Peace Corps

• Subject(s): Language Arts & Literature, Environment & Health, Science
• Grade Level(s): 6–8, 9–12

Overview

Enhance the experiences from the water contamination challenge from the Peace Corps Challenge game with lesson plans and additional resources from World Wise Schools.

Background Information

Factoids from the Game:

• More than a billion people in the world - more than one-sixth of the world's population - use unsafe water sources because they have no alternatives. Source: UNICEF
• In developing countries, about 90 percent of sewage and 70 percent of industrial wastes is discharged untreated into other water. This often pollutes the water people use for drinking, cleaning, and irrigating. Source: United Nations

Materials

• Story: The True Cost of Coffee
• Story and Podcast: Water
• Story: Working With Environmental Issues
• Story: One Step at a Time

Procedures

Play the water contamination challenge.

Suggested Lessons:

• Working With Environmental Issues (Grades 3-5 and 6-8)
  Students will learn to appreciate the importance of clean water for the maintenance of good health, and how the lack of clean water leads to the spread of disease and parasites in West Africa.
• Waterborne Illnesses (Grades 6-8 and 9-12)
  At the end of a one-week lesson, students will be able to
  • Identify common waterborne illnesses, and their symptoms, prevention, and treatment.
  • Understand how cultural traditions can make prevention of illness difficult.
• Water Quality (Grades 3–5 and 6–8)
  The water pollution of the lake in the village of Wanzuzu has affected much more than just the lives of the humans in the village. Animals and plants have also been affected. Through letter writing students will have the opportunity to express their feelings by writing as if they were a fish in the lake and also understand that sometimes we all must work together to solve a community problem.
• Solving the Water Quality Issue (Grades 6–8 and 9–12)
  Newspapers are one of the main sources of information about our local and world events. Students will create a Wanzuzu newspaper about the important issues the Wanzuzu people are facing due to their polluted lake.

• World Health Organization: Water Sanitation and Health
• EPA Teaching Resources: Water
• Environmental Literacy Council: Water
• World Water Day 2008: International Year of Sanitation
• National Academy of Sciences: Safe Drinking Water

Framework and Standards

Standards

• English Language Arts Standards
  • Standard 1
• National Science Education Standards
  • Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
• Social Studies:
  • Theme I: Culture and Cultural Diversity
  • Theme III : People, Places, and Environments
  • Theme IX: Global Connections