Lesson 6 of 7 · Conservation
Experiment⭐ 30 XPWhere Drinking Water Comes From
Conservation.
🎯 Your mission
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
⚡ The twist
Nature loves to surprise the careful watcher.
Mind = Blown
🔬 The more you look, the more nature shows you.
Make a hypothesis first
Before you start: write down what you think will happen, and why.
What You'll Learn
Water is collected from rivers, reservoirs or underground, then screened, settled, filtered and disinfected before it reaches a tap. Each stage removes something different, and skipping any one of them makes the water unsafe.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- plastic bottle
- gravel
- sand
- cotton wool
- muddy water
- beakers
Safety First
- Never drink water you have filtered, however clear it looks.
- Wash hands thoroughly after handling soil or muddy water.
Steps
Read the explanation above and note the two key terms before you start.
Build a four-stage filter from a bottle with gravel, sand and cotton wool and pass muddy water through it. Record clarity at each stage and explain which stage the real process still adds that yours cannot.
Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.
Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 2Which stage does a home-made sand filter NOT provide?
Where you see this in real life
This shows up in your everyday life more than you'd think.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Try one experiment in real life this week — even a tiny one.
For the dinner table
“What's the most surprising thing you learned today?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
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Ready?
Where Drinking Water Comes From
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
Full screen — no distractions
Checkout complete lesson on Conservation for 5th Grade
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