The Water Project

In their words

valeriebracco — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:18:36 +0000

When asked if it was fair to charge people money for water:

“No it is not fair to charge people becuase they need water.”

“It is not fair because we do not want people to get sick.”

“It is not fair because it’s really not nice because they boss… because they’re mean. I think people need stores to buy water that’s free. It’s very nice to have water at your house and I want all people to have nice houses with water.”

“It is not fair for people to charge other people because they will be thirsty.”

Final Thoughts

valeriebracco — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:13:18 +0000

I am very proud of the water project. My students participated in many activities from water experiments, collecting data for how much water is used, a simulation of charging money for water and more. I think that they will take away a respect for water and the knowledge that everyone is entitled to clean water. Here are a few last photos from the project. There is a bar graph of our water usage, save water posters, and steps to washing your hands.

Overdue Update!

valeriebracco — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:54:18 +0000

There is so much to update on! We have focused on “water experiments”, “water conservation” and “spreading the word!” for the past three weeks. We learned about condensation and evaporation using experiments.

WATER EXPERIMENTS

Evaporation: We set up a small amount (10 drops) of water in a clear plastic cup in the morning. By the end of the day the water had evaporated.

Condensation: We placed ice cubes and water in a clear plastic cup. We watched as drops of water formed on the outside of the cup. We had condensation!

WATER CONSERVATION

We recorded how many times we used water in a class bar graph. Every time we washed our hands, brushed our teeth, took a shower / bath, washed dishes, flushed the toilet and we recorded it. We determined what we did the most and what we did the least.

Students created their own bar graphs.

SPREADING THE WORD

Students knew it was “good” to save water. We talked about how we could conserve water. We decided that we could save water while washing hands by turning off the water when lathering up. We measured the water used when turning off the water and when keeping it running. We found that a lot of water is saved when turning off the water.

We wrote “The New Steps to Washing our Hands”. We designed posters to share with family, friends and community members. Students were given 10 copies of their posters to take home.

Next we are moving into water privatization. Stay tuned!

Film

valeriebracco — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:01:26 +0000

To research this topic further, I rented and viewed the film FLOW, For Love Of Water (2008 Oscilloscope Laboratories). It sheds light upon more facets of the issue than I was aware of. Most notably, the privatization of water in the US and abroad.

I am excited to integrate this new information into the unit. One question that the film asks is “Who owns water?”. I am very interested in posing this same question to my students. We are just returning from break this week. We will review the water cycle, why we need water, and begin a few water experiments. Hopefully we can delve into the deeper topics towards the end of the week.

I am not going to show the students this film. It is obviously inappropriate for such young children. However, I would recommend it for any adult. Visit the official website at: http://www.flowthefilm.com/ .

Student Work

valeriebracco — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:39:07 +0000

We created a poster together. In the rain drop are reasons why students would like to live in “Chewandswallow” or not. Next to the raindrop is a list of ways that we use water. Finally, on the bottom, are the student’s drawings of ways that they use water or see water being used in their everyday lives. Included are swimming, washing hands and a bird taking a bird bath.

A close-up of the water drawings.

“Adding to the List” homework assignment.

Day Two

valeriebracco — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:14:02 +0000

This lesson took place on 4/2/09.

After breaking the ice with the silly book, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, we read more seriously about rain and water. Together we enjoyed Down Comes the Rain by Dr. Franklyn M. Branley and illustrated by James Graham Hale. During this read aloud we discussed the properties of water and the water cycle. Afterwards, students illustrated and wrote captions for one of the uses of water on our list from the previous lesson and homework. With this, our first water poster was complete. Currently we are on Spring Break for a week and a day. However, when we return we will delve deeper into this study.

Day One

valeriebracco — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:54:39 +0000

This lesson took place on 3/31/09.

I read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett to the students. This book is about a fantasy land named “Chewandswallow” where it doesn’t rain water, it rains food! Midway through the book I asked students if they would like to live in ”Chewandswallow” and recorded their answers. All of the students said that they would like to live in ”Chewandswallow” and would love it if it only rained food. I then asked the students the question, “What if their was no water?” and waited for a reaction. Together, we brainstormed and created a list of ways that we use water. The responses varied from a love of sea creatures to the needs of plants. For homework the students added three ideas to the list. While not stated explicity, the purpose of this lesson was to begin thinking about the need for water and to start treating it as a resource as opposed to a given. I am excited to continue to take baby steps towards the “meat” of this study. I can’t wait for it to pick up momentum and really start rolling!

Idea

valeriebracco — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:27:18 +0000

I am a Junior Kindergarten / Kindergarten teacher in a private Catholic school in the West Village of Manhattan. I have noticed that my five students often waste water while washing their hands. They don’t seem to have a concept of conservation or the value of water. To be honest, I can be wasteful at times as well. At least, they have the excuse of only being 3-6 years old. I’m an adult! Needless to say, my students are not the only ones in position to learn. Anyway, I have been looking for a project to engage my classroom in and this seemed like the perfect entry point for a unit about resources, need, waste and the World Water Crisis. My goal for this project is to:

1. Establish water as a valuable resource

2. Increase awareness of water usage

3. Examine water availability in their own environment and around the globe

4. If necessary / desired, take action!

Please keep checking the blog for updates on this project. As a teacher, I know that my plan will probably evolve over the next few weeks / months. I am excited for this project to take off and have a life of it’s own. Thanks for reading!