Teach:
Explain what acid rain is to your students. It is rain that contains nitrogen and sulfur, which are pollutants in the air, contributed by humans. These chemicals change the rain into what is known as acid rain. Acid can be a substance that burns, or stings, and is a chemical compound that can be very dangerous. Acid is very strong. Give some examples of acidic products (vinegar, lemon juice). Let your students know that they are going to do an experiment that will help to learn about the affects of acid rain on plant life.
Materials:
- Empty spray bottle
- Watering can
- Water
- Lemon Juice or fresh lemons
- Three plants
- Notebooks
- Pencils
Procedure:
- Give each of the three plants a letter (they must be the same kind of plant). Plant A will be the plant that receives only water. Plant B will receive spritzes of water with a spray bottle. Plant C will receive water with the watering can.
- Place the three plants in an area where they will receive an equal amount of sunlight.
- Have the students make a hypothesis based on what you taught them about acid rain. They should hypothesize what is going to happen to each plant over the next week or two. The students should record their hypotheses in their notebooks and then record the procedure.
- Have one student water Plant A with only water from the watering can. Water the plant each day at the same time.
- Have another student spray lemon juice mixed with some water on the leaves of Plant B. Plant B should also receive a little regular water in its soil. Water the plant each day at the same time.
- Have a third student mix lemon juice with water in a watering can and pour it directly on Plant C's soil. Water the plant each day at the same time.
- Have the students record their results in their notebooks every couple of days until the project has ended. Have the students draw a conclusion based upon the results of the experiment.
Review:
Have students present a conclusion to you. How were plant B and C affected by the acid? Did the acid do more damage to the leaves or the whole plant when the acid went straight in to the soil? Have the students discuss if their hypothesis was correct or not. Finally, talk about ways you can keep the acid rain from occurring in the first place.
