Wetlaand Pop Bottle Filter Experiemnt
![Picture](/uploads/1/1/3/1/11314373/4873646.jpg)
Look at the two bottles of water on the left hand side... Which one would you rather drink? If you answered the one on the left then, like the rest of the students we asked the same question to, you are in your right mind.
For this experiment we wanted to demonstrate the importance of wetlands on the water filtration process.
Introducing the experiment:
Objective:
With the materials provided, students work in groups to create a filter that
will remove the largest quantity of pollutants from the water. Each group will
have one missing material, except for one control group which will have all the
materials. Through not providing one material to most of the groups, we would like them to understand the importance of that material in the filtration
process. Groups that complete the experiment before the others can draw out their filter and write down their observations.This will provide us with an authentic source of documentation.
Directions: Cut a 2L pop bottle in half. Use an elastic band to wrap a coffee filter around the nozzle of the pop bottle. Have students create a wetland filter by using the materials of their choice from the one provided. Have them pour the murky water through their wetland filters and record their observations.
Prediction:
The Elicitation of Students’ Ideas:
-Have a POE chart visual to write down ideas, and then to re-visit predictions after the experiment.
Discussing their predictions:
Observation:
Students will be allowed five minutes to create their filter and pour their polluted water through their filter (if possible allow as much time as possible for this step. Encourgae students to adapt their design based on their observations). If they have time, they are encouraged to diagram their filter, describe the state of the water before and after it passed through, and perhaps formulate a group explanation why they think the water changed so much.
Explanation:
Students will go around the class first sharing the material they were missing, the water they produced, why they think their filtered water looks the way it does. The teacher can use this moment as an opportunity to compare and contrast the various groups’ results, discussing what happens when you eliminate one aspect of the wetlands’ composition.
Providing the Scientific Explanation:
Students write their explanations on their sheets after which they share their explanations with the class. If time permits, students can be asked to compare their explanations to what has been found by researchers.
Follow-Up:
1. Are you willing to drink wetland water after what you have observed? Why? It is important to ask this question because it demonstrates how well students are applying the new knowledge they have gained through this POE.
2. How do humans actions affect wetlands? What can we do to alter our behaviour? This is important to ask because it connects directly to the program of studies. Students need to understand that humans actions can have a detrimental effect on wetlands, thereby threatening our ability to access clean water.
For this experiment we wanted to demonstrate the importance of wetlands on the water filtration process.
Introducing the experiment:
Objective:
With the materials provided, students work in groups to create a filter that
will remove the largest quantity of pollutants from the water. Each group will
have one missing material, except for one control group which will have all the
materials. Through not providing one material to most of the groups, we would like them to understand the importance of that material in the filtration
process. Groups that complete the experiment before the others can draw out their filter and write down their observations.This will provide us with an authentic source of documentation.
Directions: Cut a 2L pop bottle in half. Use an elastic band to wrap a coffee filter around the nozzle of the pop bottle. Have students create a wetland filter by using the materials of their choice from the one provided. Have them pour the murky water through their wetland filters and record their observations.
Prediction:
The Elicitation of Students’ Ideas:
-Have a POE chart visual to write down ideas, and then to re-visit predictions after the experiment.
Discussing their predictions:
- Is there going to be one material that filters better than the others? How will we
prove it? - Do you think the way you layer it will make a difference?
Observation:
Students will be allowed five minutes to create their filter and pour their polluted water through their filter (if possible allow as much time as possible for this step. Encourgae students to adapt their design based on their observations). If they have time, they are encouraged to diagram their filter, describe the state of the water before and after it passed through, and perhaps formulate a group explanation why they think the water changed so much.
Explanation:
Students will go around the class first sharing the material they were missing, the water they produced, why they think their filtered water looks the way it does. The teacher can use this moment as an opportunity to compare and contrast the various groups’ results, discussing what happens when you eliminate one aspect of the wetlands’ composition.
Providing the Scientific Explanation:
Students write their explanations on their sheets after which they share their explanations with the class. If time permits, students can be asked to compare their explanations to what has been found by researchers.
Follow-Up:
1. Are you willing to drink wetland water after what you have observed? Why? It is important to ask this question because it demonstrates how well students are applying the new knowledge they have gained through this POE.
2. How do humans actions affect wetlands? What can we do to alter our behaviour? This is important to ask because it connects directly to the program of studies. Students need to understand that humans actions can have a detrimental effect on wetlands, thereby threatening our ability to access clean water.
Connections to the Curriculum
![Picture](/uploads/1/1/3/1/11314373/939595.jpg)
Initially, some of the students filter designs resulted in a murky, oily water.
5-10.9. Identify human actions that can threaten the abundance or survival of living things in wetland ecosystems; e.g., adding pollutants, changing the flow of water, trapping or hunting pond wildlife.
5-10.11. Recognize that changes in part of an environment have effects on the whole environment.
5-10.11. Recognize that changes in part of an environment have effects on the whole environment.