Grow-It-Yourself Program

Light Experiment Lesson

Students investigate how light affects plant growth by designing and carrying out an experiment. Working in small teams, students will design their own light and no-light treatments, making predictions, caring for their plants, and measuring growth and characteristic changes over time. Students then graph and analyze their results to use evidence-based reasoning to draw conclusions. Lessons are composed of both core learning activities and flexible extensions to fit different program needs.

Math - Summarize & Interpret DataScience - Plan & Carry Out Investigations

1 - 4 Classes

45 - 75 Minutes

Grades 6 - 8

The Full Student Experience

What Happens Class to Class

1Plant & Experiment Set Up

Students plant their seeds and establish a controlled light and no-light treatment, learning how changing one experimental variable can help create fair testing parameters.

2Hypothesize & Monitor

Students predict how light will affect their plant's growth throughout the experiment, and care for their control and experimental variable in exactly the same way.

3Measure & Record

Students collect quantitative and qualitative data from their light experiment over the days and weeks of the program, measuring plant height, harvested leaves, and leaf color.

4Graph, Analyze & Conclude

Students organize their data into tables and create graphs to visually compare results across treatments and time, examining their graphs for patterns and differences, and considering what the data reveals about their control and experimental variable. Using evidence from their experiment, students determine whether the result supported their original hypothesis for the experiment and how they might improve the outcome in the future.

Skills Built