Innovative Science Assessments

Water filtration challenge

Stage 4 Chemical World

Outcomes
Values and attitudes
SC4-1VA appreciates the importance of science in their lives and the role of scientific inquiry in
increasing understanding of the world around them

SC4-2VA shows a willingness to engage in finding solutions to science-related personal, social and
global issues, including shaping sustainable futures

Working scientifically
SC4-5WS collaboratively and individually produces a plan to investigate questions and problems
 WS5.3Students choose equipment or resources for an investigation by:
a. identifying suitable equipment or resources to perform the task, including safety
equipment and digital technologies

SC4-8WS selects and uses appropriate strategies, understanding and skills to produce creative and
plausible solutions to identified problems
 WS8 Students solve problems by:
e. evaluating the appropriateness of different strategies for solving an identified problem

CW3 Mixtures, including solutions, contain a combination of pure substances that can be separated
using a range of techniques. (ACSSU113)
c. relate a range of techniques used to separate the components of some common
mixtures to the physical principles involved in each process, including filtration,
decantation, evaporation, crystallisation, chromatography and distillation
d. investigate the application of a physical separation technique used in everyday
situations or industrial processes, eg water filtering, sorting waste materials, extracting
pigments or oils from plants, separating blood products or cleaning up oil spills

Knowledge and understanding

SC4-17CW explains how scientific understanding of, and discoveries about, the properties of
elements, compounds and mixtures relate to their uses in everyday life

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Learning across the curriculum
Cross-curriculum priorities
☐Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

☐Asia and Australia's engagement with Asia

☐Sustainability

General capabilities
☒Critical and creative thinking

☐Ethical understanding

☐Information and communication technology capability

☐Intercultural understanding

☐Literacy

☐Numeracy

☐Personal and social capability

Other areas of learning

☐Civics and citizenship

☐Difference and diversity

☐Work and enterprise

2 Learning and Teaching

 Innovative Science Assessments

Teacher notes
This is a challenge based task which is intended to be assessed formatively in class. The task allows
students to use their creativity and critical thinking to create a working water filter. Teachers may
amend the difficulty of the task by adding or removing equipment for students to use. The task may
be set as a take home assessment which would allow students to build a water filter using equipment
of their choosing.

The degree of challenge is based around the limitations of the equipment that may be used. Students
could be asked to compare the filter they construct with filters used in the real world. They could also
research how different countries treat their drinking water. There is scope for links with how
Indigenous Australians collect and maintain their drinking water supplies. A challenge could be set by
the teacher supplying different samples of unclean water that needs to be treated for drinking.

There is an opportunity to incorporate mathematics outcomes and financial literacy by assigning

monetary values to each piece of equipment and giving students a budget to work with. Student may
be given the scenario that they are to submit their design to a company director (teacher) with full
costing and an evaluation of its efficacy as a functioning filter. The winning filter will be the one
judged by the class as being not only the most efficient but the most cost effective. There may be an
opportunity to debate how financial costs sometimes outweigh potential benefits. There is potential to
discuss different locations around the world and the available means to provide extensive water
treatment. Students could be asked to write a persuasive letter to encourage donation to a charity
that would provide water filters to a nominated region of the world.

Introduction
Many developing countries around the world have poor water filtration techniques. As a result, many
communities do not have access to clean drinking water. Many illnesses and deaths are linked to
poor water in developing communities, such as countries in Africa.

These communities usually have limited access to resources, which also means it is hard to build or
construct devices to help with cleaning water. All communities need to have access to safe and clean
water as it is essential for people to lead a healthy life.

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Task
You have been employed as a chemist to develop a water filter to purify dirty water. As a scientist it is
important that you work in a team. Your team of people will be collaborating to build the best possible
filter.

Your filter must have at least three layers. It will need to filter 1 cup of water (250 mL) which has been
mixed with a tablespoon of dirt in less than a minute.

Your team will have the chance to do one trial and will be able to modify the filter before the final go.
To assist this process, you will also need to draw a diagram of your designs (a minimum of two is
expected), including things that worked and didn’t work.

You will be given the following items to construct your water filter:
 1 L soda bottle
 2 L soda bottle
 Gravel
 Sand
 Scissors
 Screen mesh
 Cotton fabric
 Coffee filters
 Hammer
 Measuring cups
 Small bucket
 Clear plastic cups
 Take-out containers
 Cotton balls
 Safety glasses

4 Learning and Teaching

 Innovative Science Assessments

Group feedback

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 Aspect of groupwork Comment
Delegation
How fairly did the group divide up
the amount of work each student
had?
What percentage of the work do
you think you think each person did
on constructing or offering ideas to
your water filter?

Collaboration
How well did you work together to
contribute to the project?

Problem solving
Did one person come up with all the
ideas or was it a group effort?

Positive feedback
What did the group do well?

Areas of improvement
What could this group have worked
on to improve their overall design

6 Learning and Teaching

 Innovative Science Assessments

Marking guideline/rubric
Criteria 3 2 1 0
Number of layers Uses at least 3 layers Uses 2 layers to filter Uses 1 layer to filter Does not use a
to filter the water. the water. the water. medium to filter the
water.

Effectiveness of Selects appropriate Selects mostly Selects some Selects inappropriate

design materials. appropriate materials. appropriate materials. materials.
None of the chosen None of the chosen None or some of the Some or all the
materials pass materials pass chosen materials chosen materials pass
through the filter into through the filter into pass through the filter through the filter into
the filtrate. the filtrate. into the filtrate. the filtrate.

Designs Drawn two diagrams Drawn two diagrams Drawn one or two Diagrams are
of their water filter of their water filter insufficient diagrams incomplete or not
designs using a pencil designs, without using of their water filter drawn.
and a ruler (OR a pencil or ruler. designs.
electronic diagram).

Group feedback Outlined things that Identified some things Identified one thing No indication of things
worked and have not that worked and have that worked or have that have or have not
worked. not worked. not worked. worked.

Water filter Filters the water in Filters the water Filters the water Filters the water over
challenge – time under 1 minute. between 1 minute and between 1.5 minutes 2 minutes or more.
1.5 minutes. and 2 minutes.

Water filter Water quality after Water quality after Water quality after Water quality after
challenge – water filtering is clear. filtering clear but filtering is unclear and filtering is muddy,
clarity contains some contains particulates. contains many
particulates. particulates.

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