Think Outside the Bottle
Overview
This is the first session for students to design and build a filtration device. It is important to allow the students enough
time to discuss their designs with their team members prior to beginning the actual assembly and testing of their
device. You may find that it could take most of one class period for students to gather the materials needed and to
discuss their designs. If this is the case, there needs to be ample space in your classroom for the teams to store their
filtration devices overnight and then begin filtering the wastewater at the beginning of the next class period. To save
time, have all the materials the students will use ready when they arrive in class. Be sure to have the simulated wastewater
made beforehand as well.
Goals
- Experience working as a team to design a water filtration device.
- Express their design rationale verbally
- Build their designs with provided materials
- Become familiar with using pH strips
Rules
- Design and build a Water Filtration System that will yield the purest water out of only the supplies available.
- You have a budget of 150 Credits. If you go over your budget, your Water Filtration System will be disqualified.
- Your filter will be tested according to the waste-water’s resulting pH (acidity of the water), and efficiency (how much of your original water remains).
- A layered design model of your filter must be drawn and approved by the engineering specialists (AKA: teachers) before any supplies are purchased.
- Bonus points can be earned at the conclusion of the challenge for each person in your group (up to 4 people) who drinks the cleaned water.
Further Inquiry
StartSOLE is a simple inquiry-based approach that can be implemented in a single class period with minimal constraints and serves as an excellent addition or supplement to this lesson. If you'd like to use one of these suggested questions to encourage students to dig deeper or help prepare them for this activity click on a link below to setup your StartSOLE lesson: