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Student Example: Planting a GardenBy The Connected Kids

Problem

We wanted to plant a garden at school. The principal gave us an area like this for the project.

(Measures of the sides are in meters.) 2

The Problem With Weeds

One of the first things we needed to do was to get rid of all of the weeds before planting.

Questions:

What should we use to get rid of the weeds?

How much of this material will we need?

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Photo: © SEDL.

Weed Control

4Photos: © SEDL.

Weed Control

5Photos: © SEDL.

Weed Control Pros & Cons

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Experiment to Find the Best

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Experiment to Find the Best

Questions:

How much will we need?• Landscape fabric• Burlap• Newspaper

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Determining Necessary Information

We must subdivide the

plot into four smaller plots.

Also, to determine the

amount of each material

that is needed, we must

determine the area ofeach subdivision.

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Determining Necessary Information

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Determining Necessary Information

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One Possible Subdivision:Step 1

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One Possible Subdivision:Step 2

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One Possible Subdivision:Step 3

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Experiment to Find the Best

Procedure:

1. Cover three areas each with one method of weed control.2. Plant the same vegetables in the three areas.3. Leave one area untouched; this area is our control.4. Water once a week.5. Once a week, take pictures and count weeds.6. Log the results in the lab log. 15

To Be Continued

• Water the garden as needed.• Once a week:

– Log the observations.– Take pictures to document the observations.

• After 3 months, report the results and develop a conclusion from the weed-control experiment.

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