Fresh Water and land of Kiribati and Hawaii (Molokai)

Darin Olson

Grade Level: 4^th

Date: 6-02

Stage 1 – Desired Results

Content Standard(s):

World in Spatial Terms: Students use geographic representations to organize, analyze and present information on people, places, and environments.

(4/5) Collect, organize and analyze data to interpret and construct geographic representations.

The students will:

1. Show organization of collected data.

2. Construct a map, globe, graph, chart, model, etc. that includes collected geographic data.

Places and Regions: Students understand how distinct physical and human characteristics shape places and regions.

(4/5) Use Physical characteristics to compare places and regions in Hawaii and other countries (Kiribati).

The students will:

1. Show similarities and differences of the physical characteristics of places and regions.

2. Apply this knowledge to draw conclusions and/or make connections.

Understanding(s):

Students will understand that…

Places are unique. Especially islands.
Places include physical characteristics.
Regions include unifying characteristics like the need for fresh water.
How physical and human processes together shape a place.
How and why regions change.

Essential Question(s):

How is the water shed different on Kiribati atolls and on Molokai?
How do people adapt to living on different island environments?
What are the physical characteristics of islands?
What are the ways that humans use water on islands?

Students will know:

That water is very important to island life and that fresh water is what makes people able to live on islands.
That Kiribati is atolls and that after thousands of years Hawaii will also turn into atolls.
What are the physical characteristics of an island or atoll?

Students will be able to:

Ask questions about Hawaii and Kiribati so as to understand more about traditional island life.
Use a variety of resources to acquire geographic information.
Organize information using concept maps, graphic organizers, maps and other ways.
Analyze information by 1) comparing and contrasting different islands, 2) interpreting information from photos, booklets, maps, internet and other resources.
Present ideas in different ways, pictures, stories, pamphlet, etc.
Use land as a cultural/environmental issue from different point of view.
Make comparisons showing similarities and differences between Kiribati and Hawaii.
Acquire geographic information from a variety of sources.
Show collaborative learning.

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Performance Task(s):

Write a story in HIWA style (3 hours timed, brainstorm, rough draft, peer edit and final copy) based on the writing prompt of: “Your family and you sailed on a long vacation south of Hawaii. You were only gone for 2 days and then a storm destroyed your ship. You landed on a small atoll.” Describe how you will live until you could get rescued.

Prompt will be graded on the 5-1 scale for Meaning and Voice.

Discuss environmental issues of watersheds on different islands focusing on how fragile islands are and how fresh water depleted. Once students find the seriousness of the situation, ask them how best it will be to make the larger community aware of water by either, making a Web site, making posters for Earth Day festivals, or other means.

Other Evidence:

Draw pictures of Hawaii and Kiribati Islands
Open class discussion on island life, similarities and differences
Pacific Map skills
Use land as an environmental and cultural issue from different points of by
Make comparisons showing similarities and differences between Hawaii mountains, Kiribati Atolls
Demonstrate how people have adapted to Hawaii Mountains, Kiribati Atolls and how the physical environment affects them.
Acquire geographic information from a variety of sources, WWW, library, texts, atlas, encyclopedia, teacher and peers
Collaborative learning in games and activities
Cite specific examples from places to illustrate environmental issue like water pollutions and contamination
How people live in local physical environments and explain the housing and vegetation
Tell what it would be like to live in Kiribati as another way of life.
Write a KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) graphic organizer
Concept webs/graphic organizers
Use our Hawaii values to show the importance of water and write about being Pono with our islands
Keep a daily log of what was learned.

Self-Assessment:

Use of rubric
Self-assessment during peer editing and self editing for final copies
Self assess graphic organizers based on number of sentences and quality of sentences
3-2-1 Self Assessment of the unit

o 3 Recalls information of islands

2 Reflects on incites of Hawaii and Kiribati
1 Question to ask teacher or community

§ Keep a running journal in Picture Journal and Library journal for self-assessment of learning

Keep a daily log that is discussed with parents and teacher

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Background:

4^th grade Hawaiian Studies also deals with watersheds as a common theme for the 2002 Earth Day that Penny Martin lead on Molokai and had all 4^th grade children learn about the Molokai water shed. Students had this knowledge before working on this unit.

Purpose:

Hawaii and Kiribati are geographic neighbors, yet most Hawaiians do not even know who I-Kiribati people are or how Kiribati influenced Ancient Hawaiians. I-Kiribati taught, among other things, how to make local clothes.

Students in 4^th grade study Hawaiian Studies and as part of the curriculum need to learn about the life cycle of volcanic islands. Hawaii is young and Kiribati is old geologically. Students should have a respect for islanders and learn more about forgotten people to build tolerance.

Students will learn more about their island geography in relation to time and location. Students will see how island life relates in many ways even though there are some differences.

Extra ideas:

Basic Idea to get across< How Islands are formed and where they go when they are older geologically>

Differences in Island structure. Hawaii has mountains and Kiribati is Atolls. Classifying into Hawaii or Kiribati color copies of islands (a few trick1’s by having them be Johnston + other HI atolls to make connection from mountain to atoll).

How to care for water table/shed. Where it is located.

What’s wrong with Oahu and Betio water since population is too huge? What’s healthy now in Fanning and Mol?

This is the intended Vocabulary to teach to the children over the course of the unit:

Atoll
Plate tectonics
Tides
Erosion
Land acclimation
Hydrosphere
Groundwater
Aquifer
Carrying capacity
Cultural landscape
Ecosystem
Developed/developing country

Extensions for Gifted and Talented Vocabulary

Land degradation (Molokai heights)
Desertification (Kingdom)
Central place theory (central place) Tarawa/Oahu

Materials and Resources Needed:

Many Hawaiian pamphlets from the airport where you can pick them up for free
Classroom supplies: Paper and markers
Internet use
Pictures of Kiribati
Local materials and handicrafts

Learning Activities:

1. Draw pictures of Hawaii and Kiribati Islands

Taking Hawaiian pamphlets, pass out to children to have them make their own brochure to describe the different geographic types of locations of Hawaii. Have students discuss different locations on Molokai, Hawaii as a pre-lesson.

