LMERC International Year of Water Cooperation resource list
As part of the UN decade for action “Water for Life “ 2005-2015, 2013 has been designated the International Year of Water Cooperation. ‘The
objective of this International Year is to raise awareness, both on the potential for increased cooperation, and on the challenges facing water
management in light of the increase in demand for water access, allocation and services.’
It will also focus on the success achieved in the field of water cooperation and look at the issues of water
education, water diplomacy, and water management. http://www.unwater.org/watercooperation2013.html
Resources relevant to Australian Curriculum cross curriculum priorities: Sustainability, Asia and Australia’s engagementwith
Asia http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/CrossCurriculumPriorities and the UN International Year of Water Cooperation
from the Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre and online
LMERC is a DEECD specialised library for teachers.
150 Palmerston Street, Carlton 3053
www.lmerc.softlinkhosting.com.au/liberty3
Title
Author
Link / format
Description
Access to safe water
and sanitation
Global Education Project GEP
Website
http://www.globaled
ucation.edu.au/resour
ces-gallery/resourcegallery-teachingactivities.htm l
‘Students deepen their understanding of the need and right of all
Save Water!
The savewater!® Alliance
http://savewater.com.a
u/how-to-savewater/in-education
Educational resources for teachers on sustainability and water
conservation. Free downloadable online games and a DVD on
climate change.
Water, water
everywhere?
Asia Education Foundation
http://www.asiaeducati
on.edu.au/resource/asi
ascopeseqsosesecunits_
‘The environment is now a crucial global issue, especially in the
context of global warming. This unit for lower secondary students
explores the issue of water in India. It looks at the causes and
effects of water problems, and examines the strategies that
Year
level
5-6
people in the world to have access to safe water and adequate
sanitation for health and wellbeing. They investigate projects and
initiatives to improve access to water and sanitation for
communities in need and explore the importance of community
involvement in helping to achieve lasting change. ‘ *Asian
perspective (Vietnam and Bangladesh)
Water
Savers: 5-8,
Carbon
tradies: 7-9,
Climate
change- the
cold hard
facts: 9-10
7-9
water,_water.html
communities and governments are developing to meet these
challenges. Opportunities are provided, where possible, for
students to become actively involved in regional community
projects.’ Asia Education Foundation. *Asian perspective
Map tool: South-East
Asia and the Mekong
River
DEECD / Ultranet
Map tool: South-East
Asia and the Mekong
River
Learning areas: Studies of society and environment, cross
curriculum priorities- Sustainability L1391
Trace the path of the Mekong River through China, Lao PDR,
Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Explore how these
countries use resources from the river. For example, look at which
countries have built dams to generate hydro-electric power.
Explore issues such as river pollution.
*Asian perspective
5-9
Global Issues: Water and
Sanitation
Global Education Project
http://www.globaleduc
ation.edu.au/globalissues/gi-water-andsanitation.html
‘Students deepen their understanding of the need and right of all
people in the world to have access to safe water and adequate
sanitation for health and wellbeing. They investigate projects and
initiatives to improve access to water and sanitation for
communities in need and explore the importance of community
involvement in helping to achieve lasting change. ‘
5-6
Teacher resources include: Introduction, teaching activity, case
studies, facts, response and further resources.
Image from Global
Education website at
http://www.globaleducati
on.edu.au/resourcesgallery/resource-galleryimages.html
Global Words
Changing minds, changing
behaviour
Image from the Global words website
PETAA & World Vision
http://www.globalword
s.edu.au/juniorsecondary/
A unit of work to explore sustainability and the persuasive power
of advertising by analysis of the narrative television advertisement
Can you live with dirty water and the short animated
documentary The story of bottled water. The unit aims to develop
students’ skills in critical literacy and visual literacy through
7
analysis of both written and visual grammar.
