UNIT PLANNER
Science overarching idea:
Matter and Energy: Sustainability
Students questions selected and referenced answers (dot points):

Does the soap clean the water or make it dirty?
Soap allows substances that are usually insoluble in water to dissolve. This is how it
removes dirt and other things. However, this means that all these substances, as well
as the soap particles are added to the water. This makes the water dirty, as these
particles have to be filtered out before the water can be discharged (Soap, 2013).

How can you clean dirty water?
The water treatment process for household waste varies between places, but there is a
general pattern that is followed.
The first two stages are used to remove large particles of dirt and other substances that
are in the water. First, particles are added to the water that bind with the unwanted
substances to form larger particles. A settling process follows this. The water is left
sitting in a still tank, and the large particles float to the bottom due to the fact that they
are heavier than the water.
The third stage involves various form of filtration. The clear water at the top of the tank
is siphoned off and passed through varying grade filters. These filters are different
substances, such as sand, gravel, and charcoal. Different substances are used so that
different sized particles will all be filtered out.
The use of microorganisms to remove biological particles is also common (Schroth &
Lanfair, 2011)
Year Level:
Grade 1/2
Sessions: 2
Date: 19/03/2013 &
30/04/2013
Overall aims of the unit
At the end of this unit students will be able to:
 Explain briefly how water comes to be polluted.
 Identify some causes of water pollution.
 Recognize the difficulty of cleaning polluted water.
 State measures to minimize their impact on water pollution.
Overall relevance of the topic and aims for the students social context and
needs:
 The school is situated in an urban location which is a major
contributor to water pollution, through littering and incorrect
disposal of household waste.
 Students need to become aware of the impact they may have
and their responsibility to be environmentally conscious citizens.
 In students being aware of the various causes of pollution and
what they can do to help prevent it, they are better able to put
into place steps to lower their pollution contribution.
Key Vocabulary:

Pollution

Effect

Cause

Action

Environment

Water

Clean

Dirty

Waste

Drain

Litter

Cycle

Lakes

Oceans
SESSION 1
Learning outcomes:
Teaching approach assigned and short description:
Sustainability
Through the sustainability approach students are provided with ‘authentic contexts for
exploring, investigating and understanding chemical, biological, physical and Earth and
space systems’ (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2011,
para.10).
In order to become environmentally aware, students develop skills such as observation and
analysis, whilst exploring the associations of cycles and cause and effect (ACARA, 2011).
The sustainability approach aims to enable students to become aware and make informed
decisions relating to their impact on the world around them. Students use science to make
predictions and visualise the possible impacts within the school context to then apply in the
broader community (ACARA, 2011).
Key Equipment / Resources:
 4 x Buckets
 Tarp
 Water
 Waste
 4 x Tongs
 4 x Strainer
 Filter
 Vegetable Oil
 Dirt
 Gloves
 Cardboard Diagram
 Images of Water Pollution
 Examples of Water Pollution
Prevention Posters
Key Australian Science Curriculum Standard:
Science Understanding
Earth and Space Sciences
Earth’s resources, including water, are used in a variety of ways
(ACSSU32) (ACARA, 2011)
Science as a Human Endeavour
Use and Influence of Science
People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their
environment and living things (ACSHE035) (ACARA, 2011)
Science Inquiry Skills
Questioning and Predicting
Respond to and pose questions, and make predictions about familiar
objects and events (ACSIS037) (ACARA, 2011)
Students will identify water pollutants, such as oil, soap and household waste.
Students will be able to explain causes of water pollution, such as littering, urban run-off and incorrect disposal of waste, and the difficulties in remedial action.
Students will develop an awareness of the urban water cycle.
Specific Activities Session 1
Introduction – Urban Water Cycle Diagram
 Students will contribute to the group construction of the urban water cycle, sequencing the diagram cards that illustrate the steps involved in the cycle.
 Students will question and discuss the arrangement of each element of the cycle.
Experiment – Cleaning Polluted Waters
 Students will question and discuss the origin of pollutants and make connections with the waste used in the experiment.
 Students will develop a hypothesis relating to the appearance, smell and texture of the water once the waste is added.
 Students will create polluted water using a bucket of clean water and waste.
 Students will develop a hypothesis relating to whether or not the water will be able to be ‘cleaned’.
 Students will work in pairs to try and clean polluted water, using tongs, strainers and filters.
 Students will briefly explain the effects of the waste on the water.
Discussion and Closure
 Students will question, discuss and evaluate the process of cleaning polluted water and make relevant links to the impact of their actions on the environment.
SESSION 2: (Self-guided)
Learning outcomes:
Students will identify measures to minimize their impact on water pollution.
Students will apply this knowledge of water pollution to create a poster educating others.
Specific Activities Session 2
-Type of work:
Group discussion
Creating posters in pairs
-Instructions for the students to follow:
For this session students will continue learning about water pollution. Read the following instructions to guide their learning during this session, using the resources
provided.
1. Revisit previous lesson (Students discussed the effects of water pollution and the urban water cycle).
 What did you learn?
 What did you find interesting?
2. Facilitate group discussion using images and list student responses as a brainstorm.
o Guiding questions:
 What do you notice in this photo?
 How do you think this water became polluted?
 How could we fix this?
 How could we inform others?
3. Present students with examples of posters and discuss possible actions in preventing water pollution.
4. In pairs, students create a poster stating a particular way to prevent water pollution.
5. Students present their posters to the group and talk about them.
6. Students display their posters around the school.
References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2011). Science: Cross-Curriculum Priorities – Sustainability. Retrieved March 27, 2013 from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/Cross-Curriculum-Priorities
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2011). Science: Year Two. Retrieved March 27, 2013 from
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/Curriculum/F-10#level=2
Along the way. (2010). Experiment - Can we undo water pollution? Retrieved March 27, 2013 from http://gironlife.blogspot.com.au/2010/04/experiment-can-you-undowater-pollution.html
Goodrum, D., Hackling, M. & Rennie, L. (2001). The status and quality of teaching and learning of science in Australian schools. Canberra: Department of Education, Science
and Training.
Schroth, S., & Lanfair, J. (2011). Water purification. In D. Mulvaney, & P. Robbins (Eds.), The SAGE Reference Series on Green Society toward a Sustainable Future: Green
technology: An A-to-Z guide. (pp. 451-455). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: 10.4135/9781412975704.n121
Skamp, K. (2012). Teaching primary science constructively (4th ed.). South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.
Soap. (2013). In Chemistry Explained Encyclopaedia. Retrieved Sunday April 7, 2013 from http://www.chemistryexplained.com/Ru-Sp/Soap.html