Agricultural Science Lab Manual
The following is a complete list of lab activities from PASCO's online Agricultural Science Lab Manual. You may preview and download individual student lab activities and SPARKvue data files, view AP/IB standards correlations, and access the Teacher Files by creating or signing in to a PASCO account. A complete materials list is provided within each student handout.
Grade Level: High School
Subject: Environmental Science
Activities
01) Determining Soil Quality
In this lab, students use carbon dioxide, conductivity, and pH sensors to determine the quality of different soil samples.
02) Water Treatment
In this lab, students will model several water treatment methods. Then they will use pH, conductivity, and turbidity sensors to assess the effectiveness of each filter.
03) Freshwater Quality Monitoring
In this lab, students assess the local water quality using measurements from pH, conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity sensors.
04) Water and pH
In this lab, students will investigate the conductivity and pH of local water sources before determining the buffering capacity of each sample using a weak acid.
05) Respiration of Germinating Seeds
In this lab, students will monitor the respiration rate of germinating seeds in different conditions. Then, they'll analyze their data as it pertains to cellular activity and discuss optimal germination conditions for various species.
06) Plant Pigments and Photosynthesis
In this lab, students will separate plant pigments from a sample using paper chromatography and measure the light reactions of photosynthesis using a colorimetric substitute for NADPH.
07) Plant Respiration and Photosynthesis
In this lab, students will monitor a plant's carbon exchange within a closed system in both light and dark conditions to determine the dominant metabolic pathway.
08) Modeling an Ecosystem
In this lab, students will design and study three, small ecosystems. Students will manipulate system interactions while monitoring gas exchange, environmental conditions, and subject health.
09) Greenhouse Gases
In this lab, students will create and study greenhouse gases in a closed system to observe how gases impact a system's heat retention.
10) Energy Content of Food
In this lab, students will build a calorimeter to measure the energy content of foods containing dominant macromolecules (carbohydrates vs. lipids). Then, they'll relate their results to energy storage.
11) Diffusion
In this lab, students will measure the pH, conductivity, and absorbance of a model cell containing a semi-permeable membrane to better understand cell regulation.
12) Soil and pH
In this lab, students will record the pH of several soil samples before determining their suitability for local crops.
