Toilet Paper Trouble Time: Designing Plant-Based Solutions to Break Down Toilet Paper

Each group needs:

• 3-30 squares of toilet paper, depending on the size of the funnel and whether the toilet paper is thick or thin. (It should be enough to clog in the funnel to represent a clogged toilet.)
• 1 type of plant material (leaves, twigs, stems, flowers, etc.)
• 1 mortar and pestle to crush up plant material
• 1 small funnel
• 1 graduated cylinder or flask that can hold 250 mL of liquid
• 250 mL water
• 1 stopwatch/timer
• 1 laptop/table/computer/device for accessing the internet
• 16 sticky notes, 8 of two different colors
• 1 scissors
• lab safety goggles (for each student)
• 1 Introduction Worksheet (PDF)
• 1 Engineering Design Challenge Sheet (PDF)
• 1 Final Assessment Rubric (PDF)
• 1 Activity Research and Assessment Guidelines (PDF)
• 1 Large Group Research and Share-Out Rubric (PDF)
• 1 Testing Data Tables Worksheet (PDF)
• 1 Self, Peer, and Group Evaluation Form (PDF)
• 1 Group Share-Out Rubric (PDF)

For the entire class to share:

• 1 water heating mechanism such as a Bunsen burner or electric tea kettle
• projector with laptop/computer with internet access to show YouTube videos