Crack the Code: Water Treatment
Checking the inside of a pipe (101cats, iStockphoto)
Checking the inside of a pipe (101cats, iStockphoto)
How does this align with my curriculum?
Students learn about the water treatment process as they complete a digital “escape room” on a Google site.
| Activities | Timing | Student grouping | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minds-On: How is water treated? | 15 - 20 minutes | Individual/ Large group | Students will read and talk about municipal water treatment. |
| Action: Crack the Code! | 20-30 minutes | Small group | Students will participate in an escape room-like activity about water treatment. |
| Consolidation: Careers in Water Treatment | 15-20 minutes | Individual | Students will answer questions and reflect on having a career in water treatment. |
Students will:
- learn about how communities process water
- learn about drinking water issues in indigenous communities
- learn about different careers related to the water treatment process
- develop digital literacy skills
Learning Goals
Students will:
- learn about how communities process water
- learn about drinking water issues in indigenous communities
- learn about different careers related to the water treatment process
- develop digital literacy skills
Students will:
- explain how communities process wastewater
- become familiar with drinking water issues in indigenous communities
- identify careers in water treatment
- successfully navigate, obtain information and complete online puzzles
Success Criteria
Students will:
- explain how communities process wastewater
- become familiar with drinking water issues in indigenous communities
- identify careers in water treatment
- successfully navigate, obtain information and complete online puzzles
This icon indicates potential assessment opportunities.
Observations
- Observe and record anecdotally students ability to use their digital literacy skills to navigate and complete activities on multiple websites (Action).
Conversations
- Have conversations with students about their responses to the Anticipation Guide (Minds-on).
Products
- Students complete all online activities and successfully identify the mystery phrase on the Google site (Action).
- Students could submit their Water Treatment Careers reproducibles (Consolidation).
Evidence of Student Learning
This icon indicates potential assessment opportunities.
Observations
- Observe and record anecdotally students ability to use their digital literacy skills to navigate and complete activities on multiple websites (Action).
Conversations
- Have conversations with students about their responses to the Anticipation Guide (Minds-on).
Products
- Students complete all online activities and successfully identify the mystery phrase on the Google site (Action).
- Students could submit their Water Treatment Careers reproducibles (Consolidation).
Students will:
- learn about how communities process water
- learn about drinking water issues in indigenous communities
- learn about different careers related to the water treatment process
- develop digital literacy skills
Learning Goals
Students will:
- learn about how communities process water
- learn about drinking water issues in indigenous communities
- learn about different careers related to the water treatment process
- develop digital literacy skills
Students will:
- explain how communities process wastewater
- become familiar with drinking water issues in indigenous communities
- identify careers in water treatment
- successfully navigate, obtain information and complete online puzzles
Success Criteria
Students will:
- explain how communities process wastewater
- become familiar with drinking water issues in indigenous communities
- identify careers in water treatment
- successfully navigate, obtain information and complete online puzzles
This icon indicates potential assessment opportunities.
Observations
- Observe and record anecdotally students ability to use their digital literacy skills to navigate and complete activities on multiple websites (Action).
Conversations
- Have conversations with students about their responses to the Anticipation Guide (Minds-on).
Products
- Students complete all online activities and successfully identify the mystery phrase on the Google site (Action).
- Students could submit their Water Treatment Careers reproducibles (Consolidation).
Evidence of Student Learning
This icon indicates potential assessment opportunities.
Observations
- Observe and record anecdotally students ability to use their digital literacy skills to navigate and complete activities on multiple websites (Action).
Conversations
- Have conversations with students about their responses to the Anticipation Guide (Minds-on).
Products
- Students complete all online activities and successfully identify the mystery phrase on the Google site (Action).
- Students could submit their Water Treatment Careers reproducibles (Consolidation).
Materials and Preparation
Teaching and Learning Activities
Minds-On: How is Water Treated? (15-20 mins.)
| Instructions | Teaching Tips |
|---|---|
|
Activate prior knowledge by having students do the BEFORE READING part of the Water Treatment Anticipation Guide reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF]. 
