SCIENCE

YEAR 7 FILTER DESIGN CHALLENGE

As part of our curriculum for Year 7 Science, students were challenged with the task of designing and constructing a filter that would purify a 100 millilitres sample of dirty water but only used materials that were easily acquired from home. The purpose of this task was to increase students’ awareness of the importance of clean, drinking water and to build their understanding that universal and equitable access to this water is global human endeavour.

Working in small groups of 2 or 3, students embarked on this challenge by brainstorming ideas and discussing possible challenges, such as deciding what common contaminants would be

found in the water sample and which materials would work best to filter them out. They then had to come up with a final prototype (design) for the filter and construct them at home. The effectiveness of each group’s filter were tested in the lab the following week. Each group was given 100 millilitres of dirty water to try to filter within 20 minutes. The winning design was the filter which obtained the most cleanest water in the time given.

Students thoroughly enjoyed this task as it was hands-on and challenged their thinking in a fun and interesting way. They were building their understanding of water separating techniques by applying it to a very real-life situation, allowing them to understand how concepts learnt in class relate to the outside world. It definitely sparked many students’ passion for a possible future career in Science. The designs were amazing and we congratulate them on their innovation and creativity, two capabilities that will become increasingly important in the future.

Miss Cherie Marks

7E and 7F Science Teacher