For most North Americans, water is as available as air. Turn the faucet on and there it is. Most of us have not had to go without water for more than a few hours, and generally the most effort we put into purifying our water is running it through a Brita filter. We are blessed with fresh water every day of our lives. But what would happen if one day we woke up and nothing came out of the faucet? Is it even possible? If seventy percent of the earth is water, will we ever run out of the water so vital to our lives? Yes, because only three percent of that water is fresh water. Just because today we turn the faucet on and an endless amount of water comes out does not mean there is an endless amount of fresh water on the earth. And it doesn't mean that everyone is as blessed as we in North America are. There are people in many countries all over the world and even in our own country that struggle daily to find ample amounts of fresh water. Until we realize that there is not an endless amount of fresh water on the earth, until we realize how desperately we need water to survive, we will go on using water wastefully and without a second thought as to what we are really letting run down the drain. Water preservation is a big problem, one that cannot be solved by one person. But by having a certain attitude about our use of water we can start to solve the problem. The main goal in this unit is to present information and provide opportunities that will instill an attitude in our students that recognizes a problem and says, "I can solve this problem by having an contagious passion about saving water. 1 can take it with me and share with others what 1 have learned."
II. Biblical perspective:
The waste and disuse of water is just one more piece of evidence of sin in our world and us. God gave us water as part of his creation for our pleasure and survival. We can see this when we look at all the ways we use and need water. Yet sin instilled an attitude in us--one that says, "this is my water and I will do with it what I please. After all, it's just water, there is plenty more where this came from." Water is another one of God's blessings we take for granted; we pollute it and we waste it. There are many ways to purify polluted water. But what happens when all the water, polluted or not, is gone? We are the earth's caretakers. Though we might not teach this unit in a Christian school, we can still teach it from a Christian perspective. Humans, whether they are Christians or not, are living on this earth and want it to be a nice place to live. Nobody wants to struggle, no one wants to thirst. Therefore we hope our students' attitudes will come to be the same as ours, even while the motivation behind our actions might be different. At the same time, when students see how important water is for our survival, maybe they will begin wondering about an "Intelligent Designer"-something or someone behind all this.ill. Goals:
Students will be able to.
investigate the prevalence of water wasting in their homes and community.
physically feel their need for water and verbalize all the ways society and creation use/need water.
0 compare/contrast North American water usage and view of water to other countries (or there area to another state), and then form an opinion about our culture's water usage.
share what they believe about water usage/waste and, using their various talents, convince others to help them make a difference.
reflect on and possibly adjust their attitudes on how we use water and to what extent we use it.
0 hear other viewpoints concerning water waste.
learn about and create different water saving devices/methods. :PIV. Student Entry LeveI/Focusing Event:
On day one of this unit the teacher, having made no mention of the unit, will begin class by going to the sink (if one is located in the classroom), and turning on the faucet to fill his/her water bottle or glass. Teacher should act as if...