Saturday 16 October 2010

The Boy Who Built a Windmill

When William Kamkwamba was fourteen years old he built a windmill. He is from Malawi, and using information he discovered in a book and miscellaneous parts that he was able to find, he built a windmill to help his family and eventually his community with their everyday needs. Please watch his inspiring story which shows what can be accomplished with a little knowledge and some ingenuity.




After watching the video, what do you think?
What type of man is William? Why?

Wiliam has a dream which is to finish school and start his own company.
Which is
YOUR dream?

25 comments:

Axel said...

Hi Miss Ale,
I think that William Kamkwamba is a man who reading and using a bit of ingenuety, created something which could be called what saved Malawi. I think William is a hero as we are studying on them, a hero for his family and his nation. He is a special hero, because he helped all the Malawian community. He is also a role model because, he didn't stay there thinking negative things and being lazy, he read a book and helped his family and his nation.
My dream is being a professional tennis player, but gor that I will have to use a lot of effort!
See you,

Axel G

Carolina said...

Hi Miss Ale!
It was really impressive!!! Through out the video I see that William Kamkwamba is a courageous and intelligent man. He started from nothing and he ended up with a lot. His first windmill was made by parts that he found in the streets or in his house but that didn't have use. As he used all this materials he did a recycled windmill.
My dream is graduating from university and be a professional lawyer.
William really impressed me. He believed in what he wanted and his dream is coming true.
Kisses
Caro

Anonymous said...

Hello Miss Ale,
The video is really interesting and for me a little bit sad. Because poor William couldn't finish school but I think he could do it. It is incredible that only reading and seeing some pictures he could built something so incredible. I'am really impresed.
I think that William is the type of man that is honest and helpful. Because he always says the truth he does not need to hide anything, he said from where he got the information, what happened to him, good and bad things. He is too helpful because he helped his family and community to get good electricity, some people said he was crazy and then started to help him.
My dream is to become a famous writer, just as Maria Elena Walsh or Rowling. It doesn't matter how much I need to do I will. I already started to write some stroies and prepare some pictures but I don't think I am ready yet, I need corrections.
Kisses, Happy Mothers Day!
Lucia L. 6a Fleming

Melville Intermediate School, New Zealand. said...

Miss Ale
I had not heard of this story before but I have to say that it is a totally inspiring story and one that everyone can learn something from, as a teacher I think its important to learn new things all the time, to be inspired and hear about great people and this video does all those things.
Mr Webb and Room 8, Melville Intermediate, Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand.

Alina said...

Hi Miss Ale,
I think William is a hero, because he created something that saved and helped Malawi. He was a hero with inteligence, bright ideas and a hard-working mind.
I think that Malawi should take William as an example for the future because lots of persons can create things or improve machines for the future of Malawi.
My dream is being a Pro tennis player, just as Axel, but I need practice and a very good coach for it. It may look difficult for me, but I will do everything as posible to make my dream come true.
Hugs!
Alina

Anonymous said...

Hi Miss Ale
This is inpresionant that this boy with not alot of things could do a eolic power and us with alot more things we can do somthing similar is inpresionant and of only loocking this coverd of a boock of eolic power it was inpresionant. Then he whent to alot of places and he saw this enormus thing windmills and this boy at the age of 14 he had done his first wind mill and it took him tow month or alitelbit mor he at first he doit to have electrisity and to pump water to grow his crops he couldent go to school but he whent to the librery evry day and one day the librarian ascked him if he had done a wind mill and he said yes and then she said that she was going to go to see it and he whent with alot of peaple and then they made an articule about that and a boock. My dream is to have a company of sellin and boying and inporting and exporting things and with that to have mony to do a represa and give electrisity to alot of peaples.
Tobias.M

Anonymous said...

HI!!!!
I think that what William did was a very good thing to do.I think that william I a very important person for his country and for all his family and friends!because he made electricity appear in his country and they could harvest allot of things!!!!
I really dont know what is my dream but the only thing I am wishing is that I do well at school and that I have fun with my friends my last weeks!!!!
bye nicky

Anonymous said...

Hello Miss Ale,
William is a humble person that with effort he could achieve his goal (the windmill) and be able to dream about finishing school and making his own company. My dream is to finish school and having oportunity of studing in university and have a job.
Giovanni

Anonymous said...

Hi miss Ale
William is the kind of person that cares for others
He also is a very Intelligent man.
I still havent decide what to do when I ll be older

Anonymous said...

Hi miss Ale
sory
the comment posted on the
18 of october at
19:59 is mine
Bye
Antonio

Anonymous said...

Dear Miss Ale,
I think this man is amazing!!!!!!!!
I haven´t really thought about my dream job... I´ll try to trell you tomorrow!
Cami

Anonymous said...

Hello miss ale,
After watching the video I got to an agreement that:
Introduction:
In late 2006, a Malawian newspaper first wrote about a remarkable young man from a remote rural village north of the capital city.

