ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF WATER

MANAGEMENT

IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Mr. De Pasquale

Frederick Douglass Academy

6^th Grade Social Studies

INTRODUCTION:

Human Environment Interactions

The Aswan Dam is located on the Nile River in Egypt. The dam provides irrigation to an otherwise arid location. The dam also provides electricity and prevents the annual natural flooding that threatens farmers’ crops. The annual summer floods provided the region with silt, or nutrients and minerals, which makes the soil ideal for farming. The lack of these nutrients and minerals has resulted in the use of fertilizers. The introduction of unnatural fertilizers has had an impact on the environment. A major social problem has subsequently arisen as is sometimes the case when the natural environment is manipulated by massive man made projects. The ecology of the region is now under threat. Living organisms are threatened. As you know, if any part of the food chain is harmed, eventually man, himself, will suffer severe consequences.

Your group will be working as public policy consultants to the UN Environmental Concern Commission to analyze the environmental impact of the Aswan Dam. Your group will develop solutions that would lessen the environmental impact on any future dams to be built. Your group will create a report to the U.N. Environmental Concern Commission. This is a daunting task but a very important one. Your group, through the United Nations can save many lives and maintain natural habitats in the future. You can set standards for the construction of structures that can save the environment and save the food chain.

TASK

The U.N. Environmental Concern Commission is gathering evidence on the environmental impact of dams for future dams to be built. As Public Policy Analysts you will develop an oral presentation with a poster stating your position on the environmental impact of the Aswan Dam to the U.N. Environmental Concern Commission. Your group of five will complete the SIX STEPS IN THE PUBLIC POLICY ANALYST to decide on the best public policy solution that will result in the best use of future dams. After completing the six steps in the process, your group will make an oral poster presentation outlining the public policy analyst process you experienced for the environmental social problem and focusing on the public policy position you have chosen.

PROCESS

Your group will be responsible for the following:

1. Writing a written investigation on both the positive and negative environmental impacts of the Aswan Dam. Each person in the group must write their own short, 2-3 paragraph investigation.

2. Research environmental impacts of the Aswan Dam. Find relevant information both the benefits and drawbacks of the Aswan Dam.

3. Students will be required to follow the process of the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) by reviewing the following steps to guide them in the process with their group: Your group will then complete the worksheets under each of the six steps. These worksheets will then be used as resource material for completing your task.

A. Identifying the Problem, and Worksheet #1

B. Gathering Evidence, and Worksheet # 2

C. Identify Causes of the problem, and Worksheet # 3

D. Evaluate the Policy, and Worksheet #4

E. Develop a solution to the Problem, and Worksheet #5

F. Selecting the Best Solution, and Worksheet #6

4. Create a poster that details your group’s position and prepare an oral presentation that explains each step of the public policy analysis process.

5. Make a poster for presentation.

· Poster should include information on each of the six steps of the Public Policy Analyst.

6. Make an oral presentation.

· Presentation must be 5 minutes long.

· The presentation should clearly state your groups’…

i. analysis of the environmental impact of the Aswan Dam

ii. solution to problem to be used for future dams to be built

iii. reasons for the solution selected

7. Follow these steps to complete the process above.

ROLES IN GROUPS

Group Leader- The Group Leader will coordinate all group activities

Recorder- This member will be responsible for taking notes on the worksheets and writing the poster presentation.

Presenter- This member will present the findings to the United Nations Commission on Environment. The presenter will direct the oral presentation assigning roles to the group participants.

Editor-This group member will check all written and oral reports for grammar and English mechanics.

Poster Creator- This group member will be responsible for organizing and creating the poster of the presentation.

RESOURCES

Environmental Impact of Aswan Dam

Background Information on the Aswan High Dam

Aswan Dam

The Benefits of a Much-Maligned Dam

Nile River

Map of Egypt

National Geographic Information on Dams

Dam Impact

Building Dams

About Rivers and Dams

World Commission on Dams

Role of the Aswan High Dam in Promoting the Nile River System Management

EVALUATION

	4	3	2	1
PPA Policy Followed	All questions were answered completely and rationales for the answers were clearly stated.	All questions were answered completely, but rationales for the all the answers were not clearly stated.	Not all questions were answered completely, or greater than 2 rationales for the all answers were not clearly stated.	All questions were not answered completely.	____
Poster Presentation	- Clear and full presentation of material - Includes information from all 6 steps of the Public Policy Analyst. - Demonstrates full control of language conventions	- Clear presentation of material - Includes information from most steps of the Public Policy Analyst. - Demonstrates control of language conventions with very few mistakes	- Basic presentation of material - Includes information from less than 4 steps of the Public Policy Analyst. - Some errors in language conventions get in way of presentation	- Insufficient and/or unclear presentation of material - Includes information from less than 4 steps of the Public Policy Analyst. - Significant errors in language conventions which get in way of presentation	____
Process: Teamwork	It is evident that a mutual effort and cohesive unit created the final product.	The team worked well together, but could have utilized each other's skills to a better degree.	The team had problems working together. Little collaboration occurred.	The final product is not the result of a collaborative effort. The group showed no evidence of collaboration.	____
Process: Originality	The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate a high degree of originality.	The ideas expressed by the body of work are mostly original.	The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate lack of originality.	There were no original ideas expressed in this project.

Conclusion

Through this project you have learned how the Aswan High Dam impacted the environment and physical geography of Egypt. You presented this insight to the UN Environmental Concern Commission. Through this activity, you have learned how human developments can have a tremendous impact on the environment, the physical geography of a place. Thanks for your participation. Let’s all hope you made a difference!

This Web Quest addresses the following Social Studies and English Language Arts Standards:

Social Studies

Standard 2:   World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Standard 3: Geography

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

Standard 5:   Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

English Language Arts

Standard 1:   Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 3:   Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4:   Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.