This page features inquiry-based lessons that engage students in exploring real-world issues related to lead prevention and safe drinking water. Designed to be completed within a single class period or a short sequence of lessons, each experience guides students through asking focused questions, examining evidence, and drawing clear conclusions. These lessons spark curiosity, strengthen critical thinking, and help students connect classroom learning to the health and safety of their communities.
Diving Into Water Quality
This lesson plan contains age-appropriate classroom activities aligned to North Carolina standards in ELA, Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies to engage students in a cross curricular understanding of the societal impacts of clean water as it applies to human health. Each link below goes to a preview template for teachers. Once you are in the file, click on “USE TEMPLATE” in the top right corner to create a copy for use from your Google Drive
K-2 Lessons
Safe Water Squad: Meet Our Community Water Helpers
Water is essential for life, yet young students rarely consider how it safely reaches their school sinks or who keeps it clean. Even our youngest citizens need to recognize that clean tap water is the result of hard work, science, and teamwork rather than magic. This lesson engages K-2 students in exploring the real-world infrastructure of public water systems.
The Healthy Habits: Using Simple Actions to Be Water Savers
Water is an essential resource for people, plants, and animals, yet young students rarely consider where their tap water comes from or how easily it can be wasted. To support a healthy community, even our youngest citizens must learn to make thoughtful, everyday decisions about how water is used to ensure there is enough for everyone to share. This lesson engages K-2 students in exploring the real-world challenge of water conservation through concrete physical modeling, interactive storytelling, conceptual discussion, and creative communication.
Grades 3-5 Lessons
Every Drop Counts: Using Math to Conserve Water
Water is an essential resource for people, plants, and animals, yet many students rarely consider where their water comes from or how much they use each day. During periods of drought, communities must make thoughtful decisions about how water is used to ensure there is enough for everyone. This lesson engages students in exploring the real-world challenge of water conservation through observation, discussion, data analysis, and mathematical problem solving.