1. What do I think?
I think that William made a big difference in his life, he had a lot of courage, not everyone can build a windmill as he did, its outstanding how he redacts how he did this almost imposible dream, possible.
2.What type of man is William? Why?
William, according to my thoughts was a poor person and he is a person who has a lot of hope, he reminds me of Mandela becuase he didnt have enough money almostly to live and less to work and becuase of that he didnt have a very nice infance.
3.Wiliam has a dream which is to finish school and start his own company.
Which is YOUR dream?
My dream is: When I grow up and I graduate from school I would love to have my own airplane company and make a lond trip around the world.
See You,
Ana

Valentina P. said...

Hi Miss Ale

I liked the video, it was very intresting.
I could see that William was a very samrt boy who achieved his mommentary goal(making a mill).
I can´t believe he was only 14 years old when he made his first wind mill.

As most well-known heroes they are moslty not supported by friends or family.

We can outstand the idea of the big mind behind this. He lived there his entire life and it is good that he realise that if in Malawi there is alot of wind that they can exploted in a good way!

I had many dreams in life which I tried to achive, they are like goals. This year many goals of mines had been achived many dreams came true.

I still dream and every nicht before I go to bed I think the good things that happened to me. Most probably their would be many. When I think that I realise that almost all my dreams came true. Then the next nicht I come up with other dreams.

DREAMS & LOVE ARE THE MOST POWERFUL THING IN LIFE BECUASE THEY ARE THE THING WE HAVE THE NEAREST TO MAGIC.


I have many dreams wich I will spend more than a day (24hours) to make the half.

Kisses
Valen P.

Anonymous said...

ruhi miss ale
I think that people that live in bad places think in trying to make a solution as William did
I think william kamkwamba is a perseveriant man that instead of trying to live bad he tried to find a solution and investigated and thought a lot.
I think that my dream is to live a good life with my family.
hi is a real hero and a example for everyone
kisses vale g
William really impressed me i have never thought about a poor man thinking in that way and wanting to progres

Anonymous said...

Wow, all from a book. The world needs more dreamers and doers like William.

I am going to post a link from our class blog to yours and have my kids share some comments.

Mr. Alvaro
edublogs.misd.net/theskinny

Anonymous said...

I think that William is a great heroe because he saved a part of the world so not only for Malawi is the hero , he is the hero for all, and when he saved Malawi he do it in a positive way.
My dream is to be a heroe but for that i have to do many things .
Lolo

Mike Roncka said...

Dear Mrs. Ale,

I thought it was amazing what he did. William is a guy who wants to change the world, becuse his country needs help. My dream is to go to Paris to become a fashion designer.

From, Sydney

Anonymous said...

Hello Mrs Ale!!!
I can't believe that a simlpe man like William a man who ha't money to go to school at the age of 14 read some books and bulit a windmill to generate electricity it's incredible. When I read the word windmill I instantely remebered the day when Mateo's grandfather came to school and gave us a talk about windmills, he told us that the windmills he fabricated were enormous and that every spike the windmill had measured 100 meters long and that every windmill he fabricated gave electricity to 10,000 people and in the video when I saw the farm of windmills in California I couldn't imagine the quantity of electricity that was running around there to see cities, it is amazing. Mateo;s father also told us that he had hydraulic electricity that was also amazing.
William was a very simple man who lived in Africa in a vilalge of 60 person's and he didn't have the money to go to school but he is a genius because by reading some books he could make a windmill and the people in the vilalge at the beggining didn't even support him but later after they saw what he was doing they started helping him and later he started becoming famous (in a small way) and traveled to United States and the people intreviewed him, and I think that there should be more people like this that instead of being lazy and stay like that they could creat someting to help him and the rest like a windmill so I think that William is a great person and that I think that he will become worldwide known because if he reach his goal.
My dream is to study in university and get married and have a life were by a good job benifice others.
Bye Ale
Pancu 6A

Anonymous said...

I thought it was amazing what he did. William is a guy who wants to change the world. His country needs help. My dream is to become a lawyer.

Sincerely,
Pierce

Maria said...

I think William is a hero because he achieved his goals by working hard, never giving up and making his village a better place for everyone.
My dream is to one day become a sports broadcaster. I love sports and want to learn more about them and the players.
Maria M.

Anonymous said...

Wow! what an inteligent guy. He is a smart, caring, never giving up kind of guy. He wanted to make power for the people of his country. My dream is to become a lawyer.

sincerly,Pierce

Parker said...

I think it was cool how how he built a windmill with different supplies then we do I THOUGHT IT WAS AMAZING!
William is a helping, caring,smart young man who cares about helping others in need.

I would like to help other people when I grow up.

Aleah said...

Miss Ale,

After I watched the video I think that more people should be like William where he lives. One day I want to be a softball sports anouncer, or a lawer. William is a hero because he provided electricity for his town by building the windmill. I think it is amazing how a 14 year old boy could build a windmill like that.Thanks for teaching me about that.

From,
Aleah

Anonymous said...

I think that it was amazing that a 14 years old boy could make a macheen that can creat electriziity on a farm in the middle of nowhere with no tools or no help atall. He could be conciderd to be a hero for his village.
Harry J

Anonymous said...

Hi Ale:

I think this man has a great future. It is awsome the thing he invented. He has a very big imagination. He used a bycivle!! It is realy incredible. He desarved many things. His creativity is enormous. Without words.

Juako