This lesson or activity is about a water crisis issue on the island of Oʻahu and is connected to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #6 ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.  While this lesson focuses on Hawaii, this issue on water crisis is not only important but also relevant and beneficial for all students.  It equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to address one of the most pressing challenges that we are experiencing all over the world while fostering a sense of responsibility towards our natural resources, the environment, and the global community. This is a critical social and global issue and allows students to think critically about our natural resources that is precious to our survival. This lesson helps to connect students to global relevance, environmental awareness, societal impact, empathy, and interdisciplinary learning.  I hope students will see the importance of water and how we as a society need to take better care of our resources.  

Water holds a profound significance for Native Hawaiians.  It is intertwined in their history, culture, way of life, and well-being. Hawaiians considered water as precious gift from their gods and a resource that needed to be protected and cared for.  There are many stories, mythologies, poetic sayings, and place names referring to this critical resource.  It was sacred and their cultural practices revolved around taking care of the environment. In the Hawaiian language, water was called "wai" and if the ʻāina or land had a lot of water it was often referred to as "waiwai" meaning wealthy.  For Hawaiians, water was connected to their cultural identity and their intimate bond with nature.  

Standards

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies

D2.Geo.6.9-12. Evaluate the impact of human settlement activities on the environmental and cultural characteristics of specific places and regions.

D2.Civ.6.9-12. Critique relationships among governments, civil societies, and economic markets.

D4.6.9-12. Use disciplinary and interdisciplinary lenses to understand the characteristics and causes of local, regional, and global problems; instances of such problems in multiple contexts; and challenges and opportunities faced by those trying to address these problems over time and place.

Common Core Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

Lesson Plan