Lesson Title: Plants Help Keep a House Cool

Lesson Title: Plants Help Keep A House Cool!
Grade Level: 3 (French)
Overview of the Lesson:
This experiment is best completed by a large group and done in three
steps. First you will discover if shading your “house” will keep it cooler.
Then you will discover if painting the “house” different colours outside
affects the temperature inside. Third you can combine the coloured
houses with or without shading.
Big Ecological Ideas:
Plants are important not only as food and as habitat: they perform the important (but often
overlooked) “service” of moderating outdoor temperatures. This directly affects the amount of
energy we use!
a) Plants are important to other plants and animals as habitat -places where they can find food and
shelter.
b) By providing shade and moisture, plants, and particularly trees, also play an important role in
moderating temperatures during warm seasons. A cooler, shaded building can reduce its need for
air-conditioning – a significant energy savings.
c) In winter, trees act as windbreaks, sheltering both animals and human habitations. By reducing
wind speed they can help to reduce heat loss and the heating energy needed.
d) Trees in urban areas play a significant role in regulating the outdoor temperature in the summer:
cities with little vegetation often experience a “heat island effect” where temperatures are
uncomfortably higher in the surrounding areas. The trees lower temperatures by transpiring
moisture into the air, making the area feel cooler.
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Ontario Curriculum Expectations:
Science and Technology -Life Systems -Growth and Change in Plants
3s3
3s16
-describe ways in which plants are important to other living
things, and the effects of human activities on plants
-record relevant observations, findings, and measurements,
using written language, drawings, charts and graphs
Prior Learning/Context:
This learning event is best suited to occur after some prior learning
about plants has occurred. Students should be able to identify the
major parts of plants and understand some of the most basic ways in
which humans use plants for food, shelter and clothing. This learning
event may be used as an effective culminating activity at the end of a
unit on Growth and Changes in Plants.
Assessment Opportunities:
The teacher observes and notes students' ability to:
-make reasonable predictions
-follow directions
-participate in group discussions
-demonstrate perseverance in completing investigations
-observe and record relevant ideas in a clear, concise manner
-explain cause and effect relationships
-report and communicate ideas/interpretations clearly in an accurate
manner
The teacher may also use Blackline Master 4 - Observation
Rating Scale, to guide observations.
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Time Frame:
The activity is best completed in three separate learning events. You
may choose to complete one activity each day over three days.
Materials
Needed:
1)
Two shoe boxes or small cardboard boxes
2) A reflector lamp with a one-hundred watt incandescent light bulb
in it (you can also use a reading lamp or another light source,
using sunlight will also work)
(Reading lamp is available in the Start-Up Science Kit - Grade 1)
3) Various types of potted plants -a small bonsai tree would work
well
4) Two good thermometers to measure air temperature (available in
the Start-Up Science Kit - Grade 1). Optional: If you have a
digital thermometer that measures inside temperature with an
external sensor to measure outside temperature would work well.
5) Stopwatch (although a watch with a second hand will also work
well)
6) Black or a dark-coloured liquid tempera paint (or black
construction paper)
7) White liquid tempera paint (or white construction paper)
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Procedure:
Day One:
(1) Using Blackline Master 1, students review procedure and record
predictions.
• Which box will have the lower temperature inside –the house with
plants outside or the house without plants? Why?
(2)
Following the procedure
on Blackline Master 1,
take both boxes and place
them an equal distance
from the lamp so that
both get the same amount
of light hitting them.
(3)
Put the thermometers inside the boxes.
(4)
Place plants between the
lamp and one of the boxes
so that the shadows cast
by the plants cover most of
the entire house.
(5)
Turn on the lamp.
(6)
Measure the air temperature in each box over a period of time.
(At 1 minute, 3 minutes and 5 minutes) Record your findings using
Blackline Master 1.
• Which box has a higher temperature? Does the temperature
change?
(7)
Discuss your findings. Students can record their conclusions.
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Day Two:
(1) Using Blackline Master 2, students review the procedure and
record predictions.
• Which box will have the lower temperature inside –the black
house or the white house? Why?
(2)
Following the procedure on Blackline Master 2, paint one of the
boxes white and the other black. You may also cover the boxes
with the appropriately coloured construction paper.
(3)
Place both boxes an equal distance from the lamp so that both
can get the same amount of light hitting them.
(4)
Put the thermometers inside the boxes.
(5)
Turn on the lamp.
(6)
Measure the air temperature in each “house” over a period of
time (At 1 minute, 3 minutes, and 5 minutes.) Record your
findings using Blackline Master 2.
• Which box has a higher temperature? Does the temperature
change?
(7)
Discuss your findings. Students can record their conclusions.
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Day Three:
(1) Using Blackline Master 3, students review procedure and record
predictions.
• Which box will have the lower temperature inside –the dark house
with plants outside or the white house with plants outside? Why?
(2)
Following the procedure on
Blackline Master 3, place
plants between the lamp
and the dark coloured box
so that the shadows cast
by the plants cover most of
the entire “house.”
(3)
Turn on the lamp.
(4)
Measure the air temperature in the dark “house” over a period of
time (at 1 minute, 3 minutes and 5 minutes.) Record your findings
using Blackline Master 3.
(5)
Repeat the first three
steps using the white
house.
• Which box has a higher temperature? Does the temperature
change? Which house stays the coolest? Discuss the results.
Students record their conclusions.
