SDG 6 Clean Water

 

Goal 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable water management of water and sanitation for all.

Water is essential for all life on Earth, and therefore key to sustainable development. A very large proportion of those living in poverty lack access to clean water and basic sanitation.

Select a picture book here.

My students know that everything needs water, but they do take water and tap-turning for granted. When we discuss the page about water in A Life Like Mine and look at how much water they use in a day compared to a child in Africa, they are amazed. Even more so when we show it as amounts in containers. This book, although old now and the statistics may be out of date, is an excellent way to show students how other children live. Alternatively use pages 44 and 45 in Water A Deep Dive of Discovery  for more up to date statistics.

So where to start a discussion about the importance of clean water? Gizo- Gizo!  by EmilyWilliams is the perfect place for very young students to experience what happens when water becomes unclean or scarce. My students love Chubbo's Pool  by Betsy Lewin and this book takes the idea to the next step where it is not just the sharing of water, but making sure the water is clean too.

Here's the blurb:

Gizo-Gizo the spider is a lazy, selfish fellow. So when he starts a gold mine that pollutes the Zongo Lagoon and makes other animals sick, naturally he ignores everyone else's concerns. ''Someday, when I am rich, I will buy this place,'' he tells them. ''I can do whatever I want!'' But when the fish groan with upset stomachs and the frogs wince from sore throats caused by the filthy water, Tortoise and Crab decide that things have gone too far. They come up with a clever plan to teach their friend Spider a lesson and make him clean up his mess. Originally written and drawn by students from Cape Coast, Ghana, this community-created, contemporary folktale examines environmental sustainability and personal responsibility.

For older students who can cope with a longer text, read We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom; The Water Princess  by  Susan Verde or Ryan and Jimmy and the Well in Africa that Brought Them Together by Herb Shoveller.

       

SDG Booklet tasks:

Before reading. Ask • Did you have a bath or shower yesterday? Did you have a drink at breakfast and lunch time? Where did the water come from? 

 

We read ....

 

This story made me wonder what ...