Section 1 / Section 2 / Section 3 / Section 4

Section 1

Learning Outcomes

• demonstrate an awareness of the importance of people working together within their own environment and in the international community
  
  
• understand and appreciate the contributions that individuals can make to society
  
  
• investigate and describe the natural and human-made worlds
  
  
• demonstrate an awareness of a range of career opportunities
  
  
• use critical and creative thinking to solve problems
  
  
• use a variety of forms, media, technology, and language to communicate ideas and information
  
  
• work collaboratively with others

Setting a Context

Water in Your Life
[self and society - link with lifestyle]

Ask students to make a personal list of all the ways in which they use water every day. From their list, have them select the five uses that they consider the most crucial and think about how their life would be different if water were scarce. As they share their ideas, encourage them to tell what they would have to do differently if they did not have an unlimited water supply.

Where in the World Is...?
[social studies - geography, cultural studies]

On a map of the world, have students locate Chile and as a class, identify what they know about this country. Together, categorize their information under headings such as: geography, people, climate, etc. Begin a wall chart that students can add to during their study.

Depending on their ability, students may use this activity as a basis for:

• an independent project on Chile in which they search out more comprehensive data
• a comparative study with their own country.

Students can use data from "The Chile File" section found under the icon Hola!

For the Caleta Chungungo exercise: "To increase the students' awareness of the context, have them read the whole sentence before they choose a word to fill in the blank."

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Section 2

The Journey to Chile

Concept - Focus:

Water is an important but expensive and scarce commodity in Caleta Chungungo, Chile.

Measure Water Use
[mathematics - measurement, volume]

In Caleta Chungungo, each villager has only 14 litres of water a day to use.
Have students collect, measure, and record the amount of water they use in daily routines such as brushing their teeth, washing their hands, and getting a drink. Help them reflect on their findings by asking:

• How many litres of water did you use?
• Which activities using water were you not able to measure? Estimate how much water you used for these activities.
• How does the amount of water you used compare to the amount a person in Caleta Chungungo has to use?
• If you had stopped after you used 14 litres of water, what would you not have been able to do?
• How can you use less water and still do the same activities?

Water Collectors
[science - research, experimentation]

Eucalyptus trees collect water from fog.
Have students find out how these trees are equipped to be water collectors.
They can draw and label a diagram to report their findings.

Some parts of Chile have no rain... The land is as dry as old bones ... the sky is full of water.
Have students work in pairs to design an experiment to collect the water formed from vapour during condensation. Work with them to determine if their method is practical for large-scale application, particularly in this Chilean dryland. Some criteria to consider:

• the cost
• the availability of materials
• the technology involved
• if the terrain is suitable

Less-experienced students can learn about condensation by blowing on a piece of glass that has been chilled in a freezer. Have them describe their observations and then discuss with them how a similar process happens to the water in fog when the wind blows it across the warm air in the sky. During the discussion, ask questions such as:

• Why did this happen?
• How could you collect the water that formed on the glass?
• Could water from fog be collected in the same way? Why or why not?

Keeping Healthy
[health - hygiene, lifestyle]

Because of the lack of clean water, the people suffer from skin infections and disease and they can't grow fruits and vegetables.
Working in small groups, have the students find out how international organizations are helping in these situations. They might contact a world health organization such as UNICEF or the Red Cross.
Each group can decide how they can make people in their community more aware of the conditions in a developing nation and what they can do to help. They might decide to:

• hold a raffle and donate the proceeds to a health organization working in these lands
• display posters in public places suggesting how people can help
• write letters to their community leaders asking them to get involved by adopting a village

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Section 3

Global Heroes

Concept - Focus

People working together internationally for a better world - Canadian contributions

People Working Together
[self & society, social studies - global village]

Scientists from Chile and Canada experiment together with ways of catching the fog at El Tofo.
Suggest that the students visit the Career section of this web site to find out about some of the jobs that people from around the world can do to help the people in this developing nation. Have them choose a career that interests them and find out more about it.

Dr. Schemenauer, a cloud physicist from Saskatchewan, was the best person for this international project.
Working in small groups, have students list questions they would like to ask this scientist about his work and about why he chose to work on an international project. Eliminate duplications and send their questions to the Global Heroes web site.

Design a Water Transportation System
[science - experimentation, critical thinking, problem solving]

After many experiments, Dr. Schemenauer found a solution for providing water to the village.
Have students use the information found in Dr. Schemenauer's profile about the transport of the water down the mountain to the village and make a labelled diagram of how his system works.

After completing the quiz on fog catching, the more capable students can use the information they gained to design, test, and report on their own system.
Guide the students thinking with questions such as:

• What materials will they use? Are they available locally?
• How will you use environmental conditions such as wind and gravity?
• What labour is involved?
• What physical obstacles must be overcome?

A Brighter Future
[self & society- critical thinking, applying knowledge]

The water ... made a remarkable difference to the lives of the people of Caleta Chungungo.
With the students, recall the ways that the lives of the villagers improved once the water was available. For each point listed, ask the students to suggest why this improvement happened. Have them make a "Before and After" chart to record their explanations. For example, in the Before column, they can record: The land was too dry to grow fruit and vegetables. In the After column they can write: With water to irrigate the soil, the villagers can now grow food to keep them healthy.

As a challenge, have students suggest other ways they think the lives of the villagers might improve now that they have a clean water supply.

The Chile File

Concept - Focus

A statistical profile of a developing nation

A Country's Profile
[social studies - geography, environmental studies]

Have the students research another developing country, using the headings in The Chile File to gather and organize the data. Encourage them to use a variety of resources in their research, including the Internet.

As a class project, the students can use the information they compile for each country to create a computer database. Assign small groups of students one category each to compare the information for all the countries studied. Each group shares its information with the class, using charts, graphs, overhead transparencies, and other visual aids.

Make a Graph
[mathematics - graphing, percent]

Using the data from The Chile File, have students make circle graphs to illustrate the information found under the headings - People, Religion, or Land Use.

A Letter to a Pen Pal
[communication, language - writing]

In the information about Chile, students learn about types of foods that the people eat and about its national sport. Have students list other questions they would ask a pen pal in Chile. Then, they can write a letter telling about their community and ask some of the questions they prepared. Arrange for the letters to be delivered through the government embassy to Chile.

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Section 4

Culminating the Study

A Mist-serious Quest
[critical thinking, application of knowledge]

Ask the students to think about what they have learned during this study and why they think "Mist-serious Quest" is an appropriate title for this Trail Blazer. Guide their thinking by looking together at each word in the title and how it relates to the information they have gained from the hero profile.

Profiling Chile
[communication - sharing information, making choices]

Talk with the students about how and with whom they can share what they have learned during this study. Brainstorm ways to present their information. They might suggest:

• a visual presentation or display that includes charts, graphs, photographs, maps, videos, ...
• a dramatic presentation such as a role play, a tableau, or a play
• an oral presentation, combined with visual aids

As students work in pairs or small groups to plan and prepare their presentation, suggest that they include why they think the work that Canadians do in developing countries is important. Arrange for the students to share their presentations with an audience - another class, at a school assembly, for parents, community guests, ... .

Reflection

[assessment]

Have students consider the questions:

• What is the most important thing we learned?
• How are people from our country working with people from other countries? Why is this important?

They can share their reflections by writing a short paragraph accompanied by a drawing. Display their responses on a bulletin board entitled, "Canadians Can Help." They could also post their information on the Internet to share with students from other schools and countries.