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Water is Life

Secondary, Middle

Description

This resource is divided into 4 lessons that can be used individually or as part of a unit.

Lesson 1: WATER IS LIFE

This activity will help students connect with the role water plays in their lives and develop a relationship of respect, care and reciprocity with water.

Lesson 2: THE SOURCE OF OUR WATER

This activity will encourage students to make a connection to their local water source and investigate how the water surrounding their community is connected to the land, other communities, and other water bodies.

Lesson 3: OUR RIGHT TO WATER

Students will learn about and locate communities that do not have access to clean drinking water and discuss how they can get involved to help bring attention to the water crisis in Indigenous communities.

Lesson 4: WATER PROTECTORS

Students will learn about Indigenous women who are water protectors and water walkers and learn how to implement their own water walk in their local community.

General Assessment

What skills does this resource explicitly teach?

  • Analyzing water consumption.
  • Critical thinking.
  • Taking action.

Recommendation of how and where to use it

This lesson could be easily integrated into any lesson about water conservation and usage. It would also be easily integrated into any unit related to the perspective that acknowledges the value of Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK).

Relevant Curriculum Units

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Themes Addressed

  • Ecosystems (1)

    • Appreciating the Natural World

  • Indigenous Knowledge (1)

    • TEK -- Traditional Ecological Knowledge

  • Water (5)

    • Marine Environments
    • Water Cycle
    • Water Quality
    • Water Use
    • Watershed Protection

Sustainability Education Principles

Principle Rating Explanation
Consideration of Alternative Perspectives Very Good

This resource askes students to take a look at the way traditions used by the indigenous communities could help protect our water sources. Using guided questions, students are asked to develop their own conclusions when looking at the importance of water and living a sustainable life.

Consideration of Alternative Perspectives:
  • Satisfactory: absence of bias towards any one point of view
  • Good: students consider different points of view regarding issues, problems discussed
  • Very good: based on the consideration of different views, students form opinions and  take an informed position
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions Very Good
  • The focus is on environmental and social aspects of water, but some of the economics are also addressed.
  • Environmental dimensions are well covered as the resource investigates and takes action on local water quality and use.
  • Social dimensions are addressed through community mapping and recognizing the need for people to have clean drinking water around the world and how lucky we are to have access to water. 
  • Economics come into the activities as students examine water conservation.
Multiple Dimensions of Problems & Solutions:

Effectively addresses the environmental, economic and social dimensions of the issue(s) being explored.

  • Satisfactory: resource supports the examination of  these dimensions
  • Good:  resource explicitly examines the interplay of these dimensions
  • Very Good:  a systems-thinking approach is encouraged to examine these three dimensions
Respects Complexity Good
Respects Complexity:

The complexity of the problems/issues being discussed is respected.

Acting on Learning Very Good

 Students are askes to take action on water protection in the last lesson of the resource. 

Acting on Learning:

Learning moves from understanding  issues  to working towards positive change — in personal lifestyle, in school, in the community,  or for the planet

  • Satisfactory: action opportunities are included as extensions 
  • Good: action opportunities are core components of the resource
  • Very Good: action opportunities for students are well supported and intended to result in observable, positive change
Values Education Good
Values Education:

Students are explicitly provided with opportunities to identify, clarify and express their own beliefs/values.

Empathy & Respect for Humans Satisfactory
Empathy & Respect for Humans: Empathy and respect are fostered for diverse groups of humans (including different genders, ethnic groups, sexual preferences, etc.).
Personal Affinity with Earth Very Good
Personal Affinity with Earth:

Encourages a personal affinity with -the natural world.  

  • Satisfactory: connection is made to the natural world
  • Good: fosters appreciation/concern for the natural world
  • Very Good: fosters stewardship though practical and respectful experiences out-of-doors 
Locally-Focused Learning Good

While water conservation and usage is a global issue, the unit has students examine the issue through a local lens in which they identify impacts and responses.

