WATER FILTERS USING MÉXICO´S ENDEMIC VEGETAL SPECIES

Outline

THIS PROJECT IS GOING TO BE PRESENTED IN 4 STATIONS:

FILTERS
ENDEMIC VEGETAL SPECIES OF THE VALLEY OF MEXICO
WHY USE ENDEMIC VEGETAL SPECIES AS A FILTER
PROTOTYPE

STATION 1

ACTIVATOR

THE PARTICIPANTS WILL TAKE A BRIEF T-F QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT FILTERS
THE TEACHER WILL DISPLAY THE STATION SUCCESS CRITERIA AND DISCUSS IT WITH PARTICIPANTS.

TEACHERS WILL SEE A BRIEF VIDEO (MADE BY A PINECREST TEAM OF STUDENTS) ABOUT SOME FACTS ABOUT FILTERS SO TEACHERS CAN COMPARE AND CONTRAST THEIR ANSWERS.

PARTICIPANTS WILL HAVE A DIORAMA ACTIVITY TO OBSERVE AND TAKE NOTES ABOUT SOME DIFFERENT KINDS OF FILTERS.

EXIT TICKETS

2 STARS AND A WISH

STATION 2

THIS STATION WILL BE A GAME THAT WILL TAKE PARTICIPANTS TO GET TO KNOW ENDEMIC SPECIES IN MEXICO.

SUCCESS CRITERIA WILL BE BUILT BY PARTICIPANTS PUTTING WORDS TOGETHER IN A BOARD

THEY PULL A PAPER OUT OF A CHEST WITH A LITTLE SCAVENGER HUNT MAP.

SCAVENGER HUNT

PARTICIPANTS WILL FIND DIFFERENT PICTURES OF PLANTS, THEY WILL LISTEN TO BRIEF VIDEOS ABOUT EACH OF THEM. ONCE THE VIDEO IS UP, THEY WILL BE GIVEN A CUE TO KNOW WHAT ROUTE TO FOLLOW TO COMPLETE THE GAME SUCCESSFULLY.

EXIT TICKET

MAP OF ENDEMIC PLANTS

STATION 3

STUDENTS WILL EXPLORE THE IMPORTANCE OF ENDEMIC PLANT SPECIES AND THEIR USEFULNESS THROUGH STORYTELLING, ENCOURAGING PERSONAL REFLECTION AND CONNECTION TO LOCAL ECOLOGY.

THEY´LL BE ABLE TO REFLECT ON WHY WE SHOULD USE ENDEMIC PLANTS INSTEAD OF IMPORTED ONES BY CREATING A SENSE OF BELONGING AND APPRECIATION THANKS TO STORYTELLING.

ACTIVATOR: DISCUSS HOW STORIES CAN HELP US CONNECT DEEPER WITH NATURE BY UNDERSTANDING OUR ROLE IN PRESERVING IT AND MAKING USE OF IT.

STUDENTS WILL BE DIVIDED INTO TEAMS OF 4 PARTICIPANTS AND EACH ONE WILL BE GIVEN AN ENDEMIC PLANT TO WORK WITH. HEY WILL CHARACTERIZE THE PLANT AND PRESENT IT TO THE REST OF THEIR CLASSMATES. ACCORDING TO THE PLANT FEATURES THEY MUST CREATE THE CHARACTER, GET DRESSED, AND PERSONIFY IT TO THE AUDIENCE.

FINALLY, THE PARTICIPANTS WILL FORM A CIRCLE AND THEN TELL THEIR STORIES AS IF THEY WERE ON A BONFIRE.

EXIT TICKET: WRITE DOWN A VIRTUAL VIGNETTE ABOUT THE PLANTS THEY LIKED THE MOST USING PALLET

STATION 4 - PROTOTYPES

In this final station, students will bring everything they've learned together to create a working water filter using local plants from the Valley of Mexico. This is where they get hands-on and see how the plants they´ve studied can help filter water, offering a sustainable and affordable alternative to commercial filters.

The teacher will start by briefly reviewing what students have learned so far: the different types of water filters (Station 1), the unique properties of endemic plants (Station 2), and the importance of using local species instead of imported ones (Station 3).

To get them thinking, will pose a quick question:
“What do you think makes a filter effective? And how do you think plants can help make it even better?"
TPS Students will chat about their ideas in small groups before jumping into the design phase.

In teams, students will pick one of the endemic plants they learned about. They´ll look at what makes their chosen plant special and figure out how to incorporate it into their water filter design. They'll get a basic set of materials like containers, mesh, sand, rocks, and charcoal, and work out how to combine these with the plant to make their filter.

They´ll sketch their design, explaining how each part of the filter will help clean the water. We can guide them with questions like: “Which parts of the filter will handle the bigger particles and which parts will deal with the smaller stuff?

After they finalize their design, the teams will start building their filters. Using the plant they selected and the materials provided, they´ll construct their water filter. As they build, they'll be encouraged to jot down notes about why they made certain design choices and how they think the plant will improve the filtration process.

The fun part—testing! Each team will pour dirty water through their filter and observe what happens. They'll time how long it takes for the water to pass through and check how clear the filtered water is. They'll also take detailed notes on things like:
Is the water visibly clearer after filtering?
How fast did the water filter through?
How effective do they think their plant was in improving the process?
To wrap up, each student will fill out an "Exit Ticket" reflecting on their experience. They'll use the "2 stars and a wish" format, where they write down two things that worked well with their filter and one thing they would improve if they had more time. This will help them consolidate their understanding of the filtration process and how plants can play a role in solving real-world environmental challenges.

Supporting research

Barreto-Torrella, S., Pérez-Marín, R., & Recio-Rodríguez, Y. (2020). Calidad del agua y tasa de filtración obtenidos con el filtro doméstico de arcilla “tradiFILTRO.” Tecnología Química, 40(3), 564–579.

Torres Magaña, M. P., Peralta Rodriguez, J., Ocaña Hernandez, M. Á., Narváez Jimenez, M. E., & García Jimenez, J. E. (2019). Elaboración de Filtro de Agua con Cascara de Plátano, Grava, Gasas Y Algodón. Congreso Internacional de Investigacion Academia Journals, 11(8), 3542–3547.

Ramírez-Iglesias, E., González González, J. S., & Gonzáles Quirola, C. A. (2023). Alternativa biorremediadora en el tratamiento de aguas residuales del Cantón El Pangui – Ecuador con Eichhornia crassipes. Petroglifos Revista Crítica Transdisciplinar, 6(2), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10028653