They are both dying out in large numbers. Farmers and loggers are cutting down trees. This hurts the frogs and koalas habitats.

Transcription

1 Lesson 1: Direct Teaching and Guided Practice Example Venn Diagram Frogs Koalas Live in Ecuador, South American forests Disease, weather changes, and pollution are causing a decrease in the numbers of frogs. Frogs are amphibians and breathe through their skin. They are breathing in air pollution through their skin. They are both dying out in large numbers. Farmers and loggers are cutting down trees. This hurts the frogs and koalas habitats. Live in Australia Hunters are shooting koalas for their fur. Goats are eating the blue gum trees that koalas depend on for food. Koalas are a marsupial, which means that they have a pouch to carry their young. Note: This is an example. Actual student responses may vary Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved

2 Water Woes Running Low World leaders meet to discuss the planet s water problems. It isn t easy for Mexico City resident Carmen Martinez to get water. She lives in Iztapalapa, one of the poorest slums of the Mexican capital. A slum is a crowded, dirty area with poor living conditions within a large city. Once every eight days, she wakes up before dawn and treks down a hill from her run-down shack to a pumping station to beg for water. She stands in line with as many as 150 other people. When her turn finally comes, she gets aboard a tanker truck full of brownish, smelly liquid. The truck then climbs the hill and pours the water into a dumpster and six barrels. Martinez and her family use that water to bathe, clean, and wash. Although the water is free, it is not potable, or drinkable, so Martinez also buys bottled water at a store. She imagines what it would be like "to just turn on a faucet." Representatives from 148 countries recently met in Mexico City for the fourth World Water Forum in the hopes of making Martinez s dream a reality. More than 1 billion people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water, according to the United Nations. The forum participants met to exchange ideas about how to quench the thirst of the world s soaring population. Precious Resource Although more than two-thirds of Earth s surface is covered in water, there is only a limited amount of drinking water in the world. Salty seawater makes up about 97 percent of the world s water. Another 2 percent of water is frozen at the North and South Poles. Half a percent of the water is too far underground to be reached, which leaves about half a percent of fresh water for all the people and animals on Earth. Fresh water does not have any salt in it. Earth s fresh water supply is renewable only by precipitation, such as rain, sleet, or snow. 1

3 (See "The Water Cycle") Although most Americans have access to clean water, people in many countries around the world do not. Some countries in Central and South America, Asia, and Africa have some of the most contaminated, or dirty, water in the world. Chemicals from factories, fertilizers from farms, and untreated sewage get washed into the water supply. In addition, many poor countries don t always have a way to collect and conserve, or save, water. Searching for Solutions Participants at the seven-day World Water Forum discussed ways of pooling the world s money and resources to save water. They proposed building more dams 1 to collect rainwater. The participants suggested that more decision-making power about water be given to people in small towns and villages. They also called for governments, not corporations, to take charge of providing water. Around the world, people agree that access to water is a basic human right. Governments know they need to act now to save the world s liquid resource. "Water is endangered and so are we all," Loïc Fauchon, president of the World Water Council, told reporters. 1 dam: a barrier that prevents the flow of water in order to collect a large supply 2

4 The Water Cycle Water moves from the air to the land and back to the air, again and again. The repeated journey is known as the water cycle. Because water travels in a cycle, it can carry pollutants into the ocean, the air, and the ground. NASA GSFC/MIT/CREW Water Cycle (1) Evaporation. The sun s heat changes water into a gas, or vapor. (2) Condensation. The water vapor meets cool air and changes back into tiny droplets of water. (3) Precipitation. Those water droplets form clouds. As the drops get heavier, they fall from the clouds as rain, sleet, or snow. (4) Collection. Most precipitation falls into the ocean. Some falls on the land and moves into bodies of water. 3

5 The World in Our Hands: Protecting the Planet Twelve-year-old Alice Abassah from Africa cares about the environment. She recently started a clean-up program in her home country of Ghana. "I was inspired by my teacher to go around once a week and collect litter," Alice told Weekly Reader. "When my friends and neighbors saw me, they joined me." Alice is one of 450 kids from 50 countries around the world who recently [2004] gathered to help care for the planet. The kids attended the 2004 International Children's Conference on the Environment 2. The conference was held in New London, Connecticut. Weekly Reader joined the festivities to learn how the kid delegates are helping the environment. A delegate is someone who represents his or her country. United Nations Weekly Reader Parade of Flags. Some children dressed in costumes to represent their countries and walked with their national flags. During their week long conference, the kid delegates participated in workshops, discussions, and field trips. Some kids traded pins representing their nations. They also displayed their countries' flags during a special ceremony. The environmental conference resembled a miniature version of the United Nations. 2 environment: the air, water, minerals, and living things that surround and affect living things at any time 4

6 The United Nations is an organization made up of countries around the world. Members of the United Nations work toward achieving world peace and solving global problems, such as environmental concerns. The United Nations helped to arrange the conference. Kids Speak Out At the conference, kids challenged world leaders to help them protect the environment. They asked leaders to enforce laws that support the environment and conserve, or save, natural resources, such as trees and water. In their own schools and communities, the delegates all participate in environmental projects. Many of the children shared their projects and ideas at the conference. A group of boys from India, called the Little Eco Friends, put on a play and talked about the ways people can help the environment--from planting trees to protecting wildlife. It's a Small World! Weekly Reader The kids made lots of new friends. speak different languages," he said. Weekly Reader The Little Eco Friends put on a play and gave a speech about helping to protect the environment. The conference also provided kids with the opportunity to learn about different cultures and to make international friends. A person's culture is his or her way of life, ideas, and traditions. Eleven-year-old Federico Gonzalez from Colombia enjoyed learning about new cultures. Colombia is a country located in South America. "You get to know people who Amanda Loewy, 11, from Massachusetts, had a blast! "I met kids from Japan, Taiwan, Uganda, Canada, Australia, and many other places," she told Weekly Reader. "I heard about the environmental issues that kids are facing all over the world. We talked about what we are doing to help the environment. I also made lots of good friends." 5

7 Name: The World Water Forum International Children s Conference on the Environment Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved