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Grow It 3-5 / Week 12 / Thursday
4/6
Week 12 · Garden Design Capstone

Thursday

Run the fair test
// Plan it, test it, grow it
⏱ about 15 min

Thursday: Run the Fair Test

Rocket grabs the watering can. "Let's pour fast and see what happens!"

Raven holds up a measuring cup. "Wait. What do you notice about fair tests?"

Nova hovers between the two cups. "Same water, same soil, same time," she says. "Only one thing changes."

Rocket grins and measures carefully.

Run it

  1. Put on gloves.
  2. Measure the same amount of water for each cup, like half a cup.
  3. Pour the water slowly into the cup with holes.
  4. Pour the same amount slowly into the cup without holes.
  5. Wait five minutes.
  6. Look at the soil top and the tray under each cup.
Safety first
Wear gloves for soil. Wash your hands when you finish.
Wipe up spills right away so no one slips.
Nothing from the test goes in your mouth.
What to checkCup with holesCup without holes
Water in the tray?
Water sitting on top of the soil?
Soil feels soggy?

Copy this table into your notebook. Fill it in with what you see.

READ YOUR RESULTS
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which cup most likely had water in its tray?
Which cup is more likely to stay soggy?
What is the failure point of the cup without holes?
StatementTrue or false?
We changed only one thing in this test.?
Pouring more water in one cup keeps the test fair.?
A failure point shows what to improve.?
Soggy soil is good for bean roots.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEFair tests find failure points so designs can improve.
What should every garden pot have at the bottom? Type one word.
WHY THIS EXERCISEDrainage holes let extra water flow out of the pot.

Measure your bean plant. Add the number to your notebook.

Terrific testing! Tomorrow we compare two designs and choose the best one.

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