Water Is Life: Living in Reciprocity With Local Waterways (Past, Present, and Future)

Positives

• This lesson focuses on historical and current injustices faced by Indigenous Peoples.
• This lesson offers students an opportunity to creatively brainstorm ways to protect waterways in the Willamette Valley.
• Students may experience sketchnotes for the first time.

Additional Prerequisites

• It is necessary to acquire We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom before the lesson. You can check your school library or local library to borrow a copy of the book.
• Students should add to their sketchnotes throughout the Investigate section. It may be necessary to prompt students intermittently to add to their sketchnotes as they transition from one part of the lesson to another.

Differentiation

• Allow students the choice to complete their sketchnotes on paper or on a device.
• Students are encourage to share their One-Pagers in ways that fit their learning style the best.

This lesson allows students to brainstorm ways to support Indigenous Peoples in protecting their waterways. The Indigenous Peoples of Oregon have been living with nature from inception, and this lesson suggests sustainable ways humans can live in harmony with nature. All the maps, images, videos and supporting materials embedded in the lesson are well-sourced. This lesson is recommended for teaching.

Primary Standards

• Social Sciences
  • Geography (K-12)
    • 6.14 Identify and describe how the physical and human characteristics of places and regions connect to human identities and cultures in the Western Hemisphere.
  • Historical Knowledge (K-12)
    • 6.17 Identify and examine the roles and impact of diverse groups of people (social roles, political and economic structures, and family and community systems) across Indigenous civilizations.
    • 6.20 Identify and analyze the causes and effects of oppression and resistance in the living histories of historically marginalized groups in the Western Hemisphere.

Supporting Standard

• Science
  • ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
    • 6.ESS3.3 Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.