High School Curriculum Expansion

November 30, 2020

The NY Sun Works Discovering Sustainability Science High School curriculum consists of subject-specific labs and modules that introduce students to hydroponic farming, offer students the opportunity to design and build their own hydroponic and aquaponic systems, and connect to topics covered in life science courses such as Living Environment, AP Environmental Science, and AP Biology. The Education team is excited to announce that four new modules (Farming Foundations, Farming for a Sustainable Future, The Hydroponic Games: A Hydroponic Design Challenge, and The Aquaponic Games: An Aquaponic Design Challenge) are now available on the NY Sun Works Learning Center! Keep reading for an overview of each NEW module and descriptions of existing labs.

Farming Foundations

This module provides the intellectual and practical infrastructure for students and teachers as they embark on their mission to maintain a fully-operational hydroponic farm within the context of a science lab. This foundation unit speaks directly to the unique systems and practices found within the Greenhouse Classroom and helps students keep their farm running throughout the school year, while introducing them to hands-on investigations that can be designed and implemented in the hydroponic systems.

Farming For A Sustainable Future

This module provides students and teachers a deep dive into hydroponic and aquaponic farming and sustainability. The lessons complement the Land and Water Use Unit of the AP Environmental Science curriculum with a focus on the impacts of agricultural practices, including irrigation and pest control methods and impacts of overfishing. Students also engage with sustainability topics (impacts of urbanization) and examine their own ecological footprints on the path to discussing and determining what sustainable agriculture looks like in practice.

The Hydroponic Games: A Hydroponic Design Challenge

This module engages students in an engineering design challenge to design and build functioning hydroponic systems. Working in groups, students use the iterative design process to revise their system designs and provide constructive feedback to each other throughout the module. Students also have the opportunity to apply what they have learned about water chemistry and how hydroponic systems work to ensure their systems function and support the growth and development of multiple crops.

The Aquaponic Games: An Aquaponic Design Challenge

This module engages students in an engineering design challenge to design a functioning aquaponic system. Working in groups, students use the iterative design process to revise their system designs and provide constructive feedback to each other throughout the module. Students learn about the major threats to ocean biodiversity and have the opportunity to design and implement controlled experiments in an aquaponic system. This module also includes instructions on how to build a 10-gallon aquaponic system should an aquaponics tank not be present in the classroom.

Living Environment Labs

In this lab series, students identify how energy affects the life cycle of the plant. Students are asked to explain how energy and matter are interconnected through each phase of plant development: seed & embryo, roots & shoots, leaves & stems, and flower.

Chemistry in Hydroponics Series 1: Introduction

In this lab series, students investigate the features of hydroponic farming while practicing Chemistry Regents concepts. Each lab offers a Daily Guiding Question, Objectives, NYS Physical Setting/Chemistry Standards, Scientific Inquiry key ideas and performance indicators, notes for the teacher, and a Lab Student Page.

Chemistry in Hydroponics Series 2: Color

But that’s not all! High School teachers should be on the lookout for a new lab series (Chemistry in Hydroponics Series 3: Biochemistry) and the NY Sun Works Research Guidebook, which are currently in development and will be available on the Learning Center in the Spring of 2021.

As always, teachers should not hesitate to contact us with any questions about lessons or labs.