Horizon West students compare growing methods with service-learning project
July 23, 2018
A sixth-grade group at Horizon Middle School West Campus explored variables in science by comparing hydroponic tower gardening to traditional gardening, documenting data for both growing methods.
“What sprouted this idea for us was reading an article that discussed the importance of eating fresh produce and the issues that come with limited growing space in cities, especially for those who live in apartments,” Cook said. “We were presented with an opportunity to tie in the experimental design process along with learning about the future of hydroponics.”
Students in Ondrea Cook’s classes each grew a plant hydroponically in a tower garden and grew a plant in soil.
The hands-on project incorporated science, mathematics and language arts. The students began by reading articles that explained the problem with some cities running out of space for families to grow their own food, Cook said. Students then researched hydroponics, including the types of plants that could be planted and things to expect while taking care of plants.
“Once we were finished with the majority of our research, we set up a Google Doc that served as their lab journal,” Cook said.
The students designed the experiment and kept track of questions they wanted to answer throughout the project, she said. They also documented their data, observations and photos of their plants multiple times each week.
“We calculated the amount water both types of growing methods were using as well as the amount of space needed to grow the plants hydroponically compared to the amount of land they would need to grow,” Cook said.
Throughout the project, data was analyzed and the students discussed the experiment.
“Many students grew fond of checking on their plants and were excited to see the progress that was made,” Cook said. “The most exciting part of this project for the students was harvesting and eating their very own produce. The students made green fruit smoothies, pesto and salads with their food.”
After sampling food they had grown, the students were asked how they could use this project to serve others in the school and outside of school. They ended up bagging up a variety of greens and delivering them to teachers in the school.
“Many students also asked to take home their plant,” Cook said. “They were excited to share their knowledge with their families in hopes to start family gardens.”
At the end of the service-learning project, the students reflected on their successes and challenges.
“We discussed how we were able to start with a few plants in our school and have enough plants to grow produce for our team of 100 and supply produce for teachers around the building,” Cook said. “We also talked about how we can be the change that our community needs and it just takes one person at a time to start a new trend or concept to help.”
Photo:
A Horizon West sixth-grade student records data on plant growth during the hands-on experiment to compare hydroponic tower gardening to traditional gardening.
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