Teacher:

McKenzie Murdock

Content & Title:

Sustainability: Water
Filter Challenge

Grade Level:
4th

Standards:

Concept 2: Scientific Testing (Investigating and Modeling) Participate in planning and conducting
investigations, and recording data PO 5. Record data in an organized and appropriate format (e.g., tchart, table, list, written log).

PO 2. Formulate a relevant question through observations that can be tested by an investigation.

NGSS: Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for
evidence, using fair tests in which variables are controlled and the number of trials considered. (3-5ETS1-3)
Objectives (Explicit & Measurable):

Students will develop a hypothesis

Students will collaboratively work together

Students will use strategic thinking
Students will discover that soils physically and chemically filter impurities out of water.
Students will discover the role of soil in having good drinking water.

Students will observe and report on their findings

Evidence of Mastery (Measurable Assessment: formative and summative):

(formative) Teacher will ask questions along the way and will walk around the room while students
are learning to make sure the studentsare on task
(summative) Students will turn in the experiment worksheet with hypothesis, recordings and
observations
Sub-objectives, SWBAT (steps that lead to completion of objective; sequence from simple to more
complex):

Students will apply their knowledge of the Flint Water Crisis to the experiment

Students will develop a hypothesis

Students will collaboratively work together

Students will use strategic thinking
Students will discover that soils physically and chemically filter impurities out of water.
Students will discover the role of soil in having good drinking water.

Students will observe and report on their findings

Lesson Summary and Justification: (summary gives detailed information about what students are
doing. Justification why is this lesson being taught)
This lesson provides students with the opportunity to see how dirty water can be filtered. The lesson plan
uses strategic thinking. Now that the students are aware of what polluted water is and the Flint water crisis,
this is a way for students to explore how water can be cleaned and that there are different filters such as the
filter of soil to filter the dirty water to clean the water. This lesson is being taught to allow students to use
strategic thinking and to allow students to access the current situation to show their knowledge of strategic

thinking.
Background Knowledge: (What do students need to know prior to completing this lesson)
Prior to this lesson, students need to know information about what dirty water is. Students need to
understand what the Flint Water Crisis is to make sense of the project. The students also need to understand
the importance of finding ways to prevent this dirty water crisis from happening again. Students also need to
have knowledge of strategic thinking in order to keep this thinking in mind throughout the experiment that is
going to be used to see if there are other alternatives and ways to create clean, and filtered water.
Misconception: (what possible misleading thoughts might students have?)
Students may think that the soil and sand are not ways to clean water
Students may not understand the process of water being filtered
Process Skills: (what skills are you introducing or reinforcing)
Reinforcing ways of thinking: Strategic Thinking
Reinforcing the use of cooperation and participation within a group setting
Introducing the skill of creating a water filter
Reinforcing the idea of the Flint Water Crisis in the unit
Reinforcing the idea to create a hypothesis, and record observations
Four Ways of Thinking connection: (Provide a complete explanation of how your lesson plan connects
to futures, system, strategic, or values thinking. Define the way of thinking you selected and used in
this lesson plan. Remember, this should be included meaningfully in the lesson plan.)
Using Strategic Thinking, students should see that as citizen of the United States, it is important to take note
of the Flint Water Crisis by accessing the situation more. Strategic Thinking allows for students to look at the
situation and find a way to fix the problem. Students would realize that people need a new way to filter the
water in Flint. Using Strategic Thinking with the students would provide a specific opportunity to evaluate
what unintended consequences might take place if we do not consider how to access and change the Flint
Water Crisis from occurring again. This is important to make students aware of current events that are taking
place within the country and the world. Therefore, strategic thinking will allow students to learn how to
access and evaluate current situations in the world to make a change. The students will be aware of what
strategic thinking is and how they are using this type of thinking in the water filter challenge lesson. The
teacher will conduct a discussion on this thinking at the end of the lesson to make sure the students have
knowledge on how the lesson and strategic thinking correlate together.
Safety: (what safety rules and items need to be addressed?)
To not eat/ drink sand, soil or the Kool-Aid and food coloring
To not throw sand/ soil
Behave with group setting
Inquiry Questions: (testable in the here and now.)
1. Can soil be a filter? Do all soils work the same?
2. Using strategic thinking, could soil as a filter work to help solve the Flint Water Crisis?
Key vocabulary: (list and define)
1. dirty water: water that is not clean and acceptable
for human use
2. filter: a absorbent device for removing impurities or
solid particles from a liquid or gas passed through it.
3. Hypothesis: a tentative theory about the natural
world; a concept that is not yet verified but that if true
would explain certain facts or phenomenan

