Water Sanitization STEM Project-Based Lab
Small Town USA had another legendary flooding causing pipes to burst and
significant damages to houses and roads. The Small Town Water Association just
issued a boil recommendation on all water due to possible contamination. Farmlands,
house foundations, and sinkholes are forming on the streets. Local heavy equipment is
damaged and stuck in fields and the blocked and damaged roads prevent the shipping
of new materials and equipment to the impacted area. There is a shortage of bottled
water, hand sanitizer, and antibacterial wipes. They are projecting it will be 7-10 days
before pipes and supplies will be fixed.
Small Town High School Hornets are in a crucial part of the school year
academically, socially, and athletically. The only hope for STHS Hornets is their
science and STEM students. They must develop a water purification system for the
entire school district, and their teacher promised to reward them with a good grade for
their effort. The Hornet students have access to lab equipment, supplies, basic
household cleaning supplies, sand from the long jump pit, household charcoal, and
supplies from both the nurse’s station and the health department. Also, the students will
have access to Ti-84 graphing calculators. The authorities and teachers do not foresee
any other materials arriving in the next 2 weeks. The students must research the
amount of water required using correct scientific units, and they must be able to design
the purification model. The students must check the gas content with gas pressure
sensors, pH sensors, and a color transparency test.
The learners will be given a sample of contaminated water for testing. The
instructor will check the efficacy of the project by running a biological oxidation sensor
test, pH test, and a color clarity test. The test must pass all checks to receive full credit
for efficacy. Also, all calculations and procedures must be written in the lab report. The
learners will have 2 class periods(47 minute slots) to develop and research a procedure,
2 class periods to test their sample, and 1 class period to write their lab report. The
learners must write their own lab report, but they may work in pairs to develop and test
a procedure. The lab is written for on-level chemistry, physical science, and STEM
related classes. The learners will use previous knowledge of the scientific method, unit
conversions, separating mixtures, solutions, varying concentrations to complete their
work, and critical thinking to complete their work. Also, students must document their
work on a paper handout or a Google Doc.
Project Rubric for Grading
Category
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Presentation,
Communicati
on, and
Organization.
No errors
Only 1 or 2
spelling
errors
Only a
handful of
spelling
errors
Multiple
spelling
errors
and
organizati
on
Multiple
spelling
errors
and poor
organizat
ion
Writing and
organizatio
n or too bad
to follow.
Data
Data is
correct and
easy to
follow
Data is
correct but
missing
examples
Data has
a few
errors
including
missing
units
Data is
poorly
organized
and
missing
units
Most of
the data
is
missing
and it is
poorly
organize
d
There are
too many
errors to
follow the
data.
Calculations
Calculation
s are
shown with
correct
Units are
missing but
correct
Some
Calculatio Multiple
calculation ns
errors in
errors
omitted
every
plus
way.
Too many
errors to
follow.
units
Efficacy
Science
and
sanitation
are 100%
accurate!
errors
It is
effective,
but the
science is
not
accurate.
It contains
a
significant
procedure
error.
Multiple
errors in
procedur
es.
Multiple
errors in
procedur
e and
science
It's all
around
poor.
Procedure:
Student Data and collection area(All calculations and conversions must be shown):