Topic: Clean water and sanitation: protecting health and our future

• Target group: Grades 8-9.
• Length: 45 minutes.
• Main idea: students read about drinking water treatment, wastewater, sanitation, hygiene, and create a mini action plan.
• Integration: Biology, Geography, Civic Education, ICT.

2. Slide deck content (10 slides)
3. Title slide – Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6). Include SDG 6 icon and pictures of taps, pipes, and rivers.
4. What is SDG 6? – explain clean water, sanitation, and why they matter globally and locally.
5. From river to tap – show the main stages: screening, filtration, disinfection, testing, pipes.
6. Why infrastructure matters – broken pipes, leaks, contaminants, waste of energy and money.
7. What is wastewater? – used water from sinks, showers, washing machines, and toilets.
8. Why sanitation matters – prevents pollution and waterborne diseases.
9. Wastewater treatment – remove solid waste, use bacteria and filters, return cleaner water to nature.
10. What students can do – do not flush wipes or plastic, report leaks, wash hands, save water.
11. Group task – identify water issues in school and suggest practical solutions.
12. Reflection – one new fact, one useful word, one habit to change.
13. Student worksheet
14. Read Text A and Text B and write the main idea of each text in one sentence.
15. Complete 5 true / false statements and correct the false ones.
16. Answer full-sentence questions about drinking water treatment and wastewater.
17. Match key words to definitions: sanitation, wastewater, contaminants, conserve, hygiene.
18. Complete 4 gap-fill sentences using new vocabulary.
19. In groups, fill in a “Water issues and solutions” table and present a 30-60 second mini action plan.
20. Wordwall activities

• Match up: sanitation vocabulary and definitions.
• Maze chase / quiz: choose the correct action to protect water at school.
• Anagram: treatment plant, hygiene, contaminants, wastewater, conserve.
• Random cards: quick speaking prompts such as “How can students save water?” or “Why is wastewater treatment important?”

5. Liveworksheets tasks

• Reading task with true / false and short answers.
• Drag-and-drop flow chart: put the water treatment stages in the correct order.
• Vocabulary gap fill using SDG 6 words.
• Picture labelling: tap water, leak, wastewater pipe, treatment plant, handwashing.

6. Nearpod lesson flow
7. Warm-up poll – “Do you usually drink tap water?”
8. Collaborate board – students post one water problem they notice at school or in the community.
9. Teacher input or short video about water treatment and sanitation.
10. Quiz – 6 questions on water journey, sanitation, and hygiene.
11. Open-ended response – “What should our school improve first: saving water, fixing leaks, or hygiene reminders?”
12. Final activity – groups share their mini action plans.
13. Genially idea

• Create a clickable “Water Journey” poster where students explore river, treatment plant, pipes, home, and wastewater plant.
• Each stop opens one fact, one question, and one action students can take.
• Add a final mission: build the best 3-step school water plan.

8. Exit ticket

• In this lesson I learned that…
• One habit I want to change is…
• One word I will remember is…
• My participation today was … because…

9. Answer key / expected answers

• Text A main idea: drinking water must be cleaned and transported safely before it reaches homes and schools.
• Text B main idea: sanitation and wastewater treatment protect people, rivers, and seas from pollution and disease.
• True / False answers: F, T, F, T, T.
• Two steps in cleaning drinking water: screening, filtration, disinfection, testing.
• Wastewater example: used water from sinks, showers, washing machines, or toilets.
• Student actions: turn off taps, report leaks, avoid flushing rubbish, wash hands with soap.
  
  

  Reading
  texts: Clean water and sanitation (SDG 6)

  Read Text A and Text B. Underline words
  you do not know. Try to guess their meaning from the context. After reading,
  complete the tasks in Appendix 2.

  TEXT A – From river to tap: the city water
  journey
  In many towns and cities, drinking water starts in a
  river, lake, or underground well. Before it reaches our homes, it is cleaned at
  a water treatment plant. First, water is screened to remove leaves and large
  pieces of rubbish. Next, it is filtered so that small particles of dirt are
  taken out. After that, the water is disinfected (often with chlorine or UV
  light) to kill germs that can cause disease. Finally, the clean water is tested
  and pumped through pipes to schools and houses.
  Good infrastructure is important: old or broken pipes can let contaminants in
  and cause leaks. That means clean water is wasted before it even gets to
  people. Saving water at home and at school also helps, because treatment uses
  energy and money.

  Word / phrase	Meaning (simple)	Example sentence	Category
  safe drinking water	water that is clean and safe to drink	Everyone should have access to safe drinking water.	water
  sanitation	safe toilets and systems for waste	Sanitation protects people and rivers from pollution.	sanitation
  wastewater	used water from sinks, showers and toilets	Wastewater must be treated before it returns to nature.	sanitation
  treatment plant	a place where water is cleaned	The treatment plant filters and disinfects drinking water.	infrastructure
  contaminants	harmful substances or dirt	Contaminants can make water unsafe.	water
  conserve	to save and use less	We can conserve water by fixing leaks.	action
  hygiene	habits that keep us clean and healthy	Good hygiene includes washing hands with soap.	health

  TEXT B – Sanitation: why toilets and
  wastewater matter
  Clean water is only one part of a healthy community.
  Sanitation means having safe toilets and a system to collect and treat
  wastewater. Wastewater is used water from sinks, showers, washing machines, and
  toilets. If it is released untreated, it can pollute rivers and seas and spread
  waterborne diseases.
  At a wastewater treatment plant, solid waste is removed, then the water is
  cleaned using bacteria and filters. In the end, cleaner water can be returned
  to nature. Everyone can help: never flush wipes, plastic, or oil; use only the
  needed amount of water; and report dripping taps. Good hygiene, like washing
  hands with soap, is one of the easiest ways to protect health.

   

  A.
  Reading comprehension

  1.
  Write one sentence about the main idea of each text.

  a)
  Text A is about ____________________________________

  b)
  Text B is about ____________________________________

  2.
  True or False? Correct the false sentences.

  	Statement	True or False
  1.	Water goes directly from a river to homes without cleaning.
  2.	Filtration removes some dirt and small particles.
  3.	Sanitation means only personal cleanliness.
  4.	Wastewater treatment helps reduce pollution.
  5.	Reporting leaks can help save water.

   

  3.
  Answer in full sentences.

  	Question	Answer
  1.	Name two steps in cleaning drinking water.
  2.	Why is drinking water disinfected?
  3.	What is wastewater?
  4.	How can poor sanitation harm nature?
  5.	What can students do to support SDG 6?

   

  Water issues and solutions

  Complete the table:

  Water issue	Why it matters	Possible solution	Who can help
  leaking taps	water is wasted	repair taps, report leaks	school, students
  dirty river water	unsafe for nature and people	stop pollution, clean-up actions	city, community
  too much water use	wastes resources	use only what is needed	families, school
  poor hygiene	germs spread easily	wash hands, use soap	everyone