See the Anticipation Guide Learning Strategy for more information about using this strategy. Next, have students read the Water Treatment backgrounder. In it they will learn about how water is treated at municipal water treatment plants. After reading, have them complete the AFTER READING section.
As a class, review the correct responses to the statements using the Water Treatment Anticipation Guide Answer Key [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF]. Have conversations with students about their responses. Were any of the answers surprising to them? If you wish, you may want to talk about indigenous water issues in more depth and have students look at the links in the Community Connections section. |
LanguageStudents could use a learning strategy such as Annotated Text Scrolls or AB Each Teach to deepen their understanding of the information in the backgrounder.
LanguageModify or change the questions in the anticipation guide to meet the language needs of the learners in your class. You may want to provide a glossary of terms to go along with it. 
Community ConnectionsFind out if there are any drinking water advisories currently in effect near you. Students who may be experiencing a water advisory could talk about their experiences, if they feel comfortable in doing so. As this topic could have emotional implications for some students, you may want to send a note home with students letting them know that this is a topic the class may be discussing. Several groups are working to improve water quality in indigenous communities. For example, the Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation is providing on-site training to operators of water treatment facilities located in the 22 participating First Nations. In addition, Water First is a settler NGO that is dedicated to working with Indigenous communities. They focus on technical skills training in the fields of both drinking water and environmental water, as well as water science education for Indigenous youth. |
Action: Crack the Code (20-30 mins.)
| Instructions | Teaching Tips |
|---|---|
|
Arrange students into small groups and ensure they have access to a device with internet access. Have students navigate to the Google site for the Crack the Code: Water Treatment activity [Google site]. 
On this site, students will have the opportunity to: 
Observe students ability to successfully answer the questions and complete the online activities. The correct answer for each part can be found on the Crack the Code: Water Systems Answers [PDF]. |
TechnologyBe prepared to assist students with any technical challenges they encounter. If students are unsure where to find the questions and activities, explain that they will find them by hovering over the words and images in the water treatment animation. 
LanguageYou may wish to assign groups so that students with varying levels of language skills are supported by their peers. One way would be to print out the career profiles for students who prefer to read on paper. |
Did you know?
Many reserves do not have municipal water access or even any type of water treatment plant.
Consolidation: Careers in Water Treatment (15-20 mins.)
| Instructions | Teaching Tips |
|---|---|
|
Provide students with a Water Treatment Careers reproducible [Google doc] [Word doc] [PDF] and then have them navigate to the Careers page of the Crack the Code: Water Treatment activity [Google site]. They will use the slideshow at the top to answer questions on the reproducible. 
After completing the activity, students could share responses or the reproducibles could be submitted.
|
Community ConnectionsIn addition, or alternatively, have students view video career profiles of indigenous water operators from Watermovement.ca.
LanguageEncourage students to look up any vocabulary they are not familiar with from the carer profiles. You could also give a quick language lesson on dealing with unfamiliar words, such as breaking down words into roots/prefixes/suffixes. |
Let’s Talk Science appreciates the work and contributions of Meghan Polowin from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board in the development of this lesson.
Background Information for Teachers
Water Treatment in Canada
Image - Text Version
Shown is an aerial colour photograph of five large, manufactured pools of water, pipes and buildings in a green landscape.
In the foreground are three perfectly round pools around a square building. Each pool has a small rectangular structure in the centre. A pipe runs from the building across one pool to another square structure.
Pipes are connected to the objects at the centres of the other two pools. These join together into a very long pipe that runs over the grass. This leads to one end of a pair of identical, rectangular pools behind.
Narrow beige roads cut through the green grass around the perimeter of all the pools. The land is mostly flat, deep green, and dotted with leafy trees. In the background, a wide river flows to the horizon. The sky above is hazy blue, with a few white clouds.