Tiddalick the frog
Marambul Yughana 2011
http://www.youtube.co Animated story of Tiddalick the frog created and narrated by TAFE
m/watch?v=0y3Ta5xcKV students from NSW based on the retelling of the dreamtime story
by Keith McKeown in Tiddalick the frog and the great flood. On a
4
hot, hot day, Tiddalick the greedy frog laps up the water, in all the
water holes, leaving all the other animals dying of thirst. The frog
stores the water in his great big belly. The council of animals called
is devise a plan to make Tiddalick laugh, causing him to let go of all
the water. Dreamtime Story Animation "Tiddalick The Frog" for the
P-3
Marambul Yuganha Exhibition at the Griffith campus of TAFE NSW
Riverina Institute 2011.
Information Books/ DVDs
Irena Salina
DVD
A ‘G’ rated documentary investigating the growing privatisation of
the world’s dwindling fresh water supplies. Irena Salina explores
the politics, human rights issues as well as interviewing people and
organisations providing practical solutions.
Water supply
Bowden, Rob (2006)
Book
Looks at the reasons for water shortages, the way water is wasted
and how we can work to avoid a water crisis.
Our world of water
Hollyer, Beatrice (2008)
Book
Follows the lives of six children around the world, and explores the
importance of water in their lives.
Ryan and Jimmy and the
well in Africa that brought
Shoveller, Herb (2006).
DVD &
Ryan Hreljac, a Canadian boy, learned of the great need for clean
and safe water in developing countries in his 1st grade class. With
the support of friends, family and the community, Ryan raised
enough money to build a well in Africa. In 1999, at age seven,
Flow: for love of water How did a handful of
corporations steal our
water?
http://www.ryanswell.c
a/media/3708/ryan_an
5-10
3-7
them together &
DVD Ryan’s well
d_jimmy_book_lessons
_final.pdf
Teachers notes and
lesson plans.
http://www.ryanswell.c
a/in-the-classroom.aspx
Ryan’s Well Foundation.
Ryan's first well was built at Angolo Primary School in northern
Uganda, a well that is still serving the community. Since then over
700 wells have been built for African village communities.
DVD:. (2004) Journeyman Pictures. 50 mins.
Presents a physical, geographic and biological introduction to
water on Earth in picture book format. Each double-page opening
looks at a specific aspect of water—Water and where it is found;
The water cycle; Plants and water; Animals and water; Watery
habitats; People and water; Fresh water; Distribution of water;
Uses of water; Pollution and water— all culminating in the
message of saving water and ways to do so. Includes notes and
ideas for teachers.
Interesting and sometimes scary statistics make for reflective
reading.
One well: the story of
water on earth
Strauss, Rochelle (2007)
Book
Water supplies
Welton, Jude (2006)
Book
LMERC also has a number of simple readers about water and water supply
Teaching resources & activities
All’s well: exploring the
world of water with upper
primary students
Global Education & AusAid
(2012)
Book
A resource book for upper primary teachers. From the One World
Centre, Adelaide
Water: activities to switch
on thinking skills
Joseph, Virginia (2010)
Book
Macmillan Teacher Resources, South Yarra. Thinking themes.
Activities for ages 8-10
3-5
“More precious than gold”
Guy, Roslyn (1999)
Book
A unit in which investigates the place of water in the world, how it
is used and how people’s lives are affected by the availability of
safe, clean water.
5-6
Look Global: Global
perspectives in the upper
primary classroom
Water: a cross-curricular
theme
“Water supply’’
Book
RIC Publications, Greenwood, WA.
Poultney, Trevor (2003)
Book
Teaching and learning activities with case studies: The Three
Gorges Dam Project, Kiribati and Singapore. *Asian perspective
AEF/Curriculum Corporation, Melbourne
World Vision ( 2007)
Book and DVD
A unit of work on water providing cross curriculum activities
including reading comprehension - case studies, multimodal
reading and writing, research, mapping, statistics on the theme of
water and social justice.
Environments Asia Pacific
for middle years.
