Thirsty for Drought Relief

Note: This lesson was originally published on an older version of The Learning Network; the link to the related Times article will take you to a page on the old site.

Lesson Plans - The Learning Network
Lesson Plans - The Learning Network

Teaching ideas based on New York Times content.

Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students research a variety of drought-related concerns, acting as part of a ‘drought preparedness taskforce.’ They then propose next steps for the government to take in case of drought and assess the viability of these proposals.

Author(s):
Priscilla Chan, The New York Times Learning Network
Bridget Anderson, The Bank Street College of Education in New York City

Suggested Time Allowance: 45 minutes- 1 hour

Objectives:
Students will:
1. Propose ways to conserve water; assess the ease in which water conservation can be achieved.
2. Learn about the vast effects of drought by reading and discussing “Arizona Starts to Feel Impact of Long Drought.”
3. Act as subcommittees of a new drought preparedness taskforce to research, in small groups, different aspects of drought management and compile subcommittee reports.
4. Compile reports and proposals for an action plan for drought relief in a particular area; evaluate the possible effectiveness of the proposed courses of action.

Resources / Materials:
-student journals
-pens/pencils
-paper
-classroom blackboard
-copies of “Arizona Starts to Feel Impact of Long Drought” (one per student)
-seven large index cards, each containing a written task as described in Activity 3 below
-resources about drought and drought relief (computers with Internet access, periodicals, library resources, etc.)

Activities / Procedures:
1. WARM-UP/DO NOW: Upon entering class, students respond to the following prompt in their journals (written on the board prior to class): “Describe three ways to conserve water. Then, describe situations in which such conservation methods would be necessary.” After a few minutes, allow students to share their responses. Then discuss the following as a class: How easy is it to conserve water? Should people be forced to conserve water, if necessary? Who decides when it is necessary?
2. As a class, read and discuss the article “Arizona Starts to Feel Impact of Long Drought,” focusing on the following questions:
a. In what part of the United States has there been a persistent drought?
b. What is the Salt River Project? What decision did it make, and why did it feel that the decision was necessary?
c. How did Indian ruins indicate the severity of the drought?
d. What consequences have some droughts caused? How did the Senate try to alleviate some of these consequences?
e. How many states have the Colorado River as their main water source?
f. How do areas that do not have access to the Salt River Project or the Colorado River get their water?
g. How have some farmers responded to the drought?
h. What types of mandatory water restrictions are in place in Denver and Santa Fe?
i. How might drought affect future economic development in Arizona?
j. What were some of the causes of the reduced water levels over the past year?
k. How has Frank Martin, a farmer, responded to the drought?
l. What concern does the drought impose on the forested regions of Arizona?
m. How does Governor Janet Napolitano feel that her state is handling the drought situation?
3. Explain to students that they will be acting as members of a new drought preparedness taskforce that was created by the government. The purpose of the taskforce is to be ready to advise communities that are drought-stricken. As a class, brainstorm the type of information that would be needed to compile a drought management plan for a particular area. Student responses should be listed on the board and might include the following:
–How can companies change their production habits to save water?
–What aspects of daily life are affected by drought?
–How long might the drought last?
Allude to the diversity of questions listed on the board, and explain to students that they will each be assigned to a subcommittee within the taskforce. Divide students into seven small groups. Give each group one of the following subcommittee tasks (written on index cards prior to class):
–You are the Engineering Modification Subcommittee. Your task is to research and report on the following topics: What inventions or technological modifications are available that help individuals or companies conserve water? How easy is it to institute these measures? How much water does each invention or modification save?
–You are the Behavioral Adaptation Subcommittee. Your task is to research and report on the following topics: How can individuals change their habits to conserve water? How much water does each behavior modification save? What appliances or parts of the home require the most water use, and how might they be adapted or used differently to save water?
–You are the Agricultural Practices Subcommittee. Your task is to research and report on the following topics: What does the term “drought-resistant” mean? What types of crops or soils are drought-resistant? What types of farming practices can help farmers conserve water? How easy is it to institute these measures?
–You are the Forest Management Subcommittee. Your task is to research and report on the following topics: What hazards does drought place on forests? How can these hazards be minimized? How does drought affect plants and trees?
–You are on Public Education Subcommittee. Your task is to research and report on the following topics: What types of incentives might be used to encourage individuals to conserve water voluntarily? What types of education programs or resources are available to the public about water conservation?
–You are the Law and Policy Subcommittee. Your task is to research and report on the following topics: What types of drought-related laws and policies have been instituted in your country and around the world? How effective have they been? What factors should be considered before enforcing mandatory water restrictions?
–You are the Drought Forecasting Subcommittee. Your task is to research and report on the following topics: What is the definition of “drought”? What technology or forecasting methods are used to predict the occurrence or persistence of drought? Can anything be done to avoid a drought before it happens (e.g., rain-making technologies)?
Using available resources, each group should research the aspect of drought detailed on their task card. Students should neatly outline their research findings and provide a “table of contents” which organizes their notes into user-friendly categories.
4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Groups should complete their subcommittee reports. Each group should then compile a coherent summary of their notes that addresses the following question (written on the board for easier student access): “If you could enact only one policy change, what would your group decide as the best course to address the current drought situation? Explain your group’s decision.” All groups’ notes and summaries should then be combined to create a substantial “Drought Preparedness Taskforce Action Plan.” In a future class, students should present their findings to the entire committee and assess the feasibility of each subcommittee’s proposals. As an additional or extra credit activity, students may use their “Drought Preparedness Taskforce Action Plan” to suggest next steps to the governor of Arizona.