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Reflections for Students and Teacher:
You will discover that plants can act as a shade to block sunlight
and help us keep our homes cooler. In the summer time, a tree with
leaves will shade the home, decreasing the amount of sunlight striking
the house, keeping it cooler. In the winter, when a tree drops its
leaves, the sunlight is allowed to hit the home to assist in keeping it
warm.
The colour your home (and especially the roof) is painted can have
an impact on heating and cooling it. Light colours will reflect the
sunlight. Dark colours will absorb more sunlight. Therefore, if you
paint a house light colours or have a light-coloured roof, the house will
stay cooler in the summer.
Adaptation and Extension Opportunities:
As an extension, students could subtract or add plants during day
one or day three’s experiment, to determine if the number of plants
used, changes the temperatures of the shaded “house.” Students may
also continue recording temperature over a greater amount of time to
see if greater temperature variation may be visible.
Students may also experiment with showing the data in different
ways. The temperatures collected could also be used to create a line
graph, to show changes in temperature over time.
Literature Links:
Informational Texts:
Fiction:
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein (Harper and Row, 1964)
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (Random House, 1971)
The Name of the Tree by Celia Barker Kottridge (Groundwood Books,
1989)
The Tree That Grew to the Moon by Eugenie Fernandes (Scholastic
Canada Ltd.)
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Suggested Resource Websites:
What Plants Do For Us – A Backgrounder
http://www.esa.org/ecoservices/comm/body.comm.fact.ecos.html
A Quick Reference Energy Resource for Teachers
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/
References:
Source of Lesson Plan: Based on an activity from Energy Quest,
created by The California Energy Commission,
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/
Source of Blackline Master 4: Based on “Observation Rating Scale”
from Science Everywhere 3, 1999, Harcourt Canada Ltd.
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BLM 1: Day One (2 pages)
Nom:
Date:
Les plantes gardent une maison fraîche-Jour 1
Question: Si on ombrage une maison, est-ce que ça aiderait à la
garder plus fraîche?
Hypothèse:
Procédure (Ce qu’on a fait):
1. Prenez les deux boîtes et placez-les à une distance égale de la
lampe pour que les deux reçoivent le même montant de lumière.
2. Placez un thermomètre à
l’intérieur de chaque boîte.
3. Placez la plante entre la lampe
et une des boîtes pour qu’elle
puisse ombrager la “maison”.
4. Allumez la lampe.
5. Mesurez la température dans chaque boîte après 1 minute, 3
minutes et 5 minutes. Notez vos résultats sur le tableau cidessous.
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Observations (Ce qu’on a observé):
Temps
Température dans la
maison non-ombragée
Température dans la
maison ombragée
Après 1 minute
Après 3 minutes
Après 5 minutes
Conclusion (Ce qu’on a appris):
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BLM 2: Day Two (2 pages)
Nom: _______________
Date:
Les plantes gardent une maison fraîche-Jour 2
Question: Peindre votre maison d’une différente couleur à
l’extérieur affectera-t-elle la température intérieure?
Hypothèse:
Procédure (Ce qu’on a fait):
1. Peignez en noir l’extérieur d’une boîte et en blanc l’extérieur d’une
autre boîte (des papiers de construction peuvent être utilisés au
lieu de la peinture).
2. Placez les deux boîtes à une distance égale de la lampe pour que
les deux reçoivent le même montant de lumière.
3. Placez un thermomètre dans chaque boîte.
4. Allumez la lampe.
5. Mesurez la température dans chaque boîte après 1 minute, 3
minutes et 5 minutes. Notez vos résultats sur le tableau cidessous.
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Observations (Ce qu’on a observé):
Temps
Température de la
maison noire
Température de la
maison blanche
Après 1 minute
Après 3 minutes
Après 5 minutes
Conclusion (Ce qu’on a appris):
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BLM 3: Day Three (2 pages)
Nom: _______________
Date:
Les plantes gardent une maison fraîche-Jour 3
Question: Laquelle des deux maisons peintes restera fraîche dans
l’ombre?
Hypothèse:
Procédure (Ce qu’on a fait):
1. Placez un termomètre à l’intérieur de la maison noire.
2. Placez la plante entre la
lampe et la maison pour
qu’elle puisse ombrager la
maison.
3. Allumez la lampe.
4. Mesurez la température dans chaque boîte après 1 minute, 3
minutes et 5 minutes. Notez vos résultats sur le tableau cidessous.
5. Répétez les quatre premières étapes avec la maison blanche.
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Observations (Ce qu’on a observé):
Temps
Température de la
maison noire ombragée
Température de la
maison blanche
ombragée
Après 1 minute
Après 3 minutes
Après 5 minutes
Conclusion (Ce qu’on a appris):
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BLM 4-Observation Rating Scale
Échelle d’observation
Nom de l’étudiant:
Date des observations:
Recueuille des données
observez, trouvez l’information, notez les idées pertinentes d’une manière claire et
précise.
__________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
Partage/Compte-rendu
Communiquez les idées, interprétez avec clareté et précision
__________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
Participation dans le groupe
Prenez des décisions, participez dans les tâches, écoutez les idées et les
suggestions des autres membres du groupe.
__________________________________________________
1
2
3
4
Level
Level
Level
Level
1-with
2-with
3-with
4-with
limited effectiveness
some effectiveness
considerable effectiveness
a high-degree of effectiveness
Commentaire:
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