Access to Water in Flint, Michigan

703 ELA          Ms. Larkin       klarkin@newdesignmiddle.org

The Problem

The city of Flint, Michigan had a contaminated water supply for years. The city’s tap water had dangerous levels of lead in it. It caused health problems and made people very sick.

Introduction

Think about all of the ways that you use water every day. Humans rely on water to survive, as well as to carry out everyday activities. Not everyone around the world has access to clean, safe water.

 

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) awarded the city of Flint, Michigan $100 Million for infrastructure updates for their water supply system. They have been monitoring the situation to ensure that the city transitions to a safe water source. They have also been monitoring the lead and copper levels in the water to make sure that it is safe to drink.

Task

You and your classmates are tasked with two things:

  1. Research the causes of the water crisis and create a Google Slide presentation educating your fellow NDMS students on this issue.
  2. Write a letter to the councilperson of Flint, Michigan urging them to continue to take action to remedy this issue.

Process
  1. You will review the steps of the PPA
  2. You will research the Flint water crisis using online articles and resources
  3. You will create a PowerPoint that includes the following slides of information:

-       Background information on the problem

-       Causes

-       Effects on the residents of Flint, Michigan

-       Policies put in place

-       Your proposed solution

  1. You will present your PowerPoint to the class.
  2. Following our presentations, you will write a letter to the councilperson of Flint, Michigan summarizing the content of your PowerPoint presentation. Your letter should include:

-       Background information on the problem

-       Effects on the residents of Flint, Michigan

-       Your proposed solution

Resources

●     https://flippedtips.com/plegal/ppa/ppasteps.htm

●     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=872Xz63b9VU

●     https://newsela.com/read/flint-residents/id/14324/?_flash_query_param_1=?

●     https://www.nrdc.org/flint?gclid=CjwKCAjwkJj6BRA-EiwA0ZVPVsP93JP3UCsnfVVFrtk1PCLT8VAxicFUQkTHvyHRkTt2CQe3iTNwrxoCGhsQAvD_BwE

●     https://www.circleofblue.org/flint/?gclid=CjwKCAiAtK79BRAIEiwA4OskBgM52iV_dSS8F1V29dH1djVwFW65S4KTyedprA-YvMUaMEUf-192VhoCtPcQAvD_BwE

●     https://libguides.umflint.edu/watercrisis/community

●     https://www.michigan.gov/flintwater/

●     https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flint-water-crisis-everything-you-need-know

●     http://uswateralliance.org/organization/flint-water-resource-sites

●     https://www.networkforphl.org/resources/topics/projects/flint-water-crisis-project/

●     https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/2016-2017/december-2016/flint-water-crisis.html

●     https://newsela.com/read/flint-residents/id/14321/?collection_id=339

●     https://newsela.com/read/flint-water-five-years/id/51674/?collection_id=339

●     https://newsela.com/read/flint-water-update/id/27553/?collection_id=339

●     https://newsela.com/read/flint-governor/id/16851/?collection_id=339

●     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUSiLOwkrIw

●     https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000004156616/flints-water-crisis.html

●     https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2017/02/01/flint-water-crisis-explained-jpm-orig.cnn

●     https://vimeo.com/162466023

●     https://newrepublic.com/article/147066/flints-water-crisis-damage-kids-brains

●     https://time.com/4191864/flint-water-crisis-lead-contaminated-michigan/

●     https://www.dogonews.com/2016/1/20/the-water-crisis-in-flint-michigan

●     https://www.studentnewsdaily.com/editorials-for-students/flint-water-crisis/

 

Evaluation

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson875/PersuasiveLetterRubric.pdf

Conclusion

You will be able to use the steps of PPA to research the Flint water crisis. In doing so, you will be able to identify the causes of the crisis and previous policies to resolve the situation. You will be able to propose your own solution to the problem.

Standards

WHST.6–8.8: Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism.

 

 

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.7:

Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

 

Additional Resources

https://newsela.com/read/clean-water/id/55/