Did you know that California produces two thirds of the fruits and nuts consumed in the United States? That it produces almost one third of the vegetables? Did you know that scientists warn that California is facing the onset of a 35-year or longer mega-drought? Did you know that it takes over 30 gallons of water to produce an avocado? 18 gallons of water to produce an egg? Or almost a gallon of water to produce one almond? Joris Debeij's short film When a Town Runs Dry and the sobering statistics in this resource are sure to get everyone thinking about water use and water consumption. 

Concepts

droughts, groundwater, surface water, water conservation, water, water pollution, water quality, water rights, weather patterns, weather changes

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Have individuals monitor their family's water use for one week and compare their findings to the percentages listed in the resource
• Have groups investigate different aspects of the school's water use and have the class develop a proposal for ways to decrease the amount of water used on campus
• After reading the referenced New York Times article, have individuals calculate the amount of water used to produce the food they consumed in one day

Classroom Considerations

• The referenced New York Times article can be found at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/21/us/your-contribution-to-the-california-drought.html

Pros

• The six-page packet includes background information on the California drought and on the film used to launch the lesson
• Also included are discussion questions and writing prompts

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.11-12.1.c