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Optimizing Plant Growth with LED Grow Lights

  • Difficulty: Grade 9-10
  • Time: 60-90 mins
  • Categories:

In this lesson, students will learn how vertical farming uses custom lighting to meet plants’ unique light needs at different growth stages, enhancing sustainability and efficiency in urban agriculture. In the ‘Take Action’ section of this lesson, students will use the Climate Action Kit to design and build their own vertical farm prototype that accurately delivers light to each plant!

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What this lesson includes

  • Lesson Content

    Photosynthesis, Plant Growth and Development

  • Real-World Example

    Eden Green Technology

  • Coding Tutorial

    Block-based

  • Assessment

    Triangulated Assessment Options

Educator Resources

Looking for  more educator resources

Overview Accordion

Learning Goals

  • Identify which wavelengths of light are best for different stages of plant growth
  • Discuss how plants have evolved to have unique light requirements
  • Explain how vertical farming uses technology to maximize crop growth
  • Compare the sustainability of vertical farming to traditional farming
  • Build a vertical farm prototype that:
    • uses the LED ring and positional servo motor from the Climate Action Kit
    • optimizes light conditions for different plants
    • uses lists to store data on plant light requirements
    • uses functions to reduce redundancy and improve readability of code

Preparation Accordion

Prerequisites

This lesson provides a strong real-world application and hands-on activity to supplement the following Next Generation Science Standards:

We recommend students have a basic understanding of these topics before starting this lesson.

Materials

Get to Know the Content

  1. Make sure you've completed our 'Getting Started with the Climate Action Kit' course
  2. If it has been awhile, review the kit components featured in this lesson:
  3. Review the lesson, particularly the following thinking routines from Project Zero (Harvard Graduate School of Education):

Activity Accordion

Big Idea (30 minutes)

Students will:

  1. Learn about the climate issues vertical farming addresses
  2. Compare and contrast plants grown under different wavelengths of light
  3. Discuss the role of red and blue light in plant growth
  4. Learn about how custom LED lighting is revolutionizing vertical farming

Take Action (60 minutes)

Students will build their own vertical farm that is capable of distributing optimized lighting treatments to different plants.

We've provided 3 ways students may build the project to support scaffolding and differentiation in your classroom: 'Use', 'Modify', and 'Create'.*

Activity Description
Use

Students will follow a step-by-step tutorial to build & use their vertical farm.

Success Criteria

I can:

  • build a vertical farm prototype with the Climate Action Kit
  • use unique events to deliver ideal light to each plant in my vertical farm
  • explain how functions are used to reduce redundancy and improve the readability of code
  • use pseudocode to write a function for plant light treatment

Resources

Tutorial
Final Code
Modify

Students will follow a step-by-step tutorial to build their vertical farm. After this, they will modify the code and complete a challenge to demonstrate their understanding.

Success Criteria

I can:

  • build a vertical farm prototype with the Climate Action Kit
  • store data on plant lighting requirements in a list (e.g. brightness, colour, duration, etc.)
  • call and pass data from each list to a function in order to optimize the light treatment for each plant in my vertical farm

Resources

Tutorial
Final Code
Create

Students will work in a small group to design, build & code their own vertical farming system.

Success Criteria

I can build a vertical farm prototype with the Climate Action Kit that:

  • has at least two vertical stacks or shelves for unique plants
  • is capable of delivering custom lighting treatment to each plant
  • considers the appropriate colour and duration of light exposure

and uses at least:

  • the LED ring
  • one servo motor

Resources

Blank Project

*Irene Lee, Fred Martin, Jill Denner, Bob Coulter, Walter Allan, Jeri Erickson, Joyce Malyn-Smith, and Linda Werner. 2011. Computational thinking for youth in practice. Acm Inroads 2, 1 (2011), 32–37.

Assessment Accordion

Use the following criteria to assess student learning. Students can:

Conversations

  • Explain the role of red and blue light in plant growth
  • List two benefits of vertical farming as it pertains to Climate Action
  • Discuss the purpose of each smart component and building block in the main build (Use, Modify, Create)
  • Explain the purpose of the lists and function in the vertical farm project (Use, Modify, Create)

Observations

  • Methodically test and debug their code to ensure it functions as intended (Modify, Create)

Products

  • Add comments to the code to demonstrate their understanding of each block (Use, Modify, Create)
  • Create a their own list to store data on plant light needs (Modify, Create)
  • Design their own prototype that satisfies provided criteria (Create)

Standards Accordion

Next Generation Science Standards

Grade 9-12

HS-LS1-5 Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy.

