Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

15 minutes	Part A - Why Do We Need Bottled Water?
20 minutes	Part B - The Story Of Bottled Water - Video and Guided Discussion

Preparation: Invite students to read this Bottled Water article (also available on the Student Worksheet) and answer the associated questions on the Student Worksheet.

Part A - Why Do We Need Bottled Water?

Step 1.

Begin by asking students reflect on the article they read as preparation and some of the questions this article raised for them. Invite students to share these with the class and write these on the board.

Step 2.

Invite students to work as a class brainstorm answers to the question: Why do we need bottled water?

Record student answers on the board.

Now select several of these answers and divide the class into as many groups as you have answers. Assign each group with one answer and invite each group to conduct a 5 why’s investigation into their answer.

Students can use the table on the Student Worksheet to record their answers.

Once complete, invite each group to share their 5-why’s investigation in more depth. Engage the class in a discussion around the points raised in their investigations. Consider the following questions:

What points raised were a surprise to you and why?
What is challenging or confusing for you?
What do you now want to know more about?

Write any further questions students have on the board, alongside the ones suggested in response to the article read by students as the preparation activity.

Part B - The Story Of Bottled Water - Video and Guided Discussion

Step 1.

As a class, watch the following video and engage students in a guided discussion around the issues raised in the video. You can use the guided discussion points below:

The Story of Bottled Water (https://youtu.be/Se12y9hSOM0)

Guided discussion:

1:45 - If water from the tap is so cheap, then what are you actually paying for when you buy bottled water? The plastic bottle, lid and label?
2:03 - Do you think Australians are drinking bottled water? Remind students that the situation in Australia is similar - in 2015, Australians purchased over 726 millions litres of water in 2015.
4:27 - What stages of the bottled water life cycle did you identify? You might have to repeat the section with the life cycle to identify these stages (e.g. resources extraction, manufacturing, filling bottles, transport, consumer purchase, waste/recycling).
4:40 - What do you think happens to bottled water in Australia? Remind students that in Australia plastic bottles are among the 10 most common rubbish items picked up on Clean Up Australia Day.
5:32 - Summarise the term ‘manufactured demand’. Can you think of any other examples of ‘manufactured demand’?
7:24 - Not in Australia! In the 10 years to 2004, the proportion of households buying bottled water increased from 3% to 21%, and it is predicted that sales of bottled water will continue to rise.

Step 2.

Once you have finished watching the video, invite students to reflect on their reactions to the video:

What did they find out?
What was surprising?
What questions do they still have?

Record any questions students have on the board, alongside the ones suggested in response to the article read by students and those suggested in the discussion in Part A.

Extend: Consider holding a taste test in the classroom, with blindfolded students tasting and comparing bottled water and tap water.

Part C - Life Cycle of Bottled Water

Step 1.

Remind students that there are many stages to the bottled water life cycle where resources are used and waste is created. In this task students are asked to work in groups to investigate the resources required to produce bottled water, and how this process impacts our environment.

Explain to students that they will now create a life cycle model for bottled water. They could do this by:

Working in pairs or small groups to create a flow chart or infographic (e.g. using Padlet). Once complete, each group can share and compare their life cycles with another group
Working in nine groups to create a 3D model of one stage of the life cycle (see below). They could use materials such as plasticine, craft materials or recyclable materials in the construction of their models. The class could then work together to construct the full model with all the stages.

The life cycle for bottled water should visually describe where resources are used and waste is created. The life cycle should include the following:

What the bottled is made from
The energy that is used to make the bottle
The waste that is produced to make it
The transportation of the water to the bottling site or the bottle to the water-filling site
The packaging and labelling required for the bottle and the energy and resources required
The transportation and energy required to get the bottle to the shop
The energy required to keep the water cool in the shop
The bottle being sold to a customer, who then drinks the water and either recycles the bottle or throws it in the bin; and finally
The bottle being transported to the landfill site or to a recycling depot where it gets melted down and turned into another product or another water bottle.

Where necessary, students should undertake research online to support the creation of their life cycles. The following resources may be helpful (also available on the Student Worksheet):

Step 2.

Finally, engage students in a class discussion around the following points:

Does your life cycle represent a closed loop system? Why or why not?
How could your life cycle be less resource intensive?
Has investigating the life cycle of bottled water
Which argument for NOT using bottled water would you find most persuasive and why - economic costs, environmental impacts, taste etc?

Reflection

Invite students to write a persuasive piece in response to the following statement:

Remind students of the Persuasive writing tips (also available on the Student Worksheet).

Extension activity

1. Refer to the questions generated by students throughout this activity (Preparation, Parts A and B). Which of these answers were answered during the course of this lesson? Which ones remain? Consider using the remaining questions to guide further inquiry (e.g. assign questions to students and invite them to research the answers).

2. Ask students to create a label for bottled water that describes the true ingredients of that bottled water. Students should think of a name and a design for their water that they think would sell. It should include the real cost of drinking bottled water – the environmental, social and economic. Students may need to undertake independent research to help them with finding out more about these real 'ingredients' required to produce bottled water.

Life cycle of bottled water

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