The goal of this mini-curriculum is for students to discover what drinking water really is. Five units are designed to be presented as a lecture and to allow 30 to 40 students to perform every procedure, each testing their own tap water sample. Games are provided in each section to reinforce the concepts presented in each unit. Unit 1 introduces students to the concepts of water use, drinking water, and water analysis. Unit 2 involves students in testing the pH of a water sample and introduces acids and bases. Units 3 and 4 involve testing samples for chlorine, iron, and copper concentration. Unit 5 introduces the concept of "hard" water and involves testing for hardness. A summary unit engages students in analyzing, summarizing, discussing and reporting test results. Instructional materials include teacher tips, materials needed, vocabulary terms, general preparation instructions, handout duplicating masters, lesson plans with activity procedures, soil test bags, and individually packaged tablets for chemical testing. Two appendices contain information on the chemistry of the tests, and a replacement price list. (LZ)