HS-LS4-4 Construct an explanation based on evidence for how natural selection leads to adaptation of populations.

HS-ESS3-4 Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

HS-ETS1-2 Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.

Computer Science Teachers Association Standards

Grade 9-10

3A-AP-14 Use lists to simplify solutions, generalizing computational problems instead of repeatedly using simple variables.

3A-AP-16 Design and iteratively develop computational artifacts for practical intent, personal expression, or to address a societal issue by using events to initiate instructions.

3A-AP-17 Decompose problems into smaller components through systematic analysis, using constructs such as procedures, modules, and/or objects.

3A-AP-18 Create artifacts by using procedures within a program, combinations of data and procedures, or independent but interrelated programs.

United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals

2: Zero Hunger

12: Responsible Consumption and Production

13: Climate Action

Common Career Technical Core Standards

STEM Cluster: Engineering & Technology Career Pathway

ST-ET 1.3 Use computer applications to solve problems by creating and using algorithms, and through simulation and modeling techniques.

ST-ET 3.1 Use knowledge, techniques, skills and modern tools necessary for engineering practice.

ST-ET 3.2 Describe the elements of good engineering practice (e.g., understanding customer needs, planning requirements analysis, using appropriate engineering tools, prototyping, testing, evaluating and verifying).

ST-ET 3.4 Illustrate the ability to characterize a plan and identify the necessary engineering tools that will produce a technical solution when given a problem statement.

ST-ET 4.1 Explain why and how the contributions of great innovators are important to society.

ST-ET 4.2 Explain the elements and steps of the design process and tools or techniques that can be used for each step.

ST-ET 4.3 Describe design constraints, criteria, and trade-offs in regard to variety of conditions (e.g., technology, cost, safety, society, environment, time, human resources, manufacturability).

ST-ET 5.1 Apply the design process using appropriate modeling and prototyping, testing, verification and implementation techniques.

ST-ET 5.2 Demonstrate the ability to evaluate a design or product and improve the design using testing, modeling and research.

ST-ET 5.3 Demonstrate the ability to record and organize information and test data during design evaluation.

STEM Cluster: Science and Math Career Pathway

ST-SM 1.1 Apply science and mathematics concepts and principles to resolve plans, projects, processes, issues or problems through methods of inquiry.

ST-SM 1.2 Use the skills and abilities in science and mathematics to access, share, and use data to develop plans, processes, projects and solutions.

ST-SM 1.3 Use the skills and abilities in science and mathematics to integrate solutions related to technical or engineering activities using the content and concepts related to the situations.

ST-SM 1.4 Explain the role of modeling in science and engineering.

ST-SM 1.6 Communicate with others on inquiry or resolution of issues/problems in the global community.

ST-SM 2.1 Demonstrate the ability to recognize cause and effect when faced with assigned projects or issues.

ST-SM 2.4 Predict the outcomes based on data collected in a project or experiment.

ST-SM 3.1 Evaluate the impact of science on society based on products and processes used in the real world.

ST-SM 3.3 Research how science and mathematics influence the professions and occupations supported by the STEM Career Cluster.

Information Technology Cluster: Programming & Software Development Career Pathway

IT-PRG 4.1 Employ tools in developing software applications.

IT-PRG 6.1 Explain programming language concepts.

IT-PRG 6.3 Demonstrate proficiency in developing an application using an appropriate programming language.

IT-PRG 6.4 Explain basic software systems implementation.

IT-PRG 7.1 Develop a software test plan.

IT-PRG 7.2 Perform testing and validation.

Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Cluster: Plant Systems Career Pathway

AG-PL 1.3 Determine the influence of environmental factors on plants.

AG-PL 3.8 Apply principles and practices of sustainable agriculture to plant production.

Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Cluster: Power, Structural & Technical Systems Career Pathway

AG-PST 1.3 Investigate solutions to AFNR power, structural, and technical systems.

AG-PST 1.4 Design or modify equipment, structures, or biological systems to improve performance of an AFNR enterprise or business unit.

AG-PST 4.1 Create sketches and plans of agricultural structures.