World Water Day
Celebrate World Water Day on March 22 with activities that increase awareness of water quality around the world.
By Jennifer Sinsel
When asked what the most valuable substance on Earth is, most people would respond with “gold” or “platinum.” Hardly anyone in a developed country would think to give the response, “water.” When we turn on the faucet to brush our teeth, fill the coffee pot, or take a shower, most of us give very little thought to where our water comes from or why it’s safe to drink. As World Water Day approaches, it’s a great time to give our students some background knowledge about this precious resource that’s often taken for granted.
World Water Day is an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. This year’s theme is “Clean Water for a Healthy World,” which focuses on raising awareness of water quality worldwide. An estimated 1.1 billion people rely on unsafe sources of drinking water, which means that over one sixth of the world’s population does not have access to clean water. Yet another 2.5 billion lack basic sanitation. Because of these shortages, over 4,000 children in developing countries perish each day due to water-related diseases such as diarrhea and cholera.
There are many ways to raise awareness among your students. Some groups around the world are organizing a World’s Longest Toilet Queue event, in which people will line up outside a toilet (either real or fake) on March 22 to show solidarity for those who are still waiting for their right to proper sanitation and clean water. Thus far, nearly 4,000 people have registered to participate!
If demonstrations aren’t your thing, there are many in-class activities that promote water quality awareness. Students can be introduced to the issues in a brief YouTube video about drinking water. Once they understand the problem, there are numerous activities you can use to delve into this topic. The lessons that follow can teach students about water, the importance of access to safe drinking water, and sanitation.
World Water Day Lessons:
Go to the Sources: Your Town's Tap Water
Students do research to find out where their tap water comes from. They use primary and secondary sources, record results, and conduct a water experiment. There are a variety of activities for students to engage in.
In this lessons students track the water used in their home for a certain period of time, in this case a weekend. They chart the average amount of water used for activities, such as washing the dishes. They answer questions after gathering the information.
Water, Water Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink
Students talk about how important it is to protect the water supply, not only for their generations but for future generations. They examine a situation in which sewage has flowed in to the water system. They use the Internet to research how water is tested and what they can do to conserve the amount of water they use each day.
Water, Water Everywhere!" Lesson Plan
Students show how the water cycle works by putting on a demonstration. They discuss the differences between surface and ground water. They talk about the amount of water available and water conservation.
Water: Our Most Important Beverage
Students fill in a KWL chart showing what they know about water, and what they want to know. They participate in an activity to determine the amount of drinking water on earth, and discuss the water cycle. As a class project, they make an aquifer, and experiment with water purification techniques.
Water Quality Testing and Treatment Lessons:
Splish, Splash, I was Takin' a Bath!
In this lesson students discuss water pollution and how it effects the environment using models and scientific investigation. In the activities, students learn about filtration and aeration, and how these are used to remove pollutants from water. Students also learn about how engineers design water treatment systems.
This lesson has students learn about the different ways to remove pollutants from water, including aeration and filtration. They design and build their own water filters. Students identify the pollutants in a water sample using sight and smell, explore which pollutants can be removed using such things as aeration and filtration, and discuss the effectiveness of different types of filtration systems.
Students study the importance of water in human life. They examine what needs to be done to provide a steady supply of clean water. They discuss how engineers design water purification systems.
Students examine water samples and determine the color/clarity, smell, pH, etc. of each Then they filter the water samples once and assess water quality a second time. Finally, they filter the samples a third time and discuss how repeated filtration affects each sample.