Turning on the tap

Turning on the tap – a new guided teaching resource – provides an integrated approach to teach students about one of our most important resources…

What’s behind our tap water? It’s one of life’s essentials and a precious resource but there’s a lot that has to happen in order for water to reach the tap, safe, clean and ready for drinking. Is there enough to go around? And will there be enough in the future?

Commissioned by the Greater Wellington Regional Council, Turning on the tap helps students to understand where their tap water comes from and make informed decisions about how they use it.  It provides an integrated unit of work for Year 5-8 students with content that is particularly relevant for schools in the Wellington region.

The resource covers a term’s work for the curriculum areas of Science, Social Science, Health, Technology, Mathematics and English. Its guided approach allows teachers with very little experience in environmental education or sustainability education to teach the concepts of water conservation, water treatment and environmental action. There’s also the ability to select specific activities if your time is limited.

Turning on the tap is made up of six sections:

• Water as a resource – helps students understand that water is a precious resource and investigate the differences in water use around the world
• The water cycle – includes activities based around the natural water cycle and how water changes state and moves around the environment
• How water gets to our taps – explores how water is delivered from water collection areas to the taps in our homes, workplaces and industry
• Water treatment plant visit – examines the water treatment process inside a water treatment plant. A key part of the section is a visit to one of the Greater Wellington Regional Council’s water treatment plants (either Te Marua or Wainuiomata).  Schools are responsible for their transport to and from the plants. Tour availability is limited so be in quick to book your spot!
• How much water are we using? – students measure daily water use at school and explore what it is used for
• Making change – provides students with the opportunity to use their new knowledge to make informed decisions on how they use water, identifying priorities for change and actions for the environment to reduce their use of tap water

As well as linking to specific learning areas, the resource also incorporates the values, key competencies and principles from the current New Zealand curriculum with particular emphasis placed on ecological, sustainability, innovation, curiosity, inquiry, equity, community and participation values.

Copies of Turning on the tap

Turning on the tap can be downloaded - see the documents on the right-hand side of this page.  The resource is made up of a booklet, a slideshow, a set of photocards and 6 posters.  If you are a school from Lower Hutt, Porirua, Upper Hutt or Wellington and you would like a hard-copy of the resource please contact Greater Wellington on: info@gw.govt.nz or 04 384 570.