I must have learned about photosynthesis five different times throughout my schooling, and yet it wasn’t until I became an adult that I learned what hydroponics were. When teaching about plants and how they survive, teaching photosynthesis and hydroponics go hand-in-hand. Photosynthesis is based upon what plants NEED to survive, and hydroponics is a way of meeting those needs in a creative and unique way!
I always love to ask my students at the beginning of our 5th grade plants unit, “what do you think plants need to survive?”. I always get the usual heavy hitters like water, sunlight, and soil. However, their looks always turn to confusion when I say, “actually, one of the items in that list is not necessary for a plant to survive and thrive”. And that look of confusion is a teacher’s favorite look, because it means that we have piqued their interest, and that we have knowledge that they suddenly are craving!
If you haven’t noticed from my other posts, one of my favorite ways to start a unit is by doing a WebQuest. It allows students to gain a bit of background information, and therefore a bit of confidence, before we dive head-first into a new unit! Plants can be tricky, so I always like to start my unit with a Photosynthesis and Plant Structure WebQuest like this one.
Once curiosity has officially been ‘piqued’, we dive right into the meat and potatoes, if you will. That’s where I like a straight-forward set of lessons like these to lay everything out in a nice, clear and concise way. And when teaching about plant, DIAGRAMS are your best friend, which there are plenty of!
Once the kids are officially shocked and ‘awed’ that plants can actually grow without soil, I always have my class make their own hydroponics to observe! I typically have my students make hydroponics like those found in HERE, except I have them use regular individual-sized water bottles instead of 2-liter bottles. After several days, they end up looking like the photo below, and within a week or two they’re typically a few inches tall!
Tips to make your hydroponics experiment a success:
- Place them near a window with plenty of sunshine
- Have students cut their bottles at home (with parent guidance)
- Pair up students to observe a hydroponic together
- Plant a similar bean or seed in soil to compare those grown in water to those grown in soil
