Students will develop a definition of healthy water based on student-centred classroom discussions. The students will also develop a definition of unhealthy water based on student-centred discussions. These definitions will serve as the basis for all discussions relating to water health issues.

The students will begin to examine unhealthy water by learning about John Snow and his work with waterborne diseases.

In the summer of 1831, when Snow was eighteen and in his fourth year as an apprentice, a cholera epidemic struck London. The disease had already killed hundreds of thousands of people in Europe.

John Snow Questions (Elementary) 1. How old was John Snow when he began to work as an apprentice for Dr. Hardcastle? 2. How many people died in the 1831-1832 cholera epidemic in England? 3. Doctors believes that ____ were the cause of cholera but Dr. Snow believed that _____ were the cause of cholera.

John Snow Questions (High School) 1. How old was John Snow when he began to work as an apprentice for Dr. Hardcastle? 2. How many people died in the 1831-1832 cholera epidemic in all of Europe? 3. Define miasma theory and germ theory.

The students will investigate five common diseases that can be transmitted by water by becoming the experts on a particular disease. Each learning centre will have information to read and questions to answer. After learning about the disease, each group of students will present their information so that the whole class can learn about the disease.

1. Which disease are you researching? 2. What type of organism causes this disease? 3. What are the symptoms of this disease? Can it be spread from person to person? How long do the symptoms last? Can it be treated?

1. Which disease are you researching? What is the scientific name for the disease-causing organism? 2. What type of organism causes this disease? 3. Draw the organism and its life cycle.

Blank chart for students to fill in information about Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Hepatitis A, and Shigella

The students will look at five water treatment processes and identify the effectiveness, practicality and applicability of each. Students will also examine other methods that influence water quality and treatment methods, including education, funding, rights and treaty rights.

A community gets its drinking water from a nearby lake. After many years, the company responsible for emptying the septic tanks in the community has shut down and a new company from out of town now empties the septic tanks. It would cost the company more money to haul the waste to their plant so the company has been dumping their trucks in a pit near the lake.

As the ball tournament begins to wind down, people begin to get sick. At first, three kids get sick and are taken to hospital. Then more and more people become ill. Over the next week, the number of sick people rises and includes almost everyone who was at the ball tournament and most of the community. There are no deaths but the final count of people who became sick is over 1000.

1. There are several methods of water treatment. Which method did you look at? 2. Describe how this method works to improve water quality. What does this method remove from the water?

Conventional Treatment can not be used by itself because coliforms, bacteria and other contaminants may not coagulate and therefore are allowed to pass through the system untreated.

The students will look at four recent waterborne illness outbreaks in Canada and the United States. They will use the knowledge from the two previous classes to explain the outbreaks and elaborate on questions regarding the outbreaks.

Milwaukee receives its water from Lake Michigan. The origin of the contamination was found to be sewage that passed through the plant’s filtration system. Where the sewage came from is still unknown but it might have been run off from a farm or feed lot.

The city of New Orleans, Louisiana was one of the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. The bustling city was flooded as the levees protecting the city failed. The flood waters filled the streets with almost every imaginable type of contamination. Fuel, chemical, and biological products combined to make what some people referred to as a “toxic soup”.

In March 2001, the solids contact unit in the surface water treatment plant was emptied and all the sludge removed from the bottom in order to inspect, clean and repair a crack that had formed in the cement floor. This type of repair should normally be done in February, so that the spring breakup and runoff will not affect the system.

In May 2000, a waterborne disease outbreak occurred in Walkerton, Ontario. Over 2,300 people became ill and seven people died as a result of E. coli 0157:H7 and Campylobacter jejuni contamination in their drinking water. An inquiry was called to determine how the water had become contaminated and if charges should be laid against those directly involved with the treatment of water.

When Water Goes Bad: A look at four cases of water contamination Let's look at 4 cases from Canada and the US. Milwaukee, WI - Cryptosporidium outbreak; North Battleford, SK - Cryptosporidium outbreak; New Orleans, LA - E. coli, cholera, fecal coliforms; Walkerton, ON - E. coli contamination

Students will look at how the world views water, what’s being done to improve water quality and access, and statistics regarding water.

The students will understand that water is controlled at a provincial level with a few exceptions. They will also examine the state of First Nations water supplies by comparing two communities (Saddle Lake, AB and Kashechewan, ON).

The drinking water for the community is drawn downstream from where the sewage is pumped out. The community had been on a Boil Water Advisory for 2 years prior to 2005. Over 1,000 people had to be evacuated from the community for medical treatment.

There are 755 Aboriginal communities with drinking water systems, all under the responsibility of the federal government. When water becomes undrinkable, the federal government issues a boil water advisory.

Water in Canada: Water has always been thought of as being pure, clean and safe in Canada. Many Canadians believe that they can safely drinking water from any stream or lake they come across.

Through their participation in the press conference, students will question the “THEY” in terms of who is responsible for healthy drinking water (provincial or federal governments). Furthermore, the students will formulate an opinion and come to a consensus regarding who is responsible for drinking water.

I promise to use drinking water wisely. I will use only what I need so that future generations will have healthy drinking water. I will also work to educate others about the value of healthy drinking water and make my voice heard.

My grade X class has spent the last few days learning about healthy drinking water. Based on what we have learned, I believe that healthy drinking water is a very important issue that the government should be focusing on.