Water 5th grade

Introduction

Congratulations on your first assignment with National Geographic! This isn't going to be an easy job. You'll be traveling to distant countries to explore the land, observe living conditions, conduct one-on-one interviews, and gather compeling stories.



Get your passport and pack your bags. We'll be heading out bright and early.

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Task

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Your group has been hired by National Geographic to visit a developing country affected by the global water crisis. It is your job to travel through the country in order to gather stories, photos, and interviews that reveal how water is affecting the lives of the people there. Is there a water crisis? what is it? What caused it? Could it have been avoided? How could we help?  When you return to the States, you will work with your colleagues to write your article for the magazine. Only one article can be published, though, so you will need to present your findings to the magazine's editors (your class) and convince them that your article should be the one printed. The team who wrote the article that is chosen by the editors will get major financial backing for whatever you chose when answering this main question: If you are able to go into your country with major financial backing, where would you start your work and why?

Good luck!

Process

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Group Roles



I�d like each member of your group to agree to one of the roles below. Please stick with that role throughout the project and take it seriously. You�ll be graded on your role at the end of the unit.

  •  Group facilitator: moderates discussions, keeps the group on task, assures work is done by all, and makes sure all have opportunity to participate and learn.
  • Timekeeper: monitors time and moves group along so that they complete the task in the available time, keeps area clean, assumes role of any missing group member if there is no wildcard member.
  • Recorder: takes notes of the group's discussion and prepares a written conclusion.
  • Summarizer: restates the group's conclusions or answers.
  • Step 1: Introduction (1 day)



    For the first day of our project, you�ll be getting an introduction to the global water crisis. Start with these videos and websites.



    Charity:Water  Water Changes Everything Video 



    Charity:Water PSA



    Matt Damon�s Work for Water



    Water.org



    National Geographic



    UN Highlights World Water Crisis





    Step 2: Research (6 days)

    Now that you�re aware of the global water crisis, I want your group to research the assigned country below in order to find out what the situation is like for the people living there. Look for answers to the following questions and then continue the search for more interesting things you can include in your article. If you want to go back and use some of the resources you saw yesterday, feel free. Take time to look into things, read articles, and get the real story behind what�s going on.

     

    Country Assignments:

    Group 1: India

    Group 2: Haiti

    Group 3: Ethiopia

    Group 4: Honduras



    Questions to help you get started:

  • what is the water crises? 
  • What caused it? ( in detail)
  • Could it have been avoided? How?
  • How could we help? 

    What are the population and water statistics in your country? Was it once clean? What happened to it?

    How does the lack of water affect the people of your country? (personally, phyically , financially )

    How is the country currently getting help? 

    If they are not, how do you think they could get help? 



    The question each group must answer in their article:

    If you are able to go into your country with major financial backing, where would you start your work and why?



    Here are sites to get you started:



    India: 

    http://water.org/projects/india/

    http://www.arlingtoninstitute.org/wbp/global-water-crisis/606

    http://www.economist.com/node/14401149



    Haiti:

    http://water.org/projects/haiti-2/

    http://trueslant.com/josephtreaster/2010/01/29/a-drinking-water-crisis-…

    http://www.one.org/blog/2009/08/19/the-haitian-water-crisis/



    Ethiopia:

    http://water.org/projects/ethiopia/

    http://changeeverything.wvpartner.us/watercrisis.html

    http://ethiopianchild.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/the-global-water-crisis/



    Honduras:

    http://water.org/projects/honduras/

    http://www.globalwater.org/completed.htm

    http://www.onedrop.org/en/projects/projects-overview/honduras.aspx





    3. Write Outline (3 days)

    Work together as a group to create an outline for your article. Be sure to include an introduction and conclusion along with at least three main points in your body. Don�t go into a lot of detail in the outline, but make sure I know what you�ll be including in your final article.



    4. Write Article (3 days)

    The time has come to actually write your article. Figure out the best way for your group to do this, whether you write the entire thing cooperatively or you each write a paragraph. 



    5. Create a Layout (2 days)

    Because you�re submitting your article to the editors of a highly reputable magazine, I�d like your group to create a layout of what your article will look like within the magazine. How many pages do you think it will cover? How many pictures will you include and how big with they be? Do your layout in InDesign on the lab computers.



    If you need ideas on what your layout should look like, visit the National Geographic website or look at an actual magazine copy in the library.



    6. Finalize & Print Article (1 day)

    You�re now ready to print your article. Make sure it is free of any errors and that it looks nice. Remember, you�re writing for National Geographic. These should be done in color.



    7. Create Presentation (2 days)

    Now that you�ve finished your article, your group needs to create a �pitch� so that the editors will choose your piece to print. You all need to be involved in the presentation in some way. Be creative with how you put this together! Include visual aids and other props that may help you. You will have a maximum of five minutes to pitch your article. Don't forget to include the answer to the main question: If you are able to go into your country with major financial backing, where would you start your work and why?



    8. Present to the Editors (1 day)

    Finally, the day has arrived for your reporting team to pitch your article to the editors of National Geographic. We�ll be meeting with the editors in the auditorium, so be prepared with your materials when you come to class. Following the conclusion of all of the presentations, the editors will decide which article will be printed. That is the group of researchers and writers who will get the money to do the work they recommended in their country!



    The winning group will receive a real prize, so work hard for this. 

     

Evaluation

*TEAM MEMBERS: 1) _____________  2) _____________ 3) _____________ 4) _____________ 5) ______________  *TOTAL SCORE: _________

USE THIS RUBRIC TO EVALUATE HOW WELL A/YOUR TEAM WORKS TOGETHER.

BEGINNING

1 POINT

DEVELOPING

2 POINTS

EFFECTIVE

3 POINTS

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE

4 POINTS

SCORE

CONTRIBUTION    

One or more team members do not contribute.

All team members contribute, but some contribute more than others.

All team members contribute equally.

All team members contribute equally and some even contribute more than was required.  

  

COOPERATION

Teacher intervention needed often to help the team cooperate.  

Team members work well together some of the time.  Some teacher intervention needed.

Team members work well together most of the time.

All team members work well together all of the time; assist others when needed.

  

ON TASK

Team needs frequent teacher reminders to get on task.

Team is on task some of the time.  Needs teacher reminders.

Team is on task most of the time.  Does not need any teacher reminders.

Team is on task all of the time.  Does not need any teacher reminders.  

  

COMMUNICATION

Team members need frequent teacher intervention to listen to each other and speak to each other appropriately.

Team members need some teacher intervention to be able to listen to each other and speak to each other appropriately.

All team members listen to each other and speak to each other in equal amounts.

Each team member listens well to other members.  Each team member speaks in friendly and encouraging tones.  

  

Newspaper Rubric

 

  4 3 2 1
Headline Article has a headline that captures the reader's attention and accurately describes the content. Article has a headline that accurately describes the content. Article has a headline that does not describe the content. Article is missing a headline.
Supporting Details . The details in the article are clear and supportive of the topic.

The details in the article are clear but need to be developed more.

There is no clear lead sentence in the article.

 Most details in the article are clear. Article does not focus on the topic well. The details article are neither clear nor related to the topic.
Lead Sentence Lead sentence grabs the reader's attention and focuses the reader on the topic. Lead sentence tells most important details. Lead sentence is not clearly connected to the article. There is no clear lead sentence in the article.
Spelling & Grammar No spelling or grammatical errors No more than two minor spelling or grammatical errors. No more than three spelling or grammatical errors. Multiple spelling or grammatical errors.