - Split Worksheet

Use the inspiring story of Penny in Generosity Grove (from Naratopia) to teach high school students about SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities. Through Penny’s three-coin plan—invest, save, and help—students explore how small actions can create equal opportunities for all. With interactive BookWidgets questions, they reflect on fairness, financial responsibility, and how sharing resources and knowledge reduces inequalities in their own communities.

6. Privilege Walk - Quiz

Raise awareness about inequalities with a BookWidgets Privilege Walk quiz. Middle school students answer questions that help them reflect on their own privileges, such as access to education, resources, or social support. This interactive activity encourages self-reflection and discussion on how different circumstances affect opportunities in life. By understanding privilege, students gain insight into SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities and explore ways they can contribute to a fairer and more equal society.

7. Milestones in the fight for equality - Timeline

Take students on a journey through history with a BookWidgets Timeline activity. They explore key milestones in the fight for equality—such as the civil rights movement, disability rights, and LGBTQ+ rights. Each event includes a reflection question, prompting students to think critically about the progress made and the inequalities that still exist today. This activity helps students connect historical struggles to SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, showing that the pursuit of equal opportunities is an ongoing endeavor.

8. Equality Stories - Worksheet

Engage your students in critical thinking about SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities with this interactive worksheet activity using rubrics. Students explore real-life case studies highlighting both equalities and inequalities in education, healthcare, employment, housing, and digital access. Using the Rubric Question widget, students evaluate each scenario, reflect on the level of fairness, and explain their reasoning. This lesson helps students recognize different forms of inequality, develop empathy, and think critically about solutions, while connecting classroom learning to global Sustainable Development Goals. This worksheet exercises auto-grades, providing immediate feedback. Perfect for middle and high school students.

More ready-to-use SDG lesson plans and resources

Reminder: This is part ten of our blog post series with lesson activities for teaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. We will post a new blog about the next SDG every month. Go check out earlier blog posts on the SDGs:

• 8 Engaging Lesson Plans to Teach "SDG 1: No Poverty" to Your Students
• 8 Creative Ways to Teach "SDG 2: Zero Hunger" to Your Students
• 8 Free Lesson Plans to Teach "SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being"
• Bringing SDG 4 into the Classroom: 8 Lesson Ideas for Quality Education
• 8 Free Lesson Plans on SDG 5 Gender Equality for all Grade Level Students
• 8 Free Digital Lessons for Teaching SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
• 8 Exciting Lesson Ideas to Teach Students About SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
• 8 Digital Lessons to Teach Students about SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• 8 Creative Ways to Teach SDG 9 - Infrastructure, Industrialization and Innovation - in Your Classroom

And if you can't wait this long for all the other posts, we've already created 1 lesson for each SDG in this digital group work planner activity. Here's the blog post about teaching the SDGs. You can find all the separate SDG activities in this BookWidgets group folder, in case you want to duplicate the activities and make some changes.

Wrap up

Teaching SDG 10 – Reduced Inequalities helps students develop empathy and a deeper understanding of fairness, privilege, and justice. With interactive tools like BookWidgets, you can make these abstract concepts tangible, engaging, and relevant to their lives.

Be sure to follow along as we continue our monthly SDG series with new digital lessons and classroom ideas!

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