Further Questions for Discussion:
–Should people get in the habit of conserving water regularly, regardless of drought status? Why or why not?
–Is drought a universal issue? Why or why not?
–What is the difference between a voluntary act and a mandatory act?

Evaluation / Assessment:
Students will be evaluated based on initial journal responses, thoughtful participation in class discussions, cooperation in small group work, and accuracy and extensiveness in researching and reporting on drought-mitigation issues.

Vocabulary:
persistent, drought, bearing, shortage, unbridled, dwindling, devastating, worrisome, infestation, rationed, forecasters, submerged, grappled, cyclical, voracious, underbrush, offset, sparsely, outlying, rely, livestock, dehydration, downturn, imposed, bans, evaporation, voluntary, ample, capacity, inconceivable, bracing, drastic, revenue, confront, dormant, priority, conservation

Extension Activities:
1. Research animals that have special water retaining adaptations, such as camels, the turkey vulture and all desert toads. Propose a modification to humans that would make the human body more efficient in retaining water, as is the case for these animals.
2. Track drought conditions in a particular area of the United States using the maps available at the Drought Monitor Site ( //www.drought.unl.edu/dm/archive.html). Write an analysis of any drought patterns you notice, and assess if these patterns or conditions have changed over the years and in different seasons.
3. Create a chart or a display that compares characteristics of drought-resistant crops and soils to their less-resistant counterparts. Consider alfalfa, lettuce and sorghum crops, and clay and loam soils.
4. Research how scientists have genetically engineered crops to be more resistant to stresses like drought, temperature and salinity. Create a “How It Works” poster that explains how the genes are modified. Then, write an analysis of the benefits, drawbacks and uncertainties of genetic modification of food crops.
5. Research the Salt River Project (//www.srpnet.com/). Create a business profile of the company, including its governing structure, annual revenues, histor, and types of water projects with which it is involved. Read the latest news releases from the company to chart its policies in dealing with the drought in Arizona.

Interdisciplinary Connections:
Civics
-Read the text of the National Drought Policy Act of 1998 (//www.fsa.usda.gov/drought/reference/public_law_105.htm). Why was this act created? Then, read the National Drought Policy Commission Executive Summary (//www.fsa.usda.gov/drought/finalreport/execstartpage.htm), which responded to the 1998 act. What were the major findings in the report? Summarize the act and the report in a one-page handout. What information from the act and report is important for the public to know?
-Contact the person or department in your state that is in charge of drought management (//www.drought.unl.edu/plan/direct.htm). Interview him or her and ask how your class’s action plan fares in terms of feasibility and economic viability. Alter your class’s proposals in response to the expert’s comments.
Economics
-Chart changing prices for a particular type of produce using the databases at //www.freshinfo.com. Determine if the price changes in different seasons by searching their archives. Then, assess how a drought would affect these prices. Write an analysis on how these prices affect individuals who are not directly restrained by a drought.
-Research the conditions under which the government offers aid to offset farmers’ losses and how these compensation amounts are configured.

