Lesson Plans by Subject
The Water in Africa units integrate two or more curricular areas and are designed to extend over several class periods. They are project-based and support national standards as found in the McRel Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K–12 Education (Second Edition). The units can be read online or can be downloaded in PDF formats. Likewise, all supplementary materials, including assessment rubrics, are available to download in both formats.
Geography
A Sense of Water
by Michelle Abernathy-Tabor
Grades: 6–8 Subject Areas: Language Arts, Geography
Students discover how the need for water can be felt, seen, and heard in the song, voice, craft, religion, and ritual of a culture. They capture this "sense of water" in a narrative poem.
Bringing Water to a Lesotho Village
by Dany Ray
Subject Areas: Geography, Health
Grades: K–4 1–2 class periods or
Grades: 6–8 Four or five 45-minute class periods
Students conduct research and then simulate a Lesotho village water committee that is designing a water supply system to
improve living and health conditions.
Climate and Water in Ghana
by Robert Maher
Grades: 3–5 Subject Areas: Science, Geography
Duration: 1 class period or 4 days of 40 minute periods
The dramatic contrast between the rainy and dry seasons in West Africa is used to help students define and identify the features of climate. They apply this knowledge to the study of how climate affects people and the environment. Madagascar Adventure
by Michelle Abernathy-Tabor
Grades: 6–8 Subject Areas: Geography, Technology Integration
Agricultural practices in Madagascar are explored and the effects on the people, the environment, and the endangered lemurs are analyzed. Students create technology-enhanced presentations.
The Flow of Women's Work
by Amy Cohen
Grades: 6–8 Subject Areas: Geography, Language Arts
Duration: 1–2 class periods or Five 45-minute class periods
Students compare the division of labor around water-related work in their own homes with families in rural Lesotho to gain an understanding of the multiple factors influencing the formation of gender roles.
Water: From Neglect to Respect
by Amy Cohen
Grades: 5–8 Subject Areas: Math, Geography
Students use graphing, estimating, and writing skills to discover the ways in which they are dependent upon water to maintain their standard of living.
Water Safari: A Journey of Life
by Dany Ray
Grades: 6–8 Subject Areas: Geography, Language Arts
Students go on a virtual safari through African countries using the Water in Africa website. They create a water journal that
demonstrates how water affects the cultural and physical features of place.
Water Sources in Cape Verde and West Africa
by Robert Maher
Grades: 3–5 Subject Areas: Geography, Language Arts
Students research five methods of obtaining and/or conserving water, create displays, and give oral presentations of what they have learned to the diverse members of a simulated Cape Verdean community.
Water Pressure
by Carly Garrett
Grades: 9–12 Subject Areas: Geography, Language Arts
Population increases and the stress on natural resources are probed as students examine water usage in the United States and Africa.
Water Uses and Children's Lives in East Africa
by Robert Maher
Grades: 3–5 Subject Areas: Language Arts, Geography
Duration: 1 class period or Four to six 40-minute classes
Students compare their interactions with water with those of children in Kenya and Tanzania and discover that access to water helps to define children's roles in the family. They demonstrate their understanding through essays and pictures.
Health
Bringing Water to a Lesotho Village
by Dany Ray
Subject Areas: Geography, Health
Grades: K–4 1–2 class periods or
Grades: 6–8 Four or five 45-minute class periods
Students conduct research and then simulate a Lesotho village water committee that is designing a water supply system to improve living and health conditions.
Water: Source of Health; Source of Illness
by Amy Cohen
Grades: 6–8 Subject Areas: Health, Language Arts
Students examine the connections between water and disease in four West African countries and devise a strategy to fight one water-borne illness in rural Africa.
Waterborne Illnesses
by Carly Garrett
Grades: 9–12 Subject Areas: Science, Health
Students learn about water pollution, water-related illnesses, and sanitation procedures. They draft a simulated plan to submit to
the World Health Organization dealing with water-related problems in African communities.
Language Arts
A Sense of Water
by Michelle Abernathy-Tabor
Grades: 6–8 Subject Areas: Language Arts, Geography
Students discover how the need for water can be felt, seen, and heard in the song, voice, craft, religion, and ritual of a culture. They capture this "sense of water" in a narrative poem.
Barrels and Buckets: Access to Water
by Kristi Rennebohm Franz
Grades: 1–4 Subject Areas: Language Arts
Duration: 1–2 class periods or 2–3 weeks unit
Students learn about access to water in Kenya, Ghana, and their own community as they learn to read stories by Peace Corps Volunteers. Celebrating Our Connections Through Water
by Michelle Abernathy-Tabor
Grades: 5–8 Subject Areas: Language Arts, Social Studies
Duration: 1-2 class periods or two weeks
Students collect data about the role of water in celebrations around the world, organize it in a retrieval chart, and use the information to create learning stations for a Water Day Celebration.
Narrative Cartoons
by David McKoski
Grades: 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 Subject Areas: Visual Arts, Language Arts
Duration: 1–2 class periods or 4 days of 40 minute periods
Based on essays and photos provided by Peace Corps Volunteers, students create narrative cartoons that illustrate the lives of young people in an African country. Narrative vs. Expository Texts
by Carly Garrett
Grades: 9–12 Subject Areas: Language Arts
Duration: 1-2 class periods or five 45-minute classes
Written for students with limited English language skills, this unit uses the vignettes from Peace Corps Volunteers to compare expository and narrative texts. Students write essays of both types.
Splish-Splash: Daily Use of Water
by Kristi Rennebohm Franz
Grades: 1–3 Subject Areas: Language Arts
Duration: 1–2 class periods or 2 to 3 weeks
Students learn about the daily use of water in Kenya and Ghana as they read stories by Peace Corps Volunteers. They engage in a comparison with their own daily use of water.
