Project Description
Students combine electronics, sensors, and Arduino boards (micro-controllers or mini-computers) to build and code a plant-monitoring station that will indicate the “happiness level” of a plant. Along the way, students dive into biology and learn about plant science, as well as how each of the electronic components of the project function. They bring their plant monitoring system to life by animating the LED display to respond to the conditions of the plant: soil moisture and amount of light. Students will create these display designs using binary code and program their monitor using a touch-screen app.
Key Concepts
Animation, Binary, Bluetooth, Coding, Fair tests, Fertilize, Indirect light, LED, Moisture, Monitor, Ovule, Photosynthesis, Pistil, Pollen, Pollination, Pollinator, Programming, Reporting, Sensor, Stamen, Symbol
Essential Question
How can we know when a potted plant needs more water or light?
Free Project Playbook
Download the playbook for a glimpse into our STEAM curriculum.
Summary of Standards
Summary of Standards
Students will use appropriate terminology when describing the components of computing systems, identify and describe patterns in data, and develop programs with sequences and simple loops.
Common Core ELA
Students will learn new content specific vocabulary, participate in collaborative group discussions, and answer questions related to the information that is presented.
Common Core Math
Students will use addition to find the total number of objects.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
Students will discover the interdependent relationships in ecosystems, ask questions to define problems, analyze and interpret data, and obtain, evaluate, and communicate information.
Students will describe how internal and external parts of computing devices work together; compare and refine multiple algorithms, create programs that use variable to store and modify data; and create programs that include sequences, events, loops, and conditionals.
Common Core ELA
Students will learn new content specific vocabulary, participate in collaborative group discussions, and determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text.
Common Core Math
Students will interpret products of whole numbers.
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
Students will plan and carry out investigations, analyze and interpret data, describe cause and effect relationships, and use mathematics and computational thinking.