Growth Chamber Experiments

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Growth Chamber Experiments (Designed for
grades 10-11) By Joel Reich and Alicia
Leytem February, 2005
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What is a Growth Chamber?
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Objectives 1) Students will be able to design
and implement an original
scientific experiment. 2) Students will be able
to collect and present their own data that
supports their question and hypothesis. 3)
Students will be able to explain clearly a
particular aspect of plant growth and provide
examples of this aspect.
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Preparation Students will already be familiar
with Writing hypotheses Writing
clear procedures The concepts of
controls and experimental treatments
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Students will also have been introduced to the
essentials of plant growth Light
Nutrients Moisture
Planting media Temperature
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Teacher will build or purchase an
appropriate-size growth chamber (If the school
has a metal- or woodworking class, they may be
able to assist with design/construction)
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Assignment One Individual experimental
plans All students will be asked to develop
their own hypothesis, list of materials and set
of procedures. The teacher will then work with
each student to make sure the hypothesis is clear
and testable, the list of materials are realistic
and procurable, and the set of procedures, when
followed, will actually test the hypothesis. The
teacher should make sure there is a clearly
identified control, and that the student is only
testing one variable per experiment. The role of
creativity in the formulation of experimental
plans should be emphasized. After reviewing the
products of this assignment, the teacher should
address concepts (if any) that seem to have been
missed by a large percentage of the students.
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Assignment Two Group experimental plans From
the experiments proposed in the previous
assignment, the teacher should select several
themes that appeared more than once and have a
high likelihood of success (i.e. types of
fertilizers used, amount of light provided, types
of planting media used, etc.). Students can then
choose which topic they would like to work on,
thereby breaking themselves into groups. The
teacher may need to manage the number of students
in each group. Student groups are then told to
develop one experimental plan relating to their
selected theme, using new ideas and/or ideas put
forth by classmates in the previous experiment.
The plan should include a hypothesis, list of
materials, set of procedures (with identifiable
control) as well as a graph(s) indicating the
expected results.
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Assignment Three After the teacher reviews
the student groups work, students are allowed to
implement their experiments by planting seeds (or
other vegetative material) of the species
designated in their experimental plans and
placing them into the growth chamber.
Students will apply their various experimental
treatments, as well as the control, and keep
detailed records. At this time, students should
develop a data sheet which will be used for the
duration of the experiment.
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Ongoing Activities Data Collection Students
should be given time, once per week, to record
data and manage their various treatments.
Teachers should make sure that data is being
collected in a uniform fashion, and that detailed
notes are being taken on the application of
procedures.
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Presentations When the experiments have run
their course (the teacher should set the number
of weeks at the beginning of the unit), student
groups will be asked to prepare a presentation.
Presentations should include the hypothesis,
materials and procedures, as well as the results
in table or graph form. Students should be
prepared to discuss what they have learned and
how this new information could be applied outside
the laboratory.
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For access to this Powerpoint file, check our
website http//cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu/gk12