Materials:
1. (list item and possible quantity)
2. 3 oz and 5 oz solo cups (Put 3-5 holes in
bottom of 5 oz cup. A toothpick works
well.). The 5 oz cup fits inside 3 oz cup,
the put the toothpick inside, between the
cupss
3. Play sand
4. Fine soil
5. Grape Kool-Aid

6. Other colors, e.g., green, red, orange,

yellow food coloring
7. "floaties"
Engage - In this section you should activate prior knowledge, hook student attention, pose a question
(IQ#1) based on your lesson objective that students will seek to answer in Explore.
Teacher Will: (hook)
Students Will:
Remember that we have been talking about how
Listen to teacher and respong with any
people in Flint are getting sick from their
ideas about how to be an engineer in this
drinking water. What solutions are there to this
situation
problem? Fourth graders, do you think there is a
Respond to the teachers question and give
wat to clean Flints Water? How could
ideas of what a filter is
engineers go about doing that?
Partner share with partner
Listen to the students ideas
Listen quietly as the teacher explains
information
The teacher will introduce the lesson by asking
Think if the idea of soil as a filter
the students, What is a filter? the students
Get in assigned group
will partner share their ideas of what a filter is
as the teacher walks around and looks for key
words that explain a filter.

Then the teacher will explain what a filter is

and use a coffee filter as an example to explain
a filter.

Next, the teacher will ask if the students think

that it is possible to use soil as a filter to clean
water and the teacher will explain how they will
be testing this today by using sand, and soil

Teacher will handout Water Filter Challenge

worksheet (assessment)

The students will be assigned in groups (their

table groups that they are already in)

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

Pair/ Share with shoulder parnter ideas on what a filter is
Explore - In this section students should take the lead and actively use materials to discover information
that will help them answer the question posed in Engage. Teachers may choose to give steps to follow,
especially for younger students, but the goal is for students to discover some or all of the sub-objectives of
the lesson.
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #1)
Students Will: (list all steps)
Teacher will pose the first inquiry question:
Listen quietly to the first inquiry question
Can soil be a filter? Do all soils work the same?
Take note of the scientist guide and read
the list of procedures
Teacher will explain that the Scientist Guide
Actively listen as the students get their
(student handout) includes a step by step
materials and listen to what/ how the
description of the procedures to conduct the
materials will be used
investigation
Pay attention to the Kool-Aid that will be
used
The teacher will then explain all the materials
Think of hypothesis and fill out on the

they will need and will ask one student from

each group to gather all the materials that are
needed for the water filter

Explain to the students that they will use the

Kool-Aid to see the changes of the water.

The students will then be asked to make a

hypothesis as a group and write their hypothesis
on each persons scientist guide

Give an example of an hypothesis: The use of

soil will

Walk around as the students go through the

procedures of the experiment of the water filter

scientist guide
Actively participate in the group setting to
explore the experiment

