Lesson Plan: The Mississippi Water Crisis and What It Means for the Rest of the Nation

Lesson Overview

Featured Article: “Mississippi Disaster Highlights Local weather Risk to Consuming Water Nationwide” by Christopher Flavelle, Rick Rojas, Jim Tankersley and Jack Healy

For almost seven weeks, the roughly 150,000 residents of Jackson, Miss., didn’t have entry to protected ingesting water after extreme rains and flooding overwhelmed crumbling programs. On Sept. 15, Gov. Tate Reeves of Mississippi introduced {that a} boil-water advisory had lastly been lifted.

On this lesson, you’ll be taught in regards to the water disaster in Jackson and the way local weather change mixed with growing older infrastructure and underinvestment are pushing metropolis water programs throughout the nation into failure. Then, in Going Additional actions, we offer alternatives to be taught extra about the right way to assist the residents in Jackson and to tell others in regards to the disaster and different threats to our nation’s water programs.

Heat-Up

Half I:

Water.

How usually do you concentrate on water — and the very important function it performs in our lives?

Earlier than studying the article, take a couple of minutes to replicate on water and your on a regular basis life. Then, make an inventory of all of the ways in which you and your loved ones use water on a typical day and week.

Afterward, share and evaluate your record with a accomplice: What do you discover about your lists? Are you shocked by the numerous methods you often use water and the way water is important to your lives?

Lastly, think about that the entire water in your city or metropolis went away. Focus on together with your accomplice: What would you do with out water? How would the lack of water have an effect on your life and well-being?

Half II:

Subsequent, watch the three-minute video from Sept. 4 on the water disaster in Jackson, Miss., filmed when the boil-water advisory was nonetheless in impact. Then, by means of writing or dialogue with a accomplice, reply to the next prompts:

• How has the lack of clear water affected the residents of Jackson, Miss.?

• How have they tried to deal with the water disaster?

• What are the Jackson residents doing to assist each other?

• What does the video make you suppose and really feel? Which quote stands out most and why?

Questions for Writing and Dialogue

Learn the featured article after which reply the next questions:

1. The article begins: “Flash floods, wildfires and hurricanes are straightforward to acknowledge as ravages of a fast-changing local weather. However now, local weather change has additionally emerged as a rising risk to scrub, protected ingesting water throughout the nation.” What proof do Instances writers present to assist this declare within the opening paragraphs?

2. Why is Jackson’s water system so fragile? What are the components that brought about this example?

3. How are residents of Jackson and japanese Kentucky affected by the dearth of unpolluted water?

4. President Biden’s infrastructure invoice signed into legislation final fall was supposed to handle water crises just like the one in Jackson and different cities and states within the U.S. Why hasn’t the legislation’s pledge of $50 billion for local weather resilience not been in a position to stop the present crises in Mississippi or japanese Kentucky, in keeping with the article? What else do you suppose we are able to do as a nation to handle the challenges and threats to America’s water programs?

5. The article concludes with a quote from Thomas Burns Jr., the mayor of Buckhorn, Ky., whose residents are nonetheless beneath a boil-water advisory: “We’ve ignored our infrastructure. It’s scary. We take this factor about recent water with no consideration.” What are your huge takeaways from the article? Will you proceed to take clear, accessible water with no consideration?

Going Additional

Utilizing the knowledge from the article, the video or additional analysis, create one thing to teach others in regards to the water disaster in Jackson or japanese Kentucky, or in regards to the broader problems with crumbling infrastructure and local weather change and the way they threaten our water programs, and to encourage motion. You should utilize phrases, pictures, graphs, comparisons or the rest that you just suppose can be efficient. Listed here are some artistic choices:

Further Educating and Studying Alternatives

• Be taught extra about how we get our water: How precisely does water get from rain clouds to our homes and taps? First, make some predictions: How do you suppose water will get to your own home? Then, watch this brief video, learn this cool illustrated article or take a look at this infographic to know the advanced course of. Afterward, draw a map displaying the numerous steps from rain within the clouds to your sink, bathe and bathroom.

• Discover the function of environmental racism within the story of the Jackson water disaster: Watch this eight-minute video from “PBS NewsHour” on how the disaster is an indication of bigger racial inequities. Then, by means of writing or dialogue with a accomplice, share three new belongings you realized and two questions the video raised for you.

Discover extra lesson plans and educating concepts right here.