The Is Our Tap Water Just Water? unit consists of seven sessions divided into two parts. Before beginning the unit, students complete the Pre-Unit Questionnaire. Then, in Sessions 1-6, they consider how humans depend on water, explain how groundwater and surface water pick up materials from the land, and identify the source of tap water for the school. They explore water treatment and measure the amount of chlorine in the school's tap water. They investigate nitrate as a potential water pollutant and measure the amount of nitrate in their tap water. Then, they compile their data and send it to the unit database.

In Session 7, students discover what they can learn from display and analysis of the data in the unit database. At the end of the unit, they have the opportunity to present highlights of their studies. They also complete the Post-Unit Questionnaire.