Well Aware

1. Set Focus 
Pose this essential question: How can teens make a positive impact on  the environment?

2. Read and Discuss 
Have students read the article, marking key ideas and questions. Then ask them to answer the following questions, citing text evidence:

• What are “orphaned” oil and gas wells, and how can they cause problems for the environment? (Orphaned oil and gas wells are uncapped wells that no longer have an owner or a company that state regulators can hold responsible for them. Because they are uncapped, they can leak dangerous gases into the area around them unless someone takes the initiative to close them up.)

• How are teens Mateo De La Rocha, Sebastian Ng, and Lila Gisondi working with the Well Done Foundation to solve the problems caused by orphaned wells? (After researching how they could help close oil wells, the teens connected with the Well Done Foundation, which surveys abandoned wells and does the work needed to close them. The teens “sponsored” a well, which means they raised some of the money that the Well Done Foundation used to close it.)

• According to the map, which states have high concentrations of orphaned wells? (From east to west: New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas)

3. Core Skill Practice
Assign, print, or project the activity Making Connections. Have students use the graphic organizer to explore the causes and effects described in the article.

4. Writing Prompt
What if you had an orphaned well near your home? Write a fundraising letter to your community asking for donations to close it.

5. Classroom Debate
Should the government reimburse citizens for their efforts to clean up the environment?

6. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess comprehension and the Analyze the Graphs skill sheet to practice data analysis.