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The Shared Cistern Schedule

Students acknowledge two competing community perspectives and justify a compromise schedule using shared evidence and respectful disagreement.

Student Name: ______________________

Grade Band: Grades 6-8

Words

  • compromise. a fair agreement where each side adjusts part of its request Example: Hana helped the neighbors reach a compromise on watering hours.
  • priority. something that must happen first because it is urgent Example: Protecting young seedlings from noon heat is Rosa's top priority.
  • schedule. a plan that lists what happens at specific times Example: Caleb posted the new cistern schedule on the courtyard gate.
  • acknowledge. to show that you heard and understood another person's point Example: Good mediators acknowledge both needs before offering a plan.
  • conserve. to use a limited resource carefully so it does not run out Example: Drip hoses conserve rainwater during dry weeks.
  • proposal. a clear plan offered for others to consider and vote on Example: Your written proposal gives each neighbor a set time at the cistern.

Speaking plan

Present a mediation proposal to the courtyard committee that acknowledges both stakeholders' constraints and justifies a staggered schedule with evidence.

  1. Acknowledge both the garden's and the bakery's legitimate water needs.
  2. Propose the 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. windows.
  3. Cite the evaporation and line-pressure evidence.

Writing plan

Write a formal recommendation to the courtyard committee. Acknowledge both Rosa's and the bakery's needs, propose specific watering windows, and justify your compromise using evidence from the brief.

  1. Address the courtyard committee and state the staggered schedule.
  2. Explain why morning irrigation prevents evaporation in the garden.
  3. Show how reserving noon for the bakery preserves line pressure.

Guided frames

  • Dear courtyard committee, I recommend a staggered schedule because ___.
  • First, Rosa can water the garden at 7:00 a.m. so that ___.
  • Then the bakery can use the cistern at 12:00 p.m. because ___.

Drafting & Evidence Sketch Space