Lesson Title: Plants Help Keep a House Cool
Transcription
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. GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 1 of 15 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. GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 2 of 15 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) GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 3 of 15 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. GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 4 of 15 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. GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 5 of 15 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. GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 6 of 15 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.) GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 7 of 15 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. GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 8 of 15 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. GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 9 of 15 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): GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 10 of 15 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. GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 11 of 15 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): GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 12 of 15 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. GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 13 of 15 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): GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 14 of 15 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: GECDSB Ecoschools Energy Grade 3 French 1 Blackline Masters Included: BLM 1 (2 pgs), BLM 2 (2pgs), BLM 3 (2pgs), BLM 4 15 of 15