Rooftop Gardens

Integrated Teaching and Learning Program, College of Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder

How does a green roof, or roof covered by plants, affect the temperature of the inside and outside of a building? Learners design and build houses to find out the answer. In doing so, they need to consider experimental design and controlling variables as well as cost constraints on building materials. Learners need to calculate surface area to calculate cost of materials. Learners then design an experiment and collect data to determine the effect of a green roof on a building. Time estimate for activity can be spread across multiple meetings.

Preparation Time:: Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:: 1 to 2 hours
Estimated Materials Cost:: $1 - $5 per group of students
Age Range:: Ages 11 - 14
Resource Types:: Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan, Model
Language:: English

Materials List (per group of students)

foam core board or heavy cardboard (for creating two model buildings), ~15 x 20-inch [38 x 51-cm] sheet (which is half of the 30 x 40-in [~76 x 102-cm] size foam core board sheets typically available)
1-2 pieces of black tar paper, 6in x 6in [15 x 15-cm] (can use black construction paper)
1-2 pieces of sod (turf) and/or other sod or moss-like plants, 6in x 6in [15 x 15-cm] piece
1 piece of plastic sheeting, 30 x 30-cm; cut from plastic wrap or plastic trash bags
duct tape
hot glue gun (optional)
X-ACTO knife, utility knife and/or scissors, to cut foam core board, black paper, sod, tape, etc.
2 thermometers (at least one long thermometer so you can access the interior of the model structures)
1 heat lamp
1 electric fan
timer or stop watch
paper
pencils
4 sheets of graph paper
(optional) soil (if not enough soil comes with sod)
Materials and Cost Worksheet
Temperature Data Sheet
timer/stop watch (to synchronize students' time pieces; alternative idea: use a free online timer and project it in the room for all teams to see) (Optional)
HOBO data logger with probe (available at electronics and hardware stores; this instrument records temperatures at set intervals over a period of time and creates data tables and graphs; usually requires a computer) (optional)
laptop/desktop computer with LDC projector, Excel software, Internet access (optional)

Keywords

Subjects

Earth and Space Science
- Earth Structure
  - Biosphere
Engineering and Technology
- Engineering
  - Architectural Engineering
  - Civil Engineering
Mathematics
- Algebra
  - Equations and Inequalities
- Data Analysis and Probability
  - Data Analysis
  - Data Collection
  - Data Representation
- Geometry
  - Plane Geometry
- Measurement
  - Units of Measurement
Physical Sciences
- Heat and Thermodynamics
  - Heat and Temperature
  - Heat Transfer
The Nature of Science
- The Scientific Process
  - Asking Questions
  - Conducting Investigations
  - Gathering Data
The Nature of Technology
- The Design Process
  - Research and Development
  - Invention and Innovation
  - Problem Solving
  - Troubleshooting and Maintenance

Informal Categories

Gardening
Model Building

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

see
read
touch

Learning styles supported:

Involves teamwork and communication skills
Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

Colorado Math/Science and ITEA

This resource is part of:

Teach Engineering

Access Rights:

Free access

By:

Samson, Carleigh ; Rivale, Stephanie ; Carlson, Denise W.

Source Collection

TeachEngineering

Source Institutions

Quick Guide