This lesson plan involves having students conduct an experiment to measure the effects of nitrogen fertilizer on plant growth. Students will grow purple and red flowering plants in pots, with some pots receiving nitrogen fertilizer and some receiving no fertilizer. Students will measure and record the plant heights weekly for 6 weeks. They will then analyze the data, including calculating averages, to compare the growth of plants that received fertilizer versus those that did not. The goal is for students to understand how nitrogen is an important nutrient for plant growth and development.

1. ED609 Audio Visual Education
University of Guam
Lesson Plan 1
Manuelito Soloria Aquino
26 March, 2010

2. Site: http://sciencebuddies.com
Grade Category: 6TH Grade
Subject Category: Biology
Sub Category: Plant Biology
Objective: Provided the science textbook , internet resources and an experimental science
activity describing soil quality, conservation, natural resources, soil drainage and stewardship
TLWBT measure plant growth accurately, enter data into a spreadsheet and explain their
observations.
Assessment: Teamwork, accuracy, data entry, explanation.
CONTENT STANDARD 9
9. Ecology
Students will:
• Know that changes in ecosystems can be caused by natural and human activities which
may affect all members of the system
• Understand how organisms are linked to one another and their surroundings by the
exchange of energy and matter
• Describe the responsibilities human beings have as the stewards of the environment
Performance Indicators
9.MS.5 Investigate environmental problems and issues such as water and land pollution,
deforestation and soil erosion, plant and animal extinctions (also endangered species),
deterioration of Pacific agricultural and food systems, and waste dumping.
Introduction
The purpose of putting results of experiments into graphs, charts and tables is two-fold. First, it is
a visual way to look at the data and see what happened and make interpretations. Second, it is
usually the best way to show the data to others.
Plants require more than just water and sunlight to grow. They also require many nutrients found
in the soil. One of the most important nutrients required for plant growth is nitrogen. Nitrogen is
used to build plant proteins and nucleic acids, including DNA.
Nitrogen is found naturally in the atmosphere and in the soil. Even though there is an abundance
of nitrogen available, the most common form of nitrogen (N2) cannot be used by plants. Nitrogen
can be combined chemically with oxygen or hydrogen to form types of nitrogen compounds that
plants can use. These nitrogen compounds can be added to the soil in the form of ammonium
(NH2+) and nitrate (NO3+) fertilizers. Plants grow well when fertilizer containing nitrogen is added
to the soil, but this method can be expensive and has to be repeated each time the nitrogen in the
soil is used up.

3. In this experiment, you will compare plants grown without nitrogen fertilizer to plants grown with
nitrogen fertilizer. You will observe the effects of nitrogen on the health of the plants by measuring
the increase in biomass of each plant during the experiment.
Terms, Concepts and Questions to Start Background Research
• fertilizer
• nutrient
Questions
• What nutrients do plants need to survive?
• How do plants use nitrogen and what do they use nitrogen for?
Bibliography
• Information About Plant Nutrients:
http://www.agr.state.nc.us/cyber/kidswrld/plant/nutrient.htm
• Information for Kids on Gardening:
http://www.copper-tree.ca/garden/index.html
• http://scene.asu.edu/habitat/inquiry.html
• http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/teacher_resources.shtml?
From=Tab#printableprojectguide
Materials and Equipment
• 18 small pots
• potting soil
• 9 purple flowering plants
• 9 red flowering plants
• commercial nitrogen fertilizer mix for house plants (e.g., Miracle Gro, Peter's or
equivalent)
• empty glass or plastic bottle for mixing nitrogen fertilizer

4. Experimental Procedure
1. Make sure pots have holes in the bottom to allow the roots to "breathe" and excess water
to drain out.
2. Measure equal amounts of soil into each of the pots.
3. Moisten the soil in each pot with the equal amounts of water.
4. Label pots with appropriate treatment.
5. Place plants near a sunny window.
6. Check your plants regularly and keep track of your watering schedule in your lab notebook.
7. At 2 week period, record observations on the growth of the plants in your lab notebook.
8. Use data table and construct data products. Averages (mean), Median, Mode, Range,
Variability, Standard Deviation, Excel T-test & ANOVA.
Plant Height in
Plant Height in cm
cm
Treatment 1 NITROGEN Treatment 1 NO NITROGEN
R1-1 P1-1
R1-2 P1-2
R1-3 P1-3
Treatment 2 Treatment 2
R2-1 P2-1
R2-2 P2-2
R2-3 P2-3
Treatment 3 Treatment 3
R3-1 P3-1
R3-2 P3-2
R3-3 P3-3
Total Total
Average
Average Height
Height

5. Blind study experiment—One half of the class applies the treatments,
the other half collect the data.You let the plants grow and measure how
tall they get after 6 weeks.
Red flowers, 3 treatments: R1, R2, R3
Set 1 – 1 liter of water a day with 10 grams of nitrogen
Set 2 – 1 liter of water a day with 5 grams of nitrogen
Set 3 – 1 liter of water a day with 15 grams of nitrogen
Purple flowers, 3 treatments: P1, P2, P3
Set 1 – 0.1 liter of water a day with no nitrogen
Set 2 – 0.5 liter of water a day with no nitrogen
Set 3 – 1 liter of water a day with no nitrogen
ok, so here i am using my brain...the first thing you need to do is check the IEP and note it down
on your lesson plan because each disability has specific modifications. so other than following
the modifications on the IEP, generally you would:
• utilize 1 to 1 aide. make sure 1 to 1 aide knows the goals/objectives of the lesson
• prep student - send lesson home in advance (1 to 2 weeks) and discuss expectations prior to
lesson
• SIMPLIFY - simple instructions with pictures of exactly what you want them to do
• work in pairs - pair special needs student with a responsible higher functioning student
• EXTRA TIME - allow student to begin lesson ahead of the class and extended time for
completion of lesson
• reinforce concepts with simple worksheets, graphs, and manipulatives
• modify assessment - instead of a 3pg report, have student list observations and results
**realistically, you prabably won't even get 1/2 a page...especially if your student has a 2nd
grade reading/comprehension level**
one suggestion, regarding the lesson plan...you have a lot of concepts that you want students to
learn all at once. you might want to break this lesson into smaller chunks so the students are
able to "digest" it.