Dangerous detergents? Who knew? Pupils learn of the darker side of laundry day as they complete the series of seven videos on water and the environment. The video shows common detergent ingredients, how these ingredients can harm the environment, and eco-friendly alternatives.

Concepts

detergents, soap, phosphates, eutrophication, dissolved oxygen, carbon footprints, human impact on the environment, energy conservation, acids and bases

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Invite the class to bring an empty detergent box or bottle, analyze the ingredients list, and compare with others
• Provide pictures, or even a short video, of eutrophication to augment the information in the resource

Classroom Considerations

• Use the embedded pauses within the video to check for understanding throughout

Pros

• The statistics about laundry and energy usage worldwide are very impactful, particularly for younger students
• The video contains several questions that make great large group discussions

Cons

• None