The Flow of Women's Work
by Amy Cohen
Grades: 6–8 Subject Areas: Geography, Language Arts
Duration: 1–2 class periods or Five 45-minute class periods
Students compare the division of labor around water-related work in their own homes with families in rural Lesotho to gain an understanding of the multiple factors influencing the formation of gender roles.
The Hare and the Water: A Tanzanian Folk Tale
by Michelle Abernathy-Tabor
Grades: 3–5 Subject Areas: Language Arts, Visual Arts
Students explore the literary elements of a Tanzanian folk tale, connect its message to contemporary Tanzanian life, come to original conclusions, and thematically illustrate the folk tale using oil pastels.
Visual Messages: Creating a Photomontage
by David McKoski
Grades: 3–5, 9–12 Subject Areas: Visual Arts, Language Arts
Duration: 1–2 class periods or Five to seven 45-minute classes
Using essays and photos provided by Peace Corps Volunteers, students create a photomontage that focuses attention on environmental issues in the United States and Africa. Students challenge themselves to ask the question, "What is the photograph communicating?"
Water Uses and Children's Lives in East Africa
by Robert Maher
Grades: 3–5 Subject Areas: Language Arts, Geography
Duration: 1 class period or Four to six 40-minute classes
Students compare their interactions with water with those of children in Kenya and Tanzania and discover that access to water helps to define children's roles in the family. They demonstrate their understanding through essays and pictures.
Water Sources in Cape Verde and West Africa
by Robert Maher
Grades: 3–5 Subject Areas: Geography, Language Arts
Students research five methods of obtaining and/or conserving water, create displays, and give oral presentations of what they have learned to the diverse members of a simulated Cape Verdean community.
Water Pressure
by Carly Garrett
Grades: 9–12 Subject Areas: Geography, Language Arts
Population increases and the stress on natural resources are probed as students examine water usage in the United States and Africa.
Water: Source of Health, Source of Illness
by Amy Cohen
Grades: 6–8 Subject Areas: Health, Language Arts
Students examine the connections between water and disease in four West African countries and devise a strategy to fight one waterborne illness in rural Africa.
Water: A Source of Life and Culture
by David McKoski
Grades: 9–12 Subject Areas: Visual Arts, Language Arts
Duration: 1-2 class periods or 6–8 class periods of 45 minutes each
Students research and analyze the role of water in daily life, and create symbols to represent their findings. The students' symbols are arranged to create a contemporary work of art.
Water Safari: A Journey of Life
by Dany Ray
Grades: 6–8 Subject Areas: Geography, Language Arts
Students go on a virtual safari through African countries using the Water in Africa website. They create a water journal that
demonstrates how water affects the cultural and physical features of place.
Math
Water: From Neglect to Respect
by Amy Cohen
Grades: 5–8 Subject Areas: Math, Geography
Students use graphing, estimating, and writing skills to discover the ways in which they are dependent upon water to maintain their standard of living.
Science
Climate and Water in Ghana
by Robert Maher
Grades: 3–5 Subject Areas: Science, Geography
Duration: 1 class period or 4 days of 40 minute periods
The dramatic contrast between the rainy and dry seasons in West Africa is used to help students define and identify the features of climate. They apply this knowledge to the study of how climate affects people and the environment.
Waterborne Illnesses
by Carly Garrett
Grades: 9–12 Subject Areas: Science, Health
Students learn about water pollution, water-related illnesses, and sanitation procedures. They draft a simulated plan to submit to
the World Health Organization dealing with water-related problems in African communities.
Social Studies
Celebrating Our Connections Through Water
by Michelle Abernathy-Tabor
Grades: 5–8 Subject Areas: Language Arts, Social Studies
Duration: 1-2 class periods or two weeks
Students collect data about the role of water in celebrations around the world, organize it in a retrieval chart, and use the information to create learning stations for a Water Day Celebration.
Technology Integration
Madagascar Adventure
by Michelle Abernathy-Tabor
Grades: 6–8 Subject Areas: Geography, Technology Integration
Students explore agricultural practices in Madagascar and analyze the effects of these practices on the people, the environment, and the endangered lemurs. The students create technology-enhanced presentations.
Visual Arts
Narrative Cartoons
by David McKoski
Grades: 3–5, 6–8, 9–12 Subject Areas: Visual Arts, Language Arts
Duration: 1–2 class periods or 4 days of 40 minute periods
Based on essays and photos provided by Peace Corps Volunteers, students create narrative cartoons that illustrate the lives of young people in an African country.
Water: A Source of Life and Culture
by David McKoski
Grades: 9–12 Subject Areas: Visual Arts, Language Arts
Duration: 1-2 class periods or 6–8 class periods of 45 minutes each
Students research and analyze the role of water in daily life, and create symbols to represent their findings. The students' symbols are arranged to create a contemporary work of art.
The Hare and the Water: A Tanzanian Folk Tale
by Michelle Abernathy-Tabor
Grades: 3–5 Subject Areas: Language Arts, Visual Arts
Students explore the literary elements of a Tanzanian folk tale, connect its message to contemporary Tanzanian life, create original conclusions, and thematically illustrate the folk tale using oil pastels.
Visual Messages: Creating a Photomontage
by David McKoski
Grades: 3–5, 9–12 Subject Areas: Visual Arts, Language Arts
Duration: 1–2 class periods or Five to seven 45-minute classes
Using essays and photos provided by Peace Corps Volunteers, students create a photomontage that focuses attention on environmental issues in the United States and Africa. Students challenge themselves to ask the question, "What is the photograph communicating?"
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