Duration: 90 minutes (70 min + 20min)
SPIRIT Skills:
- Emotional awareness, regulation and communication
- Empathy
- Resilience
- Problem-solving
Brief Description:
After landing on the planet, teams must ensure access to clean water. Their task is to build a simple filter using natural/recycled materials. Afterwards, they check in emotionally as a team.
How does this develop particular SPIRIT skills
Enhances emotional awareness by pausing for a shared emotional check-in, using metaphors and symbols to identify group feelings.
What do we want to achieve regarding SPIRIT skill development (student understanding and/or behaviour)?
- Students apply hands-on problem-solving to simulate survival thinking.
- They identify and name their emotional state using symbolic tools.
- They listen actively to teammates and begin building emotional language together.
- They experience the link between teamwork, stress, and emotional regulation.
Academic/Curriculum Objective connection
Science (Earth and Environmental Science):
- Understand basic filtration and the role of clean water in ecosystems and survival.
Geography:
- Explore resource challenges in different environments.
Engineering:
- Practice design thinking and material testing.
Materials and tools needed for implementation
- Dirty water (pre-prepared by teacher)
- Natural materials: sand, gravel, fabric, cotton, coffee filters, plastic bottles, cups
- Clear containers
- Emotional check-in cards (emoji, weather icons).
Preparation notes
- Prepare dirty water safely (e.g., add soil, food colouring).
- Print visual cards for emotion check-in.
- Ensure equal access to materials for all groups.
Guided Questions
- What strategy did your team use to filter the water?
- What materials worked best? Why?
- How did your team communicate during the challenge?
- What feeling best describes your team right now?
- What made you feel included or excluded during the challenge?
Stage Debriefing Questions (Optional)
- What would you improve if you had to filter water again?
- Did anyone’s emotion change during the activity? Why?
Tips and Tricks for dealing with stage challenges
- If emotions are hard to identify, offer simple prompts: “Are we sunny or cloudy today?”
- If groups struggle with the filter design, encourage peer advice across teams.
- Keep the check-in short but sincere; use it to build team trust, not perfection.