1. Have students work individually. 2. Provide the students with the "How Can You Help?" handout. 3. Have the students define the problem and determine what they know about the problem, what they need to learn more about, and where they need to look to find information. 4. Students conduct research, find information, and work towards deciding what they should do. The teacher acts as a metacognitive coach, serving as a model.
The students will be able to visualize how water is stored in an aquifer. They will also see how groundwater becomes contaminated, and how these contaminants can end up in their drinking water. The main idea is to relate the above ground actions of people to the drinking water that is stored underground.
The following questions should be addressed and answered within the lesson: Where does our drinking water supply come from? (Groundwater or Surface Water) Why is it important to treat drinking water? What impurities or contaminants may be found in our drinking water? What are the effects of poor water quality on human health? How can our water be made safe to drink? What is the difference between rural and urban drinking water? What is the difference between Canadian drinking water guidelines and the regulations for Drinking Water in Europe and USA?
There are two major sources of water: Groundwater - found below the ground where it accumulated in between soil and rocks. The volume of water can range from small to very large similar to above ground creeks, rivers and lakes. Surface water - found on the Earth's surface in lakes, ponds, rivers, etc. Drinking water should be: Clear, Colourless, Odourless
There are two major sources of water: Groundwater - found below the ground where it accumulates in between soil and rocks. The volume of water can range from small to very large similar to above ground creeks, rivers and lakes, found in bodies of water that resemble underground lakes called aquifers. Surface water - found on the Earth's surface in lakes, rivers, dugouts and reservoirs
Drinking water should be: Clear, Colourless, Odourless
Students will state and describe the steps of the water treatment process that must occur before water can be safely used by community residents. Students will compare and contrast the water treatment guidelines used in different water treatment plants. (Some water treatment plants are less stringent on regulations than others). Students will question the practices of their own community water treatment plant with regards to safe water treatment.
Groundwater 1. How deep down is the water intake? If it is a shallow well (less than 30 m or 100 feet) then chances are that the quality of water is very different from a deep well (can sometimes be more than 100 m deep). The water from a shallow well can often have low levels of salt and other contaminants.
