receives only $18 and will discover there is almost nothing they can afford to purchase. Students will need to prioritize the materials they will purchase once they read the instructions.


5. Have the students look at the water filter instructions in their package. The countries with a high adult literacy rate will not notice anything special about their instruc- tions, but the countries that have a low literacy rate are met with a surprise — their instructions are seemingly gibberish. Ask the students:Without a high adult literacy rate how can people understand written instructions? If the packages have been prepared so that some


countries have diagrams showing the filter construction and some do not, ask the students why this might be. (The diagrams can represent a variety of advantages, such as technological know-how, higher education and better health care.)


6. Provide each group with a two-litre plastic bottle with the bottom cut off, to be used as the container for their filter. Set a time limit, allowing them about 20 minutes to pur- chase the rest of their supplies from the World Bank and to make the filters. As they approach the World Bank for their supplies, they are met with road blocks. Sometimes the bank is closed, sometimes the staff takes “breaks” when the countries are lined up waiting, and all the while the groups are being reminded of their time limit. This creates a sense of urgency to complete the filter for the final test.


7. When the time has expired, ask each group to appoint a representative to bring their filter to the front of the classroom for the filter test. At this point, the differences between the “have” and “have not” countries become very obvious. The developing nations with few financial resources and low literacy rates will likely have very basic filters, as they could not purchase very many sup- plies or easily read the instructions. On the other hand, the developed nations may have constructed superfilters, using more supplies than required, and may still have a great deal of money left over. Have students first pour one litre of clean water through their filters to flush out any dust on the sand or gravel.


_____________ Coarse gravel _____________ Fine gravel _____________ Coarse sand _____________ Activated charcoal _____________ Fine sand _____________ Cotton _____________ Cheesecloth


Then have them test the filters by pouring approximately 250 millilitres of the polluted “river water” through them. Just as the materials used to construct the filters make it obvious who are the “have” and “have not” countries, so does the visual inspection of the filtered water.


Reflection and discussion


Ask the students: • Did you feel that you began to take on the role of your country?


• Did any country do anything out of desperation, or did any country take a position of power over another country?


Canada


Water Filter Instructions (examples) Afghanistan


1. Place a cotton plug loosely in the neck of the cut bottle. Then cover the neck of the bottle with a piece of cheese- cloth secured with a rubber band.


2. Pour a 1-cm layer of fine sand over the cotton plug, fol- lowed by activated charcoal, 1 cm each of coarse sand, fine gravel and coarse gravel.


3. Clean the filter by slowly and carefully pouring one litre of clean water through it (over a container).


4. Place the filter over a plastic cup. Test your water filter by pouring the dirty water through the filter.


1. Ʊ¤- a µ3⁄4¿ðð Ìð-Ω µ¶{{¶§ in the 3⁄4¿ of the ðµÆ1⁄2 ©©-¶. Then º»µ{ the of the bottle with a 1⁄2 ± of ¥«¬ cloth ¥ÐµÐð § with a ©ððµ ¶µ´.


2. Pour a 1-cm #-¬ of fine ¤ Ð¥ over the µ ðð@¥Ð Ω, fol- lowed by µ*1⁄2ƤµÐð {{¶§µ¥ l, 1 cm of{ {¶§ ´ ¤Ð¥, fine ³#3⁄4¿ # and ¥§´ ³#3⁄4¿¥#.


3. Ƶ1⁄2© the £Ð¥Ì by #@¥Ð£¿ and -ΩÌð-- pouring ¥Ð©£¿-- ¶-Æ(ð of clean *1⁄2Ƥµ (over a ж).


4. Ʊ¤- the £Ð¥ Ì over a Ƶ©¤ cup. £©-¶ your 1⁄2Ƥµ £Ð¥Ì by ðÌΩ the Æ^(@1⁄2Ƥµ µ©£ð¿*- the £Ð¥*Ì.


GREEN TEACHER 83 Page 33


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56