Abstract
We designed two NGSS-aligned middle school classroom experiments to investigate the effects of biochar on plant growth and soil respiration. Biochar is a carbon-rich material, produced by heating organic matter under limited oxygen, that is added to soils to improve fertility, to promote plant growth, and as one possible strategy to help mitigate climate change. The experiments offer an ideal case study for students learning fundamentals of soil and plant interactions. Soils and biochar are accessible, are connected to global issues such as agriculture and climate change, and are the focus of ongoing research in soil science. These classroom experiments promote authentic science because students design replicated experiments, collect and analyze data, discuss variability in the data, and interpret their results in the context of recent research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 256-268 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | American Biology Teacher |
| Volume | 81 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 2019 |
Funding
This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Research Initiative– Coordinated Agricultural Projects Bioenergy Alliance Network of the Rockies grant no. 2013-68005-21298.
| Funder number |
|---|
| 2013-68005-21298 |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 13 Climate Action
Keywords
- Soil
- authentic science
- biochar
- experiment
- plants
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