Locally-Focused Learning:

Includes learning experiences that take advantage of issues/elements within the local community. 

  • Satisfactory: learning is made relevant to the lives of the learners
  • Good: learning is made relevant and has a local focus
  • Very Good: learning is made relevant, local and takes place ‘outside’ , in the community 
Past, Present & Future Good
  • Students examine the present situation either in their community or in the surrounding area.
  • They recognize what changes may need to be made and learn how to take action to make those changes which promotes a positive vision for the future.
Past, Present & Future: Promotes an understanding of the past, a sense of the present, and a positive vision for the future.

Pedagogical Approaches

Principle Rating Explanation
Open-Ended Instruction Good

The resource identifies four lessons that include questions that will guide student inquiry into the link between water value and the importance to protect it. These are open-ended questions and the activities that follow allow students to frame their own answers.

Open-Ended Instruction :

Lessons are structured so that multiple/complex answers are possible; students are not steered toward one 'right' answer.

Integrated Learning Good

This resource includes a  topic that can be explored and emerged in a number of subject areas. These include Earth Science, Life Science, Environmental Science, Geography, TEK

Integrated Learning:

Learning brings together content and skills  from more than one  subject area

  • Satisfactory: content from a number of different  subject areas is readily identifiable
  • Good:  resource is appropriate for use in more than one subject area
  • Very Good:  the lines between subjects are blurred 
Inquiry Learning Good
Inquiry Learning:

Learning is directed by questions, problems, or challenges that students work to address.   

  • Satisfactory: Students are provided with questions/problems to solve and some direction on how to arrive at solutions.
  • Good: students, assisted by the teacher clarify the question(s) to ask and the process to follow to arrive at solutions.  Sometimes referred to as Guided Inquiry
  • Very Good:  students generate the questions and assume much of the responsibility for how to solve them.  . Sometimes referred to as self-directed learning.

 

Differentiated Instruction Satisfactory

The resource is mostly based on reflecting on knowledge gained during conversation. Some research is also present.

Differentiated Instruction:

Activities address a range of student learning styles, abilities and readiness.

  • Satisfactory:  includes a variety of instructional approaches
  • Good: addresses  the needs of visual, auditory &  kinesthetic learners
  • Very Good: also includes strategies for learners with difficulties
Experiential Learning Very Good

Planning and carrying out a protection plan. 

Experiential Learning:

Authentic learning experiences are provided

  • Satisfactory: learning takes place through ‘hands-on’ experience or simulation
  • Good: learning involves direct experience in a ‘real world context’
  • Very good: learning involves ‘real world experiences’ taking place’ beyond the school walls.
Cooperative Learning Satisfactory
Cooperative Learning:

Group and cooperative learning strategies are a priority.

  • Satisfactory:  students work in groups
  • Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught and practiced
  • Very Good: cooperative learning skills are explicitly taught, practiced and assessed
Assessment & Evaluation Poor/Not considered
Assessment & Evaluation: Tools are provided that help students and teachers to capture formative and summative information about students' learning and performance. These tools may include reflection questions, checklists, rubrics, etc.
Peer Teaching Poor/Not considered
Peer Teaching:

Provides opportunities for students to actively present their knowledge and skills to peers and/or act as teachers and mentors.

  • Satisfactory: incidental teaching that arises from cooperative learning, presentations, etc.
  • Good or Very Good: an opportunity is intentionally created to empower students to teach other students/community members. The audience is somehow reliant on the students' teaching (students are not simply ‘presenting')
Case Studies Poor/Not considered
Case Studies:

Relevant case studies are included.  Case studies are thorough descriptions of real events from real situations that students use to explore  concepts in an authentic context.

Locus of Control Satisfactory
  • There is minimal opportunity for student choice.
Locus of Control: Meaningful opportunities are provided for students to choose elements of program content, the medium in which they wish to work, and/or to go deeper into a chosen issue.