Ram Content Reading Summer Group 2019 discussion
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The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind
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I was moved and inspired by William Kamkwamba's story.I can see many curricular applications for William's story, but one of the most important aspects I would stress to students would be his resilience in the face of adversity.
I've noticed that many students view learning through an all or nothing lens. That view does not allow for mistakes or failures, and therefore no learning can be derived from either. William didn't let his lack of access to school impede his education. He continued his education in the face of harrowing circumstances, and the product of his education benefited him and his community.
I'm awed by William Kamkwamba's ingenuity. It is amazing to me he was able to build working machinery from the scraps he scrounged. I was so happy to read he was able to go to college and continue his education.
I was left with a question regarding Sub-Saharan Africa. I thought the area did not have water. Is it the case that water is present but too hard to extract? Or is it the case that water resources occur infrequently and produce so little, not many wells are drilled?
I think I would create an inquiry lesson for my students and have them research water and Sub-Saharan Africa. I bet we could discover amazing information together.
Personal Responses:- This was such a good read. Besides the writing, I loved the story and its meaning behind it. I was amazed at how a young boy managed to read a science book, which was not in his language to come up with a windmill so that he can then replicate for his country. What was more amazing is that his starving condition did not slow him down. In fact, the opposite is true. He used this to his advantage to gain more knowledge so he could finally create a windmill.
- I am so glad that William was noticed and recognized by a journalist because this is what got William an opportunity to speak at a TED conference and share his experience. His story was so moving that a donation was made in his favor so he could continue to go to school to become an engineer.
Classroom applications for each Literature Book:
- One of the first things that popped up in my mind is using this book in a way to introduce my students to the concepts of natural resources and how they can help us with our needs. This can then lead us to the comparison of renewable resources as well as nonrenewable resources.
- This book also introduces students to other parts of the world that they may not be familiar with. Just because they live here in America with the luxury of having electricity and running water, could give students the misconception that all people around the world have this same luxury. This is not the case. I think this book makes a great point on this topic.
- I also believe that this book can be a starter or an initiative to get students thinking about creating/inventing things. Sometimes kids think that they cannot do anything because they are small. William was only 12 years old when he started with his project. Anyone one can do it. Even if it is for fun and/or to understand something.
I can see so many different ways to use this book. I could focus on the power of reading, and how a young boy was able to save his village with information he learned from a book. There are lots of social studies lessons that could come from it as well, particularly with the information about Malawi found in the section explaining the true story at the end of the book. I could see it being good for younger grades as introducing them to the concepts of natural resources and how they fulfill our needs, and it could encourage them to brainstorm ways they could help their communities if their community lost some valuable natural resource. Above all, however, I would really like to use this book to introduce some sort of MakerSpace project for an upper elementary grade in which the students identify some need for a community somewhere in the world, then use found materials like William did to "upcycle" a solution to the problem.