So after some pretty intense discussion, fifth graders are in agreement. We must clean the dirty water, especially if we're trying to figure out where our clean water comes from. If our dirty water never got cleaned, then wouldn't we run out of clean water to consume?
We're also trying to figure out where the stuff went in the water that we can't see anymore, like the vinegar, salt, sugar, and citric acid. We figured out that before we can figure out where all that stuff went, we should try to get what we can out of the water first.
Students are brainstorming tools they can use to clean the dirty water.
From there, we can figure out where some of the stuff went. Some students suggested tasting the water (since everything we put in it was safe...with the exception of citric acid we're unsure of), others suggested looking at it under a microscope. We'll be revisiting this once we get the big stuff out.
We're also trying to figure out where the stuff went in the water that we can't see anymore, like the vinegar, salt, sugar, and citric acid. We figured out that before we can figure out where all that stuff went, we should try to get what we can out of the water first.
Students are brainstorming tools they can use to clean the dirty water.
From there, we can figure out where some of the stuff went. Some students suggested tasting the water (since everything we put in it was safe...with the exception of citric acid we're unsure of), others suggested looking at it under a microscope. We'll be revisiting this once we get the big stuff out.