Rationale:

• This lesson provides students with the opportunity to identify costs and benefits of multiple uses of water.
• This lesson helps students to continue development of their analytical skills.

Student relevance:

• Students are part of a community and can benefit from understanding how water is used and the needs for water in their community.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion, students will be able to . . .

• Understand diverse points of view.
• Analyze information from a newspaper article.
• Recognize their own point of view.

Students Need to Know:

• Different uses of streams in their area.
• The water quality of the streams in their area.
• The different groups that use streams in various manners.
• How to pick out characters in a story.
• How to assign points of view to the characters.

Teachers Need to Know:

• The points of view that attach values to statements, ideas, and actions.

Resources:

Hungerford, H. R. and R. A. Litherland, R. B. Peyton, J. M. Ramsey, T. L. Volk. Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions: Skill
Development Program. Champaign, IL: Stipes, 1996.

Materials Needed for Lesson:

Points of View handout
Fictional News Release handout

Procedure:

• Introduce the points of view and their values using the Points of View handout.
• Have students read the Fictional News Release individually or out loud.
• Have students make a list of the characters.
• Divide into five groups and assign a character to each group.
• Using the Points of View handout, have each group assign points of view to each statement made by the character.
• Have each group share its analysis with the rest of the class.

Evaluation Strategies:

• Evaluate each group’s analysis.
• Choose several of the characters and their statements and let students assign points to view. Use this as a quiz or test.

Extension Activities:

• Have students look up articles written about a stream in their community. Have them analyze these articles.
• Have students create a water file of articles collected form current newspapers and magazines referring to water use in Missouri.

Suggested Scoring Guide:

Governors Solution

Teacher Name: ________________________________________

Student Name: ________________________________________

Rubric Made Using: RubiStar (http://rubistar.4teachers.org)

Points of view that Attach Values
To Statements, Ideas, and Actions

1. Aesthetic – having to do with the beauty of something.
   
2. Agricultural – having to do with food and fiber production.
   
3. Cultural – having to do with customs of groups of peoples.
   
4. Ecological – having to do with the relationships between populations of organisms and their environments.
   
5. Economic – having to do with money or financial gain.
   
6. Educational – having to do with gaining knowledge.
   
7. Egocentric – having to do with an individual’s wants and needs.
   
8. Environmental – having to do with human interaction with the ecosystem.
   
9. Health – having to do with freedom from diseases.
   
10. Legal – having to do with laws.
    
11. Political – having to do with the activities and policies of governments and their agents.
    
12. Recreational – having to do with leisure activities.

Adapted from a more comprehensive list found in Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions: Skill Development Program, page 34.

Fictional News Release
(For Classroom Use Only)

STATE CAPITOL CITY, USA—Governor Alawayus B. Doright has called upon the state legislature to pass into law a bill which requires all property owners to be responsible for any form of precipitation that falls upon their lands. In a speech to the legislators, the governor cited the continued conflict between agricultural, industrial, recreational, and environmental interests over current and future uses of streams and rivers of the state.

The bill would require property owners to contain and control all precipitation that falls upon their property. This would allow every property owner use of his or her individual water supply. Each owner would be responsible for the recycling of water wastes and water purification on his or her respective property.

Plowin D. Farmer, executive director of the Farm Lobby Bureau, responded: “This won’t hurt the large farms, but those small farmers will have to drill many wells to supply water during the drought years. However, costs won’t be too bad. I believe production will continue at the same rate.”

Cecil A. Grababuck, chief executive officer of the Industrial Relations Board, stated he was shocked by this proposal. “Where do you suppose industry will get its water for production plants? We already are saddled with high taxes and environmental restrictions. This will add another deterrent to small business owners. They won’t be able to compete with the probable high costs of purchasing water. This will cause water to become a commodity like gasoline.”

Mary A. Splash, executive director of the Travel Commission, said she was appalled by the mere suggestion of such a law. “Water is a state-owned commodity. Every citizen has the right to access all of the water that falls upon the state. This law will completely ruin all of our recreational businesses. There will be no more lakes, rivers, or streams,” she observed. “What will people do for recreation?”

“This will ruin every ecosystem in the state and destroy all habitats,” added Purity O. Willow, director of the Environmental Wonder Society. “Without free-flowing water, there will be no interlocking of natural communities and our governmental entities will fail as well.”

Governor Doright countered that he understands all of the concerns, but this legislation, when it becomes law, will allow every citizens to use the water as he or she sees fit. “It will end the constant bickering over water,” he concluded.