< Water in Extreme Environments

How to Teach These Units

Take a little time to prepare and get ready to teach. The pages linked below give you an easy-to-follow checklist and resources that get you prepared for facilitating PLANETS activities.

4. Block It Out: Investigating Filters

Learners investigate the ability of various filter materials to remove contaminants from a water sample.

Guiding Question

How can we improve water quality?

Activity Downloads

  • 1

    Engineering Educator Guide Investigating Filters PDF 2.1 MB 

  • 2

    Engineering Notebook Investigating Filters PDF 1.31 MB

  • 3

    Our Ideas Poster Resources PDF 1.94 MB

  • 4

    Extreme Environments Slides PDF 1.94 MB

Activity Timing

10 MIN. Get Ready & Team Up

25 MIN. Investigate

10 MIN. Reflect

45 MIN. TOTAL

Setup: Prep Time 40 min.

  • Make Filter Bases.
  • Set up Materials Table.
  • Create chart.
  • Prep charcoal filter.

*See Materials & Preparation in the Educator Guide linked above for full info.

21st Century Skills

  • Critical Thinking

Habits of Mind

  • Investigate properties and uses of materials.

Learners Will Do

  • Test the effectiveness of at least one filter material for cleaning water.

Learners Will Know

  • Engineers investigate how well materials filter contaminants from water so they can design solutions for places with limited water.

Connecting Across Activities

  • Activity 3: Investigating Water Quality: Last time, learners measured the water quality of the samples they had made.
  • Activity 4: Investigating Filters: Today, learners investigate the ability of various filter materials to remove contaminants from a water sample.
  • Activity 5: Investigating Reuse Process: Next time, learners will apply what they learned about water quality to reconfigure a model building to reuse as much water as possible.

Level Up! (Optional)

In the Educator Guide, you will see “Level Up!” Sections. These include great tips and activities that build and extend STEM and 21st Century skills, and create stronger connections between educators, youth, and families. They typically take a little extra time, so please plan accordingly.

  • Show the video The Water Cycle to explore how water is purified naturally as it moves between states of matter. (5 min.)
  • Ask this story prompt question: Can you tell a story about a kind of filter you’ve used in the past, for water or for something else? (Possible responses include stories about water filters, air filters, and filters for photographs.) Have learners share with a partner (note that the sharing can take forms other than speaking aloud). (20 min.)
  • Tell learners, if anyone asks them what they did today, they can tell them “We explored how filters can improve water quality.” (5 min.)
  • Ask: Which steps of the Engineering Design Process did we use today? (We investigated different filter materials.) (5 min.)