Overview
Water is crucial for human survival, yet there is limited clean water on Earth for human consumption. This lesson enables students to understand why clean water is a human right that needs to be carefully protected to ensure equitable access for all. Despite water being a human right, students begin to reflect at the end of the lesson on statistics about the current water crisis around the world that violates this right.
Grade Level
8th-12th Grades
Essential questions the lesson will address:
● Is clean water a human right?
● Is access to clean water essential to the realization of all human rights?
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
● Discuss clean water as a human right.
● Read and discuss United Nations Resolution 64/292.
● Review current statistics on the water crisis globally.
Common Core State Standards (9th Grade)
Water Warriors Glossary and Concepts
● UN Resolution 64/292: Resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2010 that recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realization of all human rights. (UN Resolution 64/292)
International Document Reference
● The entirety of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), with specific attention to article 25.
Formative Assessment Strategies (What will you be looking for in their work, and how?)
The teacher can make note of:
● Student participation in the partner activity about human rights.
● Class-wide participation in the discussion about clean water.
● Individual student engagement in journal writing.
Materials for Instructor
● Whiteboard, Blackboard, SmartBoard, or Flip Chart
● Water Warriors Glossary Board (Physical or Virtual)
● Water Use in Other Nations worksheet to project
● Human Body Water Facts worksheet to project
● Earth’s Water worksheet to project
Materials for Students
● Water Journal
● Global Water Crisis Statistics handout
LESSON PLAN
I. Discussion (10 min.)
Have students take out their Water Use handout from their Water Warriors Journal. Ask students to think about the following questions for a few minutes, then encourage them to share aloud their responses.
How much water do you use on a daily basis?
Do you think people in all parts of the world use the same amount of water on a daily basis?
Project the Water Use in Other Nations worksheet for all students to see. Compare and contrast how much water people use in different countries, as well as in different states. Have students point out what they find surprising.
After students view the Water Use in Other Nations worksheet, ask them to share how many days they think they can survive without water. Have students share a few guesses. Then, share that humans can only survive without water for 3 to 5 days and that humans need approximately 2.4 L (0.8 gal) of water each day.
Ask students to share aloud why they think humans need water. Explain that water is an essential component of our bodies and that 60% of our bodies are composed of water. Then project the Human Body Water Facts worksheet for all students to see and read the facts aloud.
II. Earth’s Water (10 min.)
Project or display the Earth’s Water handout with the image and the following quote. Have students copy the quote into their Water Journals.
Less than 1% of all the water on the earth is clean, freshwater that is not polluted and is available for human consumption and use.
Have students briefly reflect in their Water Journals on the above quote. After students write for 5 minutes, engage them in a whole-class discussion by asking the following prompts:
● Is this fact surprising to you? How so?
● How does this information affect your understanding of our water supply?
● Knowing how much our bodies rely on water, do you think there is enough freshwater to be shared equitably amongst the Earth’s population?
III. Water is a Human Right (25 min.)
Step One (10 min.)
Explain to students that we will now discuss the human right to water after watching a short video first. Play the video: Water is a Human Right.
After watching the video, have students discuss with their partners what surprised them and what they learned. Have them return to the UDHR to look for any explicit mention of the right to water or any rights that may be indirectly related to the right to water.
Bring the class back together and ask students to share their reflections about the video. Then, discuss what they found regarding the right to water in the UDHR.
Step Two (5 min.)
Pose the following questions to the whole class for them to reflect on and share their thoughts aloud:
● Who is responsible for providing clean water?
● Are there any places in the world where people do not have access to clean water?
Share that as of 2017, 2.2 billion people around the world lack safely managed drinking water. And 785 million of those people are without basic drinking water (UN SDG Report 2020). Ask students if they know what the difference is between safely managed drinking water and basic drinking water. If not, clarify that some people may have access to water that is not clean, but others may not have access to any water at all, clean or unclean.
Step Three (10 min.)
Share with students that on 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realization of all human rights. The Resolution calls upon states and international organizations to provide financial resources, help capacity-building, and technology transfer to help countries – in particular developing countries– to provide safe, clean, accessible, and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.
Display the UN Resolution for all students to see and have students break into partners to discuss the following reflection questions:
● Do you agree that clean water is a human right?
● Do you agree that clean water is essential to the realization of all the other human rights listed in the UDHR? Why?
After students discuss with their partner for 5 minutes, bring students back together as a whole class and ask some partner groups to share their reflections aloud.
IV. Global Water Crisis (5 min.)
Distribute the Global Water Crisis Statistic handout. Have students begin to review the statistic sheet independently.
After a couple of minutes, ask students to share aloud any statistics that surprise them or resonate with them.
Tell students to reflect on the Global Water Crisis Statistic handout in their Water Journal for homework.
V. Homework
Have students continue to explore the Global Water Crisis Statistic handout and write their reflections in their Water Journal.