1. 800-476-6861 | www.sedl.org/connectingkids Copyright ©2012 by SEDL. All rights reserved. Student Example: Planting a Garden By The Connected Kids

2. 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

3. 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? 3 Photo: © SEDL.

4. Weed Control 4 Photos: © SEDL.

5. Weed Control 5 Photos: © SEDL.

6. Weed Control Pros & Cons 6

7. Experiment to Find the Best 7

8. Questions: How much will we need? Landscape fabric Burlap Newspaper 8

9. 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 of each subdivision. 9

10. Determining Necessary Information 10

11. Determining Necessary Information 11

12. One Possible Subdivision: Step 1 12

13. One Possible Subdivision: Step 2 13

14. One Possible Subdivision: Step 3 14

15. 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

16. 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. 16