Other Information on the Web:
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (//www.epa.gov/OW/you/chap3.html) offers a comprehensive water conservation guide. The Salt River Project (//www.srpnet.com/) aims to deliver ever-improving contributions to the people they serve through the provision of low cost, reliable water and power, and community programs, to ensure the vitality of the Salt River Valley.
National Drought Mitigation Center (//enso.unl.edu/ndmc/) helps people and institutions develop and implement measures to reduce societal vulnerability to drought, stressing preparation and risk management rather than crisis management.

Academic Content Standards:
Grades 6-8
Science Standard 1- Understands basic features of the Earth. Benchmarks: Knows the processes involved in the water cycle and their effects on climatic patterns; Knows the properties that make water an essential component of the Earth system
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘6-8’, ‘1’)
Geography Standard 14- Understands how human actions modify the physical environment. Benchmarks: Understands the environmental consequences of people changing the physical environment; Understands the ways in which human-induced changes in the physical environment in one place can cause changes in other places; Understands the ways in which technology influences the human capacity to modify the physical environment
(CTSS – ‘social’, ‘6-8’, ‘geo5’)
Geography Standard 15- Understands how physical systems affect human systems. Benchmarks: Knows the ways in which human systems develop in response to conditions in the physical environment; Knows how the physical environment affects life in different regions; Knows the ways people take aspects of the environment into account when deciding on locations for human activities; Understands relationships between population density and environmental quality
(CTSS – ‘social’, ‘6-8’, ‘geo5’)
Geography Standard 16- Understands the changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution and importance of resources. Benchmarks: Understands the reasons for conflicting viewpoints regarding how resources should be used; Knows strategies for wise management and use of renewable, flow, and nonrenewable resources; Knows world patterns of resource distribution and utilization; Understands the consequences of the use of resources in the contemporary world; Understands the role of technology in resource acquisition and use, and its impact on the environment; Understands how energy resources contribute to the development and functioning of human societies; Understands how the development and widespread use of alternative energy sources (e.g., solar, wind, thermal) might have an impact on societies (in terms of, e.g., air and water quality, existing energy industries, and current manufacturing practices)
(CTSS – ‘social’, ‘6-8’, ‘geo5’)
Geography Standard 18- Understands global development and environmental issues. Benchmarks: Understands how the interaction between physical and human systems affects current conditions on Earth; Understands the possible impact that present conditions and patterns of consumption, production and population growth might have on the future spatial organization of Earth
(CTSS – ‘social’, ‘6-8’, ‘geo6’)

Grades 9-12
Science Standard 1- Understands basic features of the Earth. Benchmark: Knows how life is adapted to conditions on the Earth
(CTSS – ‘science’, ‘9-12’, ‘1’)
Geography Standard 14- Understands how human actions modify the physical environment. Benchmarks: Understands the global impacts of human changes in the physical environment; Knows how people’s changing attitudes toward the environment have led to landscape
(CTSS – ‘social’, ‘9-12’, ‘geo5’)
Geography Standard 15- Understands how physical systems affect human systems. Benchmark: Knows changes in the physical environment that have reduced the capacity of the environment to support human activity
(CTSS – ‘social’, ‘9-12’, ‘geo5’)
Geography Standard 16- Understands the changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution and importance of resources. Benchmarks: Understands programs and positions related to the use of resources on a local to global scale; Understands the impact of policy decisions regarding the use of resources in different regions of the world; Knows issues related to the reuse and recycling of resources
(CTSS – ‘social’, ‘9-12’, ‘geo5’)
Geography Standard 18- Understands global development and environmental issues. Benchmarks: Understands why policies should be designed to guide the use and management of Earth’s resources and to reflect multiple points of view; Understands contemporary issues in terms of Earth’s physical and human systems
(CTSS – ‘social’, ‘9-12’, ‘geo6’)


This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed above. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education; 3rd and 4th Editions and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.

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