Essential Questions :
What is pollution doing to our plants today??
Estimated Time Required :
About a week
Materials :
- Three 1-quart jars with lids
- Three small plotted plants you have permission to use
- A bottle of lemon juice or vinegar
Directions :
Tell students they will be
environmental scientists as they conduct this hands-on experiment. Help students through the following procedure just like the kids from Project Environment did in Pennsylvania.
- Write “a little acid” on two pieces of masking tape.
- Take one of the jars, measure 1/4 cup of vinegar or lemon juice and pour it into the jar. Fill the rest of the jar with cold water from the tap.
- Place one of the labels that read “a little acid” on the outside of the jar that was just filled up. Then put the other label on one of the pots, this mixture will be used to water this plant.
- Put “a lot of acid” on two pieces of masking tape. Do steps two and three again, but this time, when you take the vinegar or lemon juice, put a full cup in!
- On the last two pieces of masking tape write “tap water”. Repeat steps two and three and now when you put the lemon juice or vinegar in just use tap water and fill the jar.
- Put the plants somewhere where they get the same amount of sunlight.
- Every two to four days water the plants with the matching jar.
- Observe if it changes color, dies sooner, or anything else.
Assessment :
- Observe the effects of acidic water on the plant.
- The more acid the water has, the sooner the plants die!!
Reinforce The Learning :
Credits :
Credit for this activity goes to the Project Environment team of 5th graders and their teachers from Salford Hills Elementary School. The project was developed through ThinkQuest Junior.
