Water pollution

This starter activity provides a quick, engaging introduction to a lesson focusing on the link between water pollution and health by considering the role of engineers in providing us with healthy water supplies

Water is crucial to human life, but it can also be a killer. Water contaminated with micro-organisms or chemicals, which if then used for drinking or cooking, is a leading cause of disease and death across the world. Poor facilities for the disposal of sewage and other waste water can quickly lead to the spread of dangerous diseases.

The lesson therefore encourages students to think about the role of engineers in providing us with healthy water supplies and waste-water disposal systems. The activity also asks students to think more broadly about how engineers play a role in society, at times saving our lives.

This is one of a set of resources developed to aid the teaching of the secondary national curriculum, particularly KS3, supporting the teaching in science, geography and engineering.

Activity: Considering the role of engineers in providing us with healthy water supplies
Students will watch our Safe drinking water film, and discuss how engineers play a role in saving peoples lives.

Following this, students can work through our Running water handout, which provides information about the problems associated with water supplies and water pollution and how engineers work to solve these problems so that we can access clean water.

Finally, students can take our quiz on the importance of water to human life.

Download our activity overview for a detailed lesson plan for teaching students about design materials.

The engineering context
To help ensure that we can access clean water freely, engineers can develop filtration systems to remove impurities, build water networks for distribution, and use chemical treatments to purify waste. They can also make reservoirs to make sure that there’s a reliable water supply as well as build wastewater treatment systems protect the environment. In areas with limited freshwater, engineers even design desalination plants to transform seawater into drinking water.

Suggested learning outcomes
At the end of this lesson students will be aware that clean water supplies and effective methods of waste-water disposal are essential for human health. They’ll also understand some of the methods that engineers create and use to make water safe.

Download our activity sheet and related teaching resources for free
The activity sheet includes teachers’ notes, useful web links, and links (where appropriate) to the national curriculum in each of the four devolved nations; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

All activity sheets and supporting resources are free to download (including video clips), and all the documents are fully editable, so you can tailor them to your students’ and your schools’ needs.

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