Geography Students compare their interactions with water to those of children in Kenya and Tanzania and discover that access to water helps to define children's roles in the family. They demonstrate their understanding through essays and pictures. Language Arts, Social Studies Students collect data about the role of water in celebrations around the world, organize it in a retrieval chart, and use the information to create learning stations for a Water Day Celebration. Geography Students discover how the need for water can be felt, seen, and heard in the song, voice, craft, religion, and ritual of a culture. Language Arts, Written for students with limited English language skills, this unit uses the vignettes from Peace Corps Volunteers to compare and contrast expository and narrative texts.
Students write essays of both types.
Geography, Language Arts Population increases and the stress on natural resources are probed as students examine water usage in the United States and Africa. Health, Language Arts Students examine the connections between water and disease in four West African countries and devise a strategy to fight one water-borne illness in rural Africa. Based on essays and photos provided by Peace Corps Volunteers, students create narrative cartoons that illustrate the lives of a young people in an African country. Using essays and photos provided by Peace Corps Volunteers, students create a photomontage that focuses attention on environmental issues in the United States and Africa. Visual Arts, Language Arts Students research and analyze the role of water in daily life, and create symbols to represent their findings.