In English Class, we have been reading a novel called "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park. This novel is about two young people, both of whom are from southern Sudan. We first meet eleven-year old Nya. It is 2008, and she spends her days fetching water for her family. Every day, Nya travels back and forth from her village to the pond, not once but twice. Next, we meet Salva, also eleven years old, but the year is 1985. War between the government and the rebels has reached his village, and in the process he loses his family.
We have linked this unit to the Integrated Project theme of water and to UNSDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
Our project has two parts. Firstly, students participated in a water challenge where they had to experience the feeling of carrying the same amount of water as Nya. In the book, Nya had to carry 18L of water for her and her family, and she walked for many hours every day. Half of the students participated, and the other half interviewed the students who participated.
Here is an interview with Sebastián Amaya Rojas and Maya Aristizábal Hernández, who participated in the activity.
The second part of this project was a video diary to document how much water students used in a day at home. Students compared this to the amount of water that Nya and her family had to live on. After, students reflected on their use of water by answering the following questions:
How much water did you use?
Was this more or less than you expected?
What were the challenges of this activity?
How much water do you think you use in your normal day-to-day life?
Has this activity helped to raise your awareness of your use of water? In what ways?
Are you efficient in your use of water on a day-to-day basis? Is this important to you? Why? Why not?
How can you improve your water efficiency at home?
Here is a video from Andrés Urea:
Here is a video from Maya Aristizábal:
A special thank you to the participating members of this project:
The HS English Team: Richard Moreno, David O’Donoghue and Jenny Chant
Sustainability: Matthew Reis
Physical Education: Alison Mireya López Sepúlveda
Virtues Development: Ana Maria Campos Rosario, Celina María Rojas Díaz, Gabriela Afanador and Mauricio Hernández Rodríguez
Jenny Chant Acevedo English Teacher High School – Grades 9-12
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In English class, we have been reading a novel entitled "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park. This novel is about two young boys, both from South Sudan. First we meet Nya, who is eleven years old. It is 2008 and she spends her days fetching water for her family. Every day, Nya goes back and forth from her village to the pond, not once but twice. Next, we meet Salva, also eleven years old, but in 1985. The war between the government and the rebels has come to his village, and in the process he loses his family.
We have linked this unit to the theme of the Integrated Project, water, and to MDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Our project consists of two parts. First, the students participated in a water challenge in which they had to experience the feeling of carrying the same amount of water as Nya. In the book, Nya had to carry 18 liters of water for herself and her family, and she walked many hours each day. Half of the students participated, and the other half interviewed the students who participated.
The second part of this project was a video diary to document how much water the students used in a day at home. The students compared it to how much water Nya and her family had to live with.
The students then reflected on their water use by answering the following questions:
How much water have you consumed?
Was it more or less than you expected?
What were the challenges of this activity?
How much water do you think you use in your daily life?
Has this activity helped you to be more aware of your water use? In what way?
Are you efficient in your daily water use? Is it important to you? Why? Why not?
How can you improve water efficiency at home?
Special thanks to the members participating in this project.
The HS English Team: Richard Moreno, David O'Donoghue and Jenny Chant
Sustainability: Matthew Reis
Physical Education: Alison Mireya López Sepúlveda
Development of Virtues: Ana Maria Campos Rosario, Celina Maria Rojas Diaz, Gabriela Afanador and Mauricio Hernandez Rodriguez.
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