5th / 6th class Discover Primary Science and Maths Strand: Environmental Awareness and care Strand unit Materials and change Mixing, separating and other changes Explore some simple ways in which materials may be separated Separation of water and soil using simple sieves (filtration).

Fifth and 6th class have been learning about the importance of water and all of the ways that it is used and needed in the world today.

Examples of how water is used We were learning that we use water in many ways: For our own personal use In our homes For recreational purposes

So where does the water go? We discussed how water is used in the home and ways we can conserve it. The toilet uses the most water( 29%) The dishwasher uses the least (1%)

We discussed how water is used in the home and ways we can conserve it. As a class we can : Use the shower more instead of having baths. Not to leave the tap running when we are brushing our teeth. Collect rainfall throughout the year and keep it for watering plants in the summer. Use only the amount of water needed in the kettle when making a cup of tea etc.

Background on Dirty Water We use water in our houses to wash dishes and clothes to flush the toilet. The dirty water goes out through the drains. The dirty water has to be cleaned or it will pollute our soil and our rivers and lakes. Much of the dirt is removed by bacteria. These are very small living things that are found everywhere but are too small to see

We learned more about dirty water Certain types of bacteria grow in our dirty water and clean it. In cities, towns and villages, this happens in a sewage treatment works. People working there make sure it all operates properly. In country areas, homes have septic tanks where bacteria live and clean the dirty water so that nearby fields and wells are not polluted. However, they do not clean the water enough for us to be able to drink it.

Our experiment Aim: To explore some simple ways in which materials may be separated To make a water filter to show this

Materials needed Empty two litre bottle Coffee filters Cotton wool Sand Gravel Measuring jugs Jug of dirty water Recording sheet

Instructions Cut the bottom of the two litre bottle and place the top piece inside the bottom piece to make the filter Divide the water filter into three equal parts Place the coffee filter at the bottom of the filter Place the cotton wool on top of the of the filter paper Pour the sand up to the marked level. Fill a jug with dirty water. Measure the amount and pour it in. Record the amount on the sheet. Leave until it filters through. Measure the amount of water that was filtered.

These are pictures of us dividing our water filter into 3 even parts. We placed the coffee filters, cotton wool, sand and gravel in the correct places. We worked in groups.

After that we made dirty water and measured the amount in a measuring jug. We poured this into the filter.

We measured the amount of filtered water with a measuring jug. We noticed that the water was clearer than what we started with. We measured the amount of water that was filtered with a measuring jug. We measured it in millilitres.

We poured in 450mls and we were left with 200mls. Group 1 results Next we recorded our results on a bar chart. Red represents the amount of dirty water we poured in and blue represents the amount of dirty water that was filtered. We poured in 450mls and we were left with 200mls.

Group 2 results This group poured in 600mls of dirty water and were left with 500mls of filtered water.

Group 3 results This group poured in 850mls of dirty water and were left with 600mls of filtered water.

Group 4 results This group poured in 500mls of dirty water and were left with 320mls of filtered water.

Group 5 results This group poured in 550mls of dirty water and were left with 400mls of filtered water.

Conclusion The filtered water was clearer than the dirty water we started with. The filtered water measured out less than what we started with.