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

N/A
Explain In this section students share what they discovered, teacher connects student discoveries to
correct content terms/explanations, students articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the
lesson sub-objectives by answering the question from Engage before moving on.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
Teacher will allow time to students to complete
Engage in the activity
the scientist guide and the procedures. The
Use strategic thinking and fill out the
teacher will be walking around the room to
scientist guide
make sure the students are on task and
Volunteer ideas and share how the process
understand what is happening.
is going so far
Students will be observing how the Kool-Aid
Students should be able explain how they
goes through the soil
are using strategic thinking and being
Remind the students be using Strategic
engineers to help fix the Flint Water Crisis
Thinking to complete this assignment. Students
will be thinking about, access and create a
water filter that will help the future. A filter is
needed because of the Flint Water Crisis.
Therefore, students will look at this situation
and use strategic thinking by completing the
water filter challenge to access the situation.
Use the words Strategic Thinking so the
students know what type of thinking they are
implementing.
Teacher will provide time for students to
develop the ability to use this type of thinking
as they complete the water filter challenge.
Ask the students for volunteers to share how the
process is going
Ask key questions to prepare for more deeper
thinking such as: ask key questions such as
What is happening to the dirty water floaters?
and What color will come out of the bottom?

Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes

Observing the students and walking around the classroom to make sure all the students are engaged
and on task.
Elaborate In this section students take the basic learning gained from Explore and clarified in Explain
and apply it to a new circumstance or explore a particular aspect of this learning at a deeper level. Students
should be using higher order thinking in this stage. A common practice in this section is to ask a What If?
question. IQ #2
Teacher Will: (pose IQ #2)
Students Will:
Pose IQ #2, Using strategic thinking, how does
Listen to IQ #2
the experiment just completed relate to the Flint
Partner share any ideas an thoughts about
Water Crisis?
IQ #2
Ask: What solutions did we identify for
Engage in coversation
cleaning dirty water? How could these solutions
Volunteer any answers that were share with
work for a huge problem like the Flint Crisis?
their partner
What changes could we make
Listen as the teacher explain what
Teacher will have the students partner share any
happened in the procedures
ideas to their shoulder partner in their group
Volunteer any other ideas they may have
Walk around the room and listen to any good
ideas that the students are discussing
Teacher will call on volunteer to answer the
question
Explain that: In all cases the red dye passes
through the soil, so it must have a like charge as
the soil. The blue dye is retained in three of the
soils. In this case, the soil with the purple
leachate had very good structure, and the KoolAid probably went through the pores and did
not mix much with the soil.
See if the students have any more ideas to IQ #
2 after understanding what took place
Best Teaching Practice Strategy/Differentiation/ELL and Teacher Notes
Use of Partner Share to allow students to be more engaged in the class discussion
Evaluate In this section every student demonstrates mastery of the lesson objective (though perhaps not
mastery of the elaborate content). Because this also serves as a closing, students should also have a chance
to summarize the big concepts they learned outside of the assessment.
Teacher Will:
Students Will:
The students will complete a lab report or scientist
Make sure they completed the lap report to
guide that guides them through procedures of the soil
show their findings and recordings of what
and water filtration challenge; the following should
took place in the Water Filter Challenge
be included in order to receive full credit:
Show their understanding that soil can be
Hypothesis: must be fully developed and
used to filter water
thought out (3 points)
Show their understanding on how this filter
Sand observation- must include at least two
could be used to help the Flint Crisis
observations (2 points)

Sand recordings: at least two (2 points)

Sand and Kool-Aid recordings (2 points)

Sand and Kool-Aid Observations (2 points)

Topsoil observation (2 points)

Topsoil Recording (2 points)

Topsoil Comparison (2 points)

Final Recordings (3 points)

Total: _____/ 20 points

Closure: (revisit objective, IQs and make real world connections)
Teacher will use the students answers to explain that Soil naturally filters water that falls as rain and
goes into rivers. Also, explain that soil filters many chemicals out of water just like it did the grape KoolAid. The teacher will then explain that these same techniques are used to purify wastewater that comes
from houses, cities, industry, and large animal feeding operations.The teacher will now review/ explain
how strategic thinking and relate the experiment to the Flint Water CrisisTeacher will make sure the
students know the entire worksheet needs to be completed for 20 points and will allow few minutes to
add any last minute key points. Teacher will collect the Water Challenge Scientist Guide (Exit Ticket)
**Best Practices List the Best Teaching Practices you will use to enhance the learning outcomes. In
each section where prompted, list the best practice, how the practices will be used and the purpose.
Partner Share to avtivate more engagment.