Get Connected
Issue 1 - Water
4-6
Picture Books and folktales – suitable for P-3
Aardema, Verna (1981) Bringing the rain to Kapiti Plain. Dial, New York.
A folktale from the Nandi people of Kenya. A cumulative story which follows the pattern of The House that Jack built and tells the story of Ki-pat who shoots an arrow into
the clouds to bring the rain and end the drought.
Conway, David (2007) Lila and the Secret of Rain. Frances Lincoln, London. Also set in Kenya. Lila, her family and the other villagers are looking
at disaster if the rain does not come soon: the crops have withered, the well is dry. Grandfather tells Lila the story of the man who climbed the
highest mountain to tell the sky the saddest thing he knew.The next morning Lila sets out to do the same.
French, Jackie (2011) Flood. Scholastic Australia, Sydney. This is a story that shows how devastating
floods can be to homes and livelihoods. Whilst it is inspired by the 2011 Queensland floods, it could be about any of the disasters
that strike our land, events that turn everyday Australians into heroes. Told from the perspective of a cattle dog separated from
its family, Flood helps children to understand the effects of a traumatic natural disaster without being too confronting, while the
story of the little tugboat that pushes a boardwalk out to sea, staving off further disaster, gives children a hero they can relate to.
Germein, Katrina (1999) Big rain coming. Roland Harvey Books, Melbourne. Old Stephen says rain is coming and it does but not
until everyone has endured a long, hot week. Set at Minyerri, a remote Aboriginal community south-east of Katherine, Northern
Territory. Vivid, highly stylised illustrations. Cumulative text. *Indigenous perspective
Hesse, Karen (1999) Come on Rain! Weston Woods. DVD format (8 mins.) A story set in a city neighbourhood and told through the perspective of an African-American girl,
about the build-up of heat and the coming of rain.
Krishnaswamy, Uma (2003) Monsoon. Farrer, Strauss, Giroux, New York. The hot days as everyone anticipates the arrival of the monsoon are seen through the eyes of a
young girl in northern India. *Asian perspective
Ormerod, Jan (2006) Water witcher. Little Hare Books, Sydney. In the drought both farm and wild animals are suffering. Dad and Dougie cart water to keep the family
going. When Dad tells Dougie about his grandfather who could divine water, the young boy dreams of doing the same. Determination and faith keep him going and
although it appears at first that his efforts may not have been successful, a slow-filling night-soak saves the family. Could be used in conjunction with Lila and the secret of
rain and Bringing the rain to Kapiti Plain. Also has an Australian history theme.
Roennfeldt, Robert (1983) Tiddalick: the frog who caused a flood. Puffin, Melbourne. Tiddalick is a greedy and uncaring frog. When he drinks all the waterholes dry the
suffering animals plan how they can get the water back. *Indigenous perspective
LMERC has many retellings of this folktale in different formats: big book, DVD, play script. Also a Vietnamese variant, Toad is the uncle of heaven.
Junior and Young Adult Fiction
Park, Linda Sue (2011) A long walk to water. Clarion, New York.
Two stories told side by side. When rebel soldiers raid the small village school he attends, 11-year-old Salva becomes a ‘Lost Boy’ After time in a refugee
camp in Ethiopia, Salva and 1200 other boys are forced to leave, and make their way, eventually, to Kenya and the safety of another refugee camp. He is
fortunate enough to be chosen from thousands to be one of 3000 boys flown to America. Meanwhile Nya’s life is shaped by her family’s need for water. She
spends four hours a day walking to and from distant sources of water. The pared down narratives of the two meet when Salva returns to Sudan founding a
non-profit initiative, Water for Sudan, to provide wells for small communities. Where safe water is available, health, education, and economic development
are also possible.
http://waterforsudan.squarespace.com/
The LMERC library is free to join and open to all pre service teachers and educators P-12, across all sectors in Victoria. Teachers outside of the metro area may request
resources to be sent to their school free of charge but the school or teacher must pay for return postage.
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