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Sustainability Lesson Clearinghouse

“Rising Tensions over the Nile River Basin” Activity

Lesson Description:
Objective:
Students will analyze the concept of a global commons dilemma through an evaluation of a primary source document.

Lesson:
Students will read the Middle East Media Research Institute inquiry and analysis series –no. 165 February 27, 2004: Rising Tensions Over the Nile River Basin by Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli and respond in writing to the reading for comprehension questions that follow.
Lesson Type:
  • Lecture

Sustainability Topic:
  • Water

GEF Program Category:
  • Sustainable Water Challenge

Standards Addressed:
  • English/Language Arts National Standards:
    • nl-eng.k-12.1 - reading for perspective: students read a wide range of print and non-print documents to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the united states and the world.
    • nl-eng.k-12.3 - evaluation strategies: students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts.
    • nl-eng.k-12.5 - communication strategies: students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
    • nl-eng.k-12.6 - applying knowledge: students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions, media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.
    • nl-eng.k-12.7 - evaluating data: students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. they gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
  • Science National Standards:
    • ns.9-12.6 - science in personal and social perspectives: personal health/populations, resources, and environments/risks and benefits
  • Geography National Standards:
    • nss-g.k-12.1 - the world in spatial terms: understand how to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
    • nss-g.k-12.2 - places and regions: understand the physical and human characteristics of places/ understand that people create regions to interpret earth’s complexity/ understand how culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places and regions.
    • nss-g.k-12.3 - physical systems: understand the physical processes that shape the patterns of earth’s surface/ understand the characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on earth’s surface.
    • nss-g.k-12.4 - human systems: understand the characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on earth’s surface/ understand the characteristics, distribution, and complexity of earth’s cultural mosaics/ understand the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on earth’s surface/ understand the processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement/ understand how the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of earth’s surface. 
    • nss-g.k-12.5 - environment and society: understand how human actions modify the physical environment/ understand how physical systems affect human systems/ understand the changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources. 
    • nss-g.k-12.6 - uses of geography: understand how to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.
  • Civics National Standards:
    • nss-c.9-12.1 - Civic life, politics, and government: what is government? Why are government and politics necessary? What purposes should government serve?
    • nss-c.9-12.4 - other nations and world affairs: what is the relationship of the united states to other nations and to world affairs?/ how is the world organized politically?/ how has the united states influenced other nations and how have other nations influenced american politics and society? 
    • nss-c.9-12.5 - roles of the citizen: what are the responsibilities of citizens?/ how can citizens take part in civic life?
    • nss-wh.5-12.1 - era 1: the beginnings of human society
    • nss-wh.5-12.2 - era 2: early civilizations and the emergence of pastoral people
  • Economics National Standards:
    • nss-ec.9-12.1 - productive resources: scarcity
    • nss-ec.9-12.3 - allocating goods and services: comparing the benefits and costs of different allocation methods in order to choose the method that is most appropriate for some specific problem can result in more effective allocations and a more effective overall allocation system. 
    • nss-ec.9-12.4 - positive and negative incentives: acting as consumers, producers, workers, savers, investors, and citizens, people respond to incentives in order to allocate their scarce resources in ways that provide the highest possible returns to them. responses to incentives are predictable because people usually pursue their self-interest/ changes in incentives cause people to change their behavior in predictable ways/ incentives can be monetary or non-monetary. 
    • nss-ec.9-12.6 - gain from trade: a nation pays for its imports with is exports/when imports are restricted by public policies, consumers pay higher prices and job opportunities and profits in exporting firms decrease.

Materials Needed:

School or Group:
Water.org
Contact Email:
service@greeneducationfoundation.org
Located in: Creativity

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