Lesson 1 Compare and Contrast

CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: COMPARE AND CONTRAST 4th GRADE UNIT
Lesson 1: Worksheet for Independent Practice
Water Woes
Running Low
World leaders meet to discuss the planets water problems.
It isnt easy for Mexico City resident Carmen Martinez to get water.
She lives in Iztapalapa, one of the poorest slums of the Mexican
capital. A slum is a crowded, dirty area with poor living conditions
within a large city.
Once every eight days, she wakes up before dawn and treks down a
hill from her run-down shack to a pumping station to beg for water.
She stands in line with as many as 150 other people. When her turn
finally comes, she gets aboard a tanker truck full of brownish, smelly
liquid.
The truck then climbs the hill and pours the water into a dumpster and
six barrels. Martinez and her family use that water to bathe, clean, and
wash. Although the water is free, it is not potable, or drinkable, so
Martinez also buys bottled water at a store. She imagines what it
would be like "to just turn on a faucet."
Representatives from 148 countries recently met in Mexico City for the
fourth World Water Forum in the hopes of making Martinezs dream a
reality. More than 1 billion people around the world do not have access
to safe drinking water, according to the United Nations. The forum
participants met to exchange ideas about how to quench the thirst of
the worlds soaring population.
Precious Resource
Although more than two-thirds of Earths surface is covered in water,
there is only a limited amount of drinking water in the world. Salty
seawater makes up about 97 percent of the worlds water. Another 2
percent of water is frozen at the North and South Poles.
Half a percent of the water is too far underground to be reached,
which leaves about half a percent of fresh water for all the people
and animals on Earth. Fresh water does not have any salt in it. Earths
fresh water supply is renewable only by precipitation, such as rain,
sleet, or snow.
1
2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved.
Text: Copyright 2006 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved.
Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
Used by permission. From Weekly Reader 4, Student Edition 5/5/06.
(See "The Water Cycle")

Although most Americans have access to clean water, people in many
countries around the world do not. Some countries in Central and
South America, Asia, and Africa have some of the most
contaminated, or dirty, water in the world. Chemicals from factories,
fertilizers from farms, and untreated sewage get washed into the
water supply. In addition, many poor countries dont always have a
way to collect and conserve, or save, water.
Searching for Solutions
Participants at the seven-day World Water Forum discussed ways of
pooling the worlds money and resources to save water. They proposed
building more dams1 to collect rainwater.
The participants suggested that more decision-making power about
water be given to people in small towns and villages. They also called
for governments, not corporations, to take charge of providing water.
Around the world, people agree that access to water is a basic human
right.
Governments know they need to act now to save the worlds liquid
resource. "Water is endangered and so are we all," Loc Fauchon,
president of the World Water Council, told reporters.
dam: a barrier that prevents the flow of water in order to collect a large supply
2
The Water Cycle

Water moves from the air to the land and back to the air, again and
again. The repeated journey is known as the water cycle. Because
water travels in a cycle, it can carry pollutants into the ocean, the air,
and the ground.
NASA GSFC/MIT/CREW
Water Cycle
(1) Evaporation. The suns heat changes water into a gas, or vapor.
(2) Condensation. The water vapor meets cool air and changes back
into tiny droplets of water.
(3) Precipitation. Those water droplets form clouds. As the drops get
heavier, they fall from the clouds as rain, sleet, or snow.
(4) Collection. Most precipitation falls into the ocean. Some falls on
the land and moves into bodies of water.
3
The World in Our Hands: Protecting

the Planet
Twelve-year-old Alice Abassah from Africa cares about the environment. She
recently started a clean-up program in her home country of Ghana. "I was
inspired by my teacher to go around once a week and collect litter," Alice told
Weekly Reader. "When my friends and neighbors saw me, they joined me."
Alice is one of 450 kids from 50 countries around the world who recently
[2004] gathered to help care for the planet. The kids attended the 2004
International Children's Conference on the Environment2. The conference
was held in New London, Connecticut.
Weekly Reader joined the festivities to learn how the kid delegates are
helping the environment. A delegate is someone who represents his or her
country.
United Nations
Weekly Reader
Parade of Flags. Some children dressed in costumes to
represent their countries and walked with their national flags.
During their week long conference, the kid delegates participated in
workshops, discussions, and field trips. Some kids traded pins representing
their nations. They also displayed their countries' flags during a special
ceremony. The environmental conference resembled a miniature version of
the United Nations.
environment: the air, water, minerals, and living things that surround and affect living things at any
time
4
The United Nations is an organization made up of countries around the world.

Members of the United Nations work toward achieving world peace and
solving global problems, such as environmental concerns. The United Nations
helped to arrange the conference.
Kids Speak Out
At the conference, kids challenged world
leaders to help them protect the
environment. They asked leaders to enforce
laws that support the environment and
conserve, or save, natural resources, such
as trees and water.
In their own schools and communities, the
delegates all participate in environmental
projects. Many of the children shared their
projects and ideas at the conference.
Weekly Reader
The Little Eco Friends put on a
play and gave a speech about
helping to protect the
environment.
A group of boys from India, called the Little Eco Friends, put on a play and
talked about the ways people can help the environment--from planting trees
to protecting wildlife.
It's a Small World!
The conference also provided kids with the
opportunity to learn about different cultures
and to make international friends. A person's
culture is his or her way of life, ideas, and
traditions.
Eleven-year-old Federico Gonzalez from
Colombia enjoyed learning about new
Weekly Reader
cultures. Colombia is a country located in
The kids made lots of new friends.
South America. "You get to know people who
speak different languages," he said.
Amanda Loewy, 11, from Massachusetts, had a blast! "I met kids from Japan,
Taiwan, Uganda, Canada, Australia, and many other places," she told Weekly
Reader. "I heard about the environmental issues that kids are facing all over
the world. We talked about what we are doing to help the environment. I
also made lots of good friends."
5
Name: __________________________________________
The World Water Forum
International
Childrens Conference
on the Environment
6
2010 Urban Education Exchange. All rights reserved

Lesson 1 Compare and Contrast

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CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: COMPARE AND CONTRAST 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 1: Worksheet for Independent Practice

CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: COMPARE AND CONTRAST 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 1: Worksheet for Independent Practice

(See "The Water Cycle")

CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: COMPARE AND CONTRAST 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 1: Worksheet for Independent Practice

The Water Cycle

CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: COMPARE AND CONTRAST 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 1: Worksheet for Independent Practice

The World in Our Hands: Protecting

CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: COMPARE AND CONTRAST 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 1: Worksheet for Independent Practice

The United Nations is an organization made up of countries around the world.

CONCEPTS OF COMPREHENSION: COMPARE AND CONTRAST 4th GRADE UNIT

Lesson 1: Worksheet for Independent Practice

The World Water Forum

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