Grade 4: Designing Water Filters

This month in Grade 4, Mrs. Sarah Jackson’s students concluded their unit on the water cycle by collaborating to design water filtration systems. Students began this project by executing controlled experiments to determine what materials work best for filtering different types of contaminated water. “Students tested coffee filters, gravel, and screens,” Mrs. Jackson said. Groups of students were given a bottle of water mixed with contaminants such as tea leaves, cornstarch, or soil, and poured them through each filter type, measuring how long it took the water to filter through and how much contaminant was left in the water afterwards. After these experiments, students built, tested, and improved their own water filter designs based on what they learned. “They used their data from the experiments to inform their water filter designs,” Mrs. Jackson said. The project allowed students to combine scientific thinking with creative problem solving, and provided a sturdy foundation for innovation and risk-taking.