Dirty Water Clean Water

Engage

20 minutes

Ask students to review their notes in their science notebooks from the previous activity and to compare or share what they have learned about the water cycle with a partner or team.

Ask them to where they think the water goes after they use it, and generate a list of questions about this portion of water’s journey.

Next, have the students draw what they think a septic system or water treatment system might look like. Using their science notebooks, they brainstorm and write down the questions they have about how a waste treatment system works.

Explore

30 minutes

Students will listen to a guest speaker, take notes in their science notebooks, and ask questions about water treatment or the effects of water pollution.
The speaker might be:

• A local wastewater treatment supervisor
• A village clean water technician
• A representative of the local soil and water conservation district
• A civil engineer with wastewater expertise.

If you cannot get a guest speaker, and do not have a treatment facility to tour, you can show students the following virtual tours of wastewater treatment plants in other locations:

Explain

30 minutes 

Ask students to draw a new “map” or write a description of where water goes after we use it, in their science notebooks.

Elaborate

30 minutes

Ask students to choose a method to share what they have learned about where water comes from and where it goes. They might create a display or poster for the class or school showing all the components of the journey of water through their watershed. Other products could include a Powerpoint presentation, skit, or brochure.

What is a Septic Tank? is a lesson/activity to create a model septic tank. 

Evaluate

Using their student notebooks, students look at their original description and/or drawing of the water cycle. Ask if they are able to add more details to their drawing. Answer the question: Where does the water go after we have used it?

Teacher assesses student notebooks.