Webquest: Water

by Karen Kovacs

Level: Intermediate + 8. an aquifer

Target age: Teenagers / Young adults
Time needed: 90 minutes
Key skills: Reading, speaking
Materials: One copy of the worksheet per student
Activity 1: Water facts – take the quiz
Hand out the worksheet. Direct students to the
questions and ask them to discuss them in pairs.
They should try to guess the answers. After they
have finished, students visit www.explainthatstuff.
com/water.html to check their answers.
Key:
1. b
2. c
3. d
4. liquid; solid (ice); gas (steam/water vapour)
5. b; c
6. b (This includes water from food.)
7. c
Webquest TEACHER’S NOTES
9. by drilling holes down and then pumping the
water out
10. There might be bacteria, chemicals and dirt.
This makes the water dangerous or taste bad.
Water treatment
Direct students to the link under the heading
‘How is water treated?’ (on the previous
webpage; direct link: www.scottishwater.co.uk/
assets/education/clearer fresher learning/all
about water/newwatertreatmentdiagram.pdf) Then,
ask them to match the stages of water treatment to
their descriptions.
Key:
1. f
2. b
3. e
4. d
5. a
6. c
Ask students to go back to the previous web page

8. d and complete the sentences with the correct

9. c information.
10. c
Key:
11. a
1. water treatment works
2. water mains; underground
Activity 2: Where do we keep water?
3. (water supply) pipe
Storing and treating water 4. stop cock

Direct students to: www.scottishwater.co.uk/ Activity 3: Water for health

clearer-fresher-learning/all-about-water/all-
about-water/water-treatment. Ask them to read Direct students to: www.scottishwater.co.uk/old-
the page, then answer the questions. education/all-about-water/uses-of-water/water-for-
health. Ask them to read the statements and decide
Key:
if they are true (T) or false (F).
1. in underground lakes and man-made lakes
called reservoirs (Note: Loch is Scottish for Key:
lake.) 1. T
2. in hilly areas where there is a lot of rain 2. T
3. A dam (a thick wall of strong concrete) is 3. F
made across a river. 4. F
4. by opening and closing valves 5. T
5. grit, dirt, harmful bacteria, rotting plants, 6. F
minerals and natural or man-made chemicals 7. T
6. Rain falls down and through the ground and 8. T
collects between layers of rock below. 9. T
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7. soft rocks like chalk and limestone 10. T

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 Webquest: Water
by Karen Kovacs

Activity 4: Saving water Activity 5: Irrigation

Put students in small groups. In their groups, This activity looks at one of the most important
students should think of some ideas on how to uses of water – for growing food.
save water and put them in the ‘your ideas’
sections of the table. Then, they should follow the Simple irrigation
links below, read the tips and add some more Direct students to quatr.us/west-asia/irrigation-
ideas to the ‘more ideas’ sections of the table. farming-history.htm and ask them to complete the
saving water in the kitchen: www.scottishwater. sentences with the missing words.
co.uk/you-and-your-home/your-home/~/link. Key:
aspx?_id=15DA5B951CCE45A6B7CD1093F8FF03 1. dry farming
3D&_z=z 2. rain(fall); wet farming
saving water in the bathroom: www.scottishwater. 3. buckets; hard; donkey; ox
co.uk/you-and-your-home/your-home/water- 4. shaduf / lever; water wheel
efficiency/save-water-in-the-bathroom
Irrigation in developed countries
saving water in the garden: www.scottishwater.
Now, students should go to water.usgs.gov/edu/
co.uk/you-and-your-home/your-home/water-
irmethods.html and complete the chart.
efficiency/save-water-in-the-garden
Key:
Key:
more ideas method how it works good bad points
points
saving • Wash hands, fruit and
water in vegetables in a bowl of water. flood or You collect It’s simple It wastes
Webquest TEACHER’S NOTES

the • Keep a jug of water in the fridge furrow water and and a lot
kitchen instead of running the tap for irrigation pour it on cheap. of water.
cold water. the fields.
• Defrost food in the fridge or drip Water is It’s a very none
microwave. irrigation sent through efficient
• Don’t fill the kettle to the top for plastic pipes use of
one cup of tea. with holes. water.
• Make sure dishwashers and
spray Water flows It’s more It requires
washing machines are full when
irrigation through a modern. machinery.
you run them.
long tube Large A lot of the
saving • Don’t leave the tap on when and is shot areas water is
water in brushing your teeth. out in a can be wasted.
the • If you have an old type of toilet, circle. watered.
bathroom put a water-saving device in the
cistern. better Water is It uses none
• Take a shower instead of a bath spray sprayed water more
– this uses one third of the water. irrigation from a efficiently.
hanging
saving • Water the garden early in the pipe.
water in morning or in the evening using
the a watering can instead of a
Activity 6: Helping people get fresh water
garden hosepipe.
• Use a sponge and bucket to Many groups are helping people in developing
wash the car. countries get fresh water to improve their lives. The
• Collect rainwater in a water butt.
class will now find out how one group is helping.
• Use a brush to clean paths
instead of a hosepipe. Students go to www.wateraid.org/np/what-we-
• Prevent pipes from bursting and do/the-crisis/statistics and use the information to
fix dripping taps.
complete the fact box about the water crisis.
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 Webquest: Water
by Karen Kovacs

Key: Activity 7: Project: How much water do

number of people with no access to 650 million you use?
safe water
Water calculator
number of children born every year 60 million
into homes without sanitation Students follow the link and answer the questions
(= without toilets) to find out how much water their family uses.
number of children who die every 315,000
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/629/629/
year from dirty water
5086298.stm
people reached with safe water 23 million
since 1981
Questionnaire
people reached with improved 21 million
sanitation since 2004 Students write a questionnaire to find out how
much water their family and friends use on
Next, students read about Nara Bahadur Pulami a normal day. They can use the ideas and
and complete the chart. information from activity 4 and the water
calculator activity above. Then, they ask their
Key:
family and friends the questions, noting down
Where is Nepal their answers.
Nara from?
How does When she drinks it, she regularly Presentation
dirty water becomes ill, and her sickness lasts
affect from two to four weeks. Students should now present the results of their
Nara’s wife? survey in the form of a poster – they can use bar
Why does Nara can’t work while his wife is charts, pie charts, photos, etc. They should include
Webquest TEACHER’S NOTES

dirty water sick because he has to look after tips on how to reduce water use.
make Nara’s their children; the medicines to
family treat his wife are expensive.
poorer?

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