WATER (phase 2)

Last week I posted some famous ‘water’ inspired paintings, including The Great Wave by Hokusai; this week I have assembled some links to online resources with videos and photographs about weather and the climate, including some extremes.

Ironically, I started to write this blog post about the need for and the power of water three days before the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The theme of water relates to World Water Day on March 22nd http://www.unesco.org/water/water_celebrations/

Asking students to respond to what is happening in the world can often generate strong and creative art: one of the assessment criteria refers to the exploration of ideas reflecting cultural and historical awareness, but whether the student has had personal experience of extremes of weather or not, the water can be successfully used as a creative stimulus: its destructive power, its importance for sustaining life, its beauty etc
Looking at videos showing the results of too little water, and too much water, can be a useful introduction to the theme

Concerns about lack of water

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UNICEF: Kenya Drought Situation Worsens

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South East Asia Drought

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Extreme Drought in Australia – BBC Science

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Syrian farmers battle drought – 09 Dec 09

Floods

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Fresh video of flood chaos in Australia as water swamps Brisbane