Activity Introduction

Quick summary: In this activity students map the water use of their school or home, establishing where water is used or wasted and what quality of water is needed in various points to meet the needs of the water use at that particular point.

Learning goal:

  • Students will recognise the variety of ways and places water is used in domestic settings.
  • Students will prepare maps based on domestic water use.
  • Students communicate effectively in fair and considered class-wide discussion on issues.

Australian Curriculum Mapping

Content descriptions:

Year 7 science

  • Summarise data, from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, and use scientific understanding to identify relationships and draw conclusions (ACSIS130)
  • Science understanding influences the development of practices in areas of human activity such as industry, agriculture and marine and terrestrial resource management (ACSHE121)

Year 7 Mathematics

  • Identify and investigate issues involving numerical data collected from primary and secondary sources (ACMSP169)

Year 8 Science

  • Summarise data, from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, and use scientific understanding to identify relationships and draw conclusions (ACSIS145)
  • Science understanding influences the development of practices in areas of human activity such as industry, agriculture and marine and terrestrial resource management (ACSHE136)

Year 8 Mathematics

  • Investigate techniques for collecting data, including census, sampling and observation (ACMSP284)

Syllabus Outcomes: SC4-13ES, SC4-7WS. 

Topic: Water

Year levels: 7 and 8

Indoor or outdoor activity: Indoor/Outdoor

Time required: 45+ mins. Parts of this activity can be completed or set as homework.

Learning areas addressed: Geography.

Level of teacher scaffolding: Lead students in class discussion around water, assist students with assessment of water use.

Resources required: Art and writing materials, printed student worksheet.

Homework and extension opportunities: This activity can be repeated at home.

Cool Australia’s curriculum team continually reviews and refines our resources to be in line with changes to the Australian Curriculum.

Worksheets

Teacher Worksheet

Teacher preparation

Activity outline

Although people in many parts of Australia are faced with strict water restrictions around the amounts of water we should use for showering and for watering our gardens, all the water that comes out of our taps in our homes and schools is high quality drinking water, even where it is not needed. We are flushing our toilets with drinking water! On average, a person will use 22 litres of drinkable water every day flushing a toilet!!!

In this activity your students are going to map the water use at your school or at their home.

Divide your class into groups and give each group a printed worksheet. Ask them to follow the instructions on the sheet, being as creative as they like, but also being realistic about their answers.

This activity can be repeated as homework with students mapping the water use in their homes.

 

Discussion and presentation

When students have completed this activity, ask students to present their maps or models, engaging st

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Student Worksheet

Create a map or model of your school that shows all the points where water is used.

Follow these instructions and answer the questions either as a part of your map or model, or on a separate answer sheet:

1. On your map or model mark all the places that need water. This should include taps and toilets, dishwashers and washing machines, and hoses and watering systems outside.

2. How many water points can you find?

3. What sort of water is actually needed in those places?

4. Where do you need high quality drinking water?

5. Where could you use water that is not of such a high quality?

6. Is there anywhere that you could use recycled or low quality water?

7. Is there any way you could reuse water at your school? How would you do it?

(Research some options if you have time – there is plenty of information on the internet about reusing water.)

8. Can you think of or research any ways that you could improve water efficiency in your home or school? What would they involve? What woul

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