Clean Water for All | P1

Water pollution has reduced the availability of potable drinking

water and has further endangered many aquatic lives. It is
necessary that strict measures be taken and enforced to ensure
Collins Abalu
better sustainability of aquatic lives and the ecosystem as a whole.
Teacher, Ladela Secondary
School, Abuja, Nigeria

Clean Water for All

Subject Preparation Total Time:

Science, Geography Prepare two cups of water (one dirty and

60
one clean), ideally so that you can see the
Learning Outcome water clearly.
By the end of the lesson, the students should mins
Project or print out pictures of polluted and
be able to:
clean bodies of water (appendix 1).
Define water pollution Print out the causes of water pollution Age Range:

State or outline some of the causes of worksheet (appendix 2).

8-14
water pollution Project or print out the map (appendix 3).
Describe the global inequality of access to Ensure students have access to a year olds
clean water world map.
Worlds Largest Lesson is a collaborative education project to support the announcement
of the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development. The project is living proof of
the importance of Global Goal 17 Partnerships for the Goals and would not have been possible
without the help of all of our partners working with us and with each other.

Thanks to our Founding Team:

Powered By: Distributed By: Translated By:

And special thanks to those who have worked with us across the world:

Lesson plans created in collaboration with Think Global www.think-global.org.uk. Promoting learning for a just
and sustainable world.
Clean Water for All | P3

Learning Activity 5
mins

Fill two cups with water (one cup with clean water and the other cup with dirty or muddy water).

Think, Pair, Share: Ask students if they notice any differences between the two cups. If so, what are
these differences? If they had to choose between the two cups, which one do they think would be safe
for drinking and which one would be unsafe? Why? What would be the possible effect of drinking from
one of the cups?

Before answering any of these questions out loud, give students a minute to think about the questions
silently. Next, have students pair up with a partner and compare their thoughts and observations.
Finally, have students share their answers with the class.

Differentiation and Alternatives

Instead of doing the Think, Pair, Share activity, have students record their answers and observations
in their science journal or on a piece of paper. Save the journals or papers for the end of the lesson so
students can reflect on what they learnt and see if any of their answers would change.

Learning Activity 10
mins

Explain and/or display a definition of water pollution e.g. Water Pollution is when any source of water
(streams, lakes, oceans) is mixed with substances harmful to living things. You should explain that
you cant always see water pollution.

Show images of clean bodies of water and polluted bodies of water (appendix 1). Ask students to
compare and contrast the pictures, what words would they use to describe them? Have students
decide which picture they think are polluted water and which are clean water.

Differentiation and Alternatives

Students could also come up with questions about the images of polluted water.

Learning Activity 15
mins
Hand out appendix 2 and ask students to read through the causes of water pollution. In pairs, discuss
which they think would be the biggest cause of water pollution. Students then rank the causes from
biggest to smallest cause of water pollution (either by cutting out and sorting or by writing on the sheet
or in their journals).

The idea is for students to think about the various causes and to be ready to explain their choices
rather than have a correct answer. Ask some students to share their ideas with the class.
Clean Water for All | P4

Learning Activity 25
mins

Worldwide there are many people who dont have access to clean water. There are a number of reasons
for this, water pollution is just one reason.

Hand out or display the World Map showing access to clean water worldwide. (appendix 3)

Explain that the map shows where in the world people have easy access to clean water.

Ask students to answer the following questions, they may need to have a standard world map
(appendix 4) showing country names to help them:

Where is their country? Where is it on the clean water map? (appendix 3)

Where are the countries with good access to clean water? Use continent names and compass
directions in your answer.
Where are the countries with less access to clean water? Use continent names and compass
directions in your answer.
How equal is access to clean water around the world? Is it the same for everyone?

Learning Activity 5
mins
Have students write down a question that comes to mind when looking at the clean water map. See if
their peers can help answer their question or use them for homework research or as the basis of future
lessons on this topic.

If you have time, refer students back to their answers at the beginning of the lesson. What do they
think would be the effect of drinking dirty water? Ask students to outline what measures or actions they
believe could be taken in order to control or prevent water pollution where they live.

Take Action for the Global Goals

As an educator you have the power to channel students Visit www.dfcworld.com to get started.
positive energies and help them believe that they are not To download a Design for Change lesson pack or a simple
helpless, that change is possible, and that they can drive it. advice pack for young people to take action
The Design for Change I Can School Challenge invites themselves visit www.globalgoals.org/
children to take action, make change for themselves and share worldslargestlesson
it with children across the world.
Clean Water for All | P5 Appendix 1
Clean Water for All | P6
Clean Water for All | P7
Clean Water for All | P8
Clean Water for All | P9 Appendix 1
Clean Water for All | P10 Appendix 1
Clean Water for All | P11 Appendix 1
Clean Water for All | P12 Appendix 1

All Images Lovingly Provided By Getty Images

Clean Water for All | P13 Appendix 2

CAUSES OF WATER POLLUTION

Dropping litter that then gets Chemicals and waste from Storage of harmful chemicals
washed into streams and farms washing into streams underground, sometimes
rivers. and rivers. leaking into the water supply.

Chemicals from mining Hot water from industry being Plastic bags that have been
washing into streams and dumped into streams and dropped, ending up in the
rivers. rivers. ocean.

Harmful particles in the Chemicals from cleaning and

Soil being washed into air mixing with rain. These washing at home leaking out of
streams and rivers after heavy particles come from cars, pipes into the ground and from
rains. planes and burning fossil fuels there into streams.
for electricity.

Sewage from toilets not

Coloured dyes from making cleaned and treated, so Animals sharing water with
clothes washing into streams it mixes with clean water humans. Their waste products
and rivers. supplies. mix with the water.

Oil spills from ships in the Rubbish being dumped into Fat from cooking that is
ocean. lakes or oceans. washed down sinks.
Appendix 3

Countries in which less than 50% of the population uses improved drinking water sources are
all located in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania
91100%
7690%
5075%
<50%
Clean Water for All | P14

INSUFFICIENT DATA OR NOT APPLICABLE

Proportion of the population using improved drinking water sources in 2015
91-100%
Source: Progress on Sanitaton and Drinking Water 2015. World Health Organisation
76-90%
 Appendix 4

150 120 90 60 30 0 30 60 90 120 150 180

60 60
30 30
0 0
30 30
Clean Water for All | P15

60 60
150 120 90 60 30 0 30 60 90 120 150 180
Clean Water for All | P16 Appendix 5

FURTHER RESOURCES:
Water pollution information: http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/water-pollution/what-is-water-pollution.html
Water pollution information for children: http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/
Water pollution video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgLIMaZAJj0
Creek Freaks Can You See Pollution? activity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLKsifjwPG4
Water games and activities:
For students: http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/kids_4-8.cfm
For teachers: http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/teachers_4-8.cfm
Water filtration animation and experiment: http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/flash/flash_filtration.html
Experiment video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMZpzcItQkc
Removing chlorine from water experiment:
http://www.education.com/science-fair/article/water-purification-filtration/
Water pollution websites for additional research:

http://eschooltoday.com/pollution/water-pollution/what-is-water-pollution.html
http://www.water-pollution.org.uk/