Nigeria Lesson Plan

COMPARING AND CONTRASTING WATER

IN THE UNITED STATES AND NIGERIA

by Kim Daughetee & Anne Hoeper

INQUIRY QUESTION

Although water covers three-quarters of the Earth, only a small fraction is available for human consumption. Why is the conservation and acquisition of water so important?

Students will:
1. Describe the various sources and uses of water.
2. Compare the similarities and differences of water acquisition in Nigeria and the U.S.
3. Discuss problems associated with water quality.

STANDARDS

Standard 4: Physical and human characteristics of places
Standard 12: The processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement
Standard 16: The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources

Human Environment Interaction
Movement

Naturalist
Interpersonal
Logical
Bodily/Kinesthetic

Nigerian Resources
Background information on Nigeria
Background information on water systems in Nigeria (see Rex Honey)
WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands, by Alan S. Kessetheim and Britt Eckhardt
Slattery. Published by Environmental Concern, Inc. 1995
Earth Matters, by Pamela Wasserman and Andrea Doyle. Published by Zero
Population Growth, Inc. 1991

1. Have students brainstorm ways in which we use water. (Examples include domestic, agriculture, industrial/commercial).
2. Discuss where our water comes from. (Examples include the transport system, as well as tracing tap water to its’ source).
3. Investigate diseases, their causes and effects, associated with using untreated water.

ACTIVITY

1. Have students keep track in a 24-hour period, how often they use water, and what for. Have students chart or graph the results.
2. Take a field trip to your local water treatment plant. List the steps in processing water for human consumption.
3. Show students ways in which Nigerians get their water; (water tanks, wells, rivers, streams, bottled water). Simulations might include bucket baths, getting water from a well, head-carrying, boiling water.
4. Discuss the rainy season in Nigeria, and talk about your own local climate and annual rainfall. Graph the amount of precipitation between the North and the South — compare with annual amounts in your own region.
5. Give students a list of vocabulary terms associated with diseases contracted from contaminated water in Nigeria. Discuss the number (percentage) of people affected. Compare this to statistics in the U.S.
6. Have students respond to the following real-life scenarios, either in small groups or in a journal:

A. Water comes on at 8:45; you have an important meeting at 9:00. Do you stay to fill buckets, or do you go?
B. Respond to this Yoruba Proverb: "One does not throw away all the water in the house because the rain threatens".
C. See picture on website: "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade".
D. The well is two miles from your home. What is the most effective way to get the water home?

1. Students can write a short paper summarizing the similarities/differences in the uses of water between Nigeria and the U.S.

PHOTOGRAPHS
TO ACCOMPANY THIS LESSON