ELA Lesson: History of Water Rights in Lahaina
Lesson Plan
1 hour 40 minutesGrades9, 10, 11, 12Social Studies, English Language Arts
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Written by Emily Pepitone
About this lesson
Students explore their own emotions and experiences with water rights in Lahaina and compare historical and contemporary narratives on the subject. Students write persuasive letters to the editor from the point of view of a stakeholder in the water rights debate in Lahaina.
Inquire: Students share their initial emotions and thoughts related to water scarcity in Hawai‘i.
Investigate: Students compare historical and modern narratives of water rights in Lahaina.
Inspire: Students brainstorm a list of stakeholders and write a persuasive letter from the perspective of a stakeholder to promote sustainable water use.
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Suggestions
- This lesson aligns with Hawai’i’s Nā Hopena A‘o HĀ-BREATH Framework.
- This lesson can be taught in an English or Social Studies class or during a unit on the history of Lahaina.
- This lesson has strong SEL connections, allowing students to share their own feelings about water in Hawai‘i and to build empathy with other community members.
- The Inspire section can be taught on a subsequent day or spread out over several days depending on student needs or classroom focus.
- Optional activity: The class holds a mock town hall where students present their letters as speeches and collaborate to develop a viable solution that considers the perspectives of all stakeholders. Students can vote on the best solution, brainstorm how it could be implemented, and discuss impacts on various communities.
- If lesson 3 of this unit, Protecting Lahaina’s Coral Reefs, was taught prior to this lesson, students can compare and contrast the persuasive writing techniques in both lessons. Students can reflect on their approach to the tasks, including their writing styles, word choice, tone, and structure. Teachers can highlight specific techniques for persuasive writing based on purpose and audience.
Prerequisites
- This is lesson 4 of 5 in our 9th-12th grade ELA Unit: Climate Change Impacts in Lahaina.
- This lesson plan touches on a sensitive issue with complex social, economic, and environmental factors. It is important to facilitate a respectful discussion that acknowledges the different perspectives involved.
- This timeline of the legal right to uphold water as a public trust in Maui could be helpful background information.
- Students should have a basic understanding of the water cycle, its importance for life, and the concept of resource scarcity.
- Students should be familiar with persuasive writing techniques.
Differentiation
- Students can research traditional Hawaiian water management practices and compare them to current systems.
- Students can write a fictional short story exploring the human drama surrounding water scarcity in Lahaina.
- Students can research water rights debates in other locations and develop a comparative analysis.
- Instead of reading a current op-ed, students could watch this video to lower the amount of reading needed for the lesson.
From the scientist review
Students look into the water crisis and water rights in Hawai'i, research the various frameworks for sustainable water usage, and come up with ideas and a position statement on how to address the local water shortage. This lesson passed our science credibility procedure after we evaluated it.
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About the teacher writer
Emily Pepitone
AP Language, 11th Grade English Teacher
Emily Pepitone holds a Master's in education from Moreland University. They have 6 years of experience teaching AP Language, Humanities, Creative Writing, English across grades 7-8-9-10-11-12.