Have them write an introduction, middle details paragraph and ending for the project that describes Hawaii islands as a known activity that the children are very familiar with before starting unknown. Have students make the picture and glue cut outs as their own work – no group work.

Have students begin to write their rough drafts.

Mount finished pamphlets on card and have neat hand cursive and typed work.

Go over intended vocabulary by just happening to have it on the blackboard.

Teach about Micronesia and atolls.

Have students draw features that you taught and relative size so that another pamphlet can be made.

Give bonus points to students who can find Kiribati in the magazines.

Vocabulary:

Island
Mountain
Reef
Fresh water
Forest
Valleys
Ocean features
And 5 more additional features of your choice

2. Open class discussion on island life, similarities and differences. Once students have some background on the size of islands ask them how their life would be different if they lived on an atoll. Ask them after showing them things like mats, necklaces, clothes, and food what is similar to ancient Hawaiians.

3. Pacific map skills. Look up in small groups different Pacific Island nations and classify them as Micronesian, Polynesian, or Melanesian.

4. Use land as an environmental and cultural issue from different points of by:

Making comparisons showing similarities and differences between Hawaii Mountains and Kiribati Atolls.
Demonstrate how people have adapted to Hawaii Mountains, Kiribati Atolls and how the physical environment affects them. Have students make a Venn diagram on the tow island sets and list things that are the same and different. Have students focus their attention on how the land and water affects people and people’s daily lives.

5. Acquire geographic information from a variety of sources, WWW, library, texts, atlas, encyclopedia, teacher and peers.

6. Collaborative learning in games and activities. Teach children the game Tiang Ke Boi (international game of rock scissors paper). Have students make extra posters collaboratively on Kiribati on their own choice of topic.

7. Cite specific examples from places to illustrate environmental issues like water pollution and contamination. Talk about how ships dump garbage into the ocean where no one sees them and how this affects islands that garbage just washes ashore. Talk about what happens to people when oil is spilled into fresh water wells. How people live in local physical environments and explain the housing and vegetation

8. Tell what it would be like to live in Kiribati as another way of life. Make up a story about yourself living in Kiribati with your family and how life would be better/worse, happier/sadder or plainly different.

9. Write a KWL (Know, Want to Know, Learned) graphic organizer

10. Concept webs/graphic organizers. After you have taught the lesson, make a spider web to reinforce what the students have learned and then go back and fill in any missing information or misunderstood concepts.

11. Use our Hawaii values to show the importance of water and write about being Pono with our islands. Use cursive and values handwriting sheets that give value sentences for taking care of the watershed in islands.

12. Use photos of Kiribati (scanned copies are ok) <Kingdom-unhealthy watershed that is barren, Tarawa-healthy and unhealthy watershed, outer island houses>

13. Keep a daily log of what was learned. Keep strips in a folder to show learning. Have students share what they learned before they leave the room each day so that the teacher can check for understanding individually daily. Strips are to be handed out at the end of every day the lessons are taught.

14. At the near end of the unit have students take 1 sheet of paper and answer 3 things that they can remember about the unit, tell 2 things that they learned that was new to them and ask 1 question.

3-2-1 Self Assessment of the unit

3 Recalls information of islands

2 Reflects on Incites of Hawaii and Kiribati

1 Question to ask teacher or community

15. Discuss environmental issues of watersheds on different islands focusing on how fragile islands are and how fresh water is being depleted. Once students find the seriousness of the situation, ask them how best it will be to make the larger community aware of water by either, making a Web site, making posters for Earth Day festivals, or other means.

16. Write a story in HIWA style (3 hours timed, brainstorm students may use begin/ middle/ end organizers, draw their picture or other ways t begin thinking about the writing, rough draft can be in print and should be at least 2 pages long before editing, peer edit can be self proof read and given to others to read (teacher can help with spelling because the grade will only be on final copy) based on the writing prompt of:

“Your family and you sailed on a long vacation south of Hawaii. You were only gone for 2 days and then a storm destroyed your ship. You landed on a small atoll.”

Describe how you will live until you could get rescued. Prompt will be graded on the 5-1 scale for Meaning and Voice.

Extensions:

Have students come up with new ways to take care of the fresh water table/shed. Let them problem solve ways to stop others from polluting the water. Have students get water table maps and plot the points of most risk to water contamination and discuss why those areas are at most risk, feral animals, car pollution, illegal dumping or just people.

Have students compare and contrast Betio and Honolulu to Fanning and Molokai and how the watershed is either unhealthy or healthy and how they could problem solve ways of making overcrowded places healthier.

Have students read One Tree Island, by Ed Machado as a way to improve reading and gain more understanding.

Appendix:

Appendix #1 Information on Kiribati for students or teachers

Rubric for Hawaii poster including vocabulary

Vocabulary List

HIWA Meaning and Voice Scale

Daily Log strip to make multiple copies

Handwriting sheets (cursive)

References:

We, the Navigators The Ancient Art of Land finding in the Pacific, Lewis, David.

1994.

One Tree Island. Ed Machado

http://members.nbci.com/_XMGM/janeresture/beru/index.htm

http://forums.delphiforums.com/Kiribati79/login/?

http://forums.delphiforums.com/uotiko_ngkoe/start

http://www.janeresture.com/

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