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Water Wise: �Gravity in Action

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How Do Farmers Grow Crops on Sloped Land?

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Your Challenge

Introduction Video:

https://youtu.be/vzFXJmB67D8

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Your Challenge

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How Does Gravitational Force Affect Water Flow on Sloped Farmland?��How Can Farmers Use This Understanding to Design Better Irrigation Systems?

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Sustaining Well-Being

Slide Notes

Facilitator Note: Encourage an open conversation about what students know about gravity and how it might impact water on farms. The following notes can help guide your conversation.

Ask: How do farmers use and move water on farms?

Listen for: They use it for growing plants or animals. Farmers might use hoses, sprayers, buckets, etc. to move water from one place to another on the farm.

Ask: What challenges to moving water do farmers on sloped land or terrain face? Would they use any different setups or tools to farm?

Listen for: The challenges are that sloped land makes it difficult to get water to because they have to go uphill. They might use longer hoses or set up a series of pipes and pumps to move water uphill.

Ask: How do you think farmers might rely on gravity to irrigate their crops?

Listen for: Farmers might use pumps to go uphill, or they might use tubes to create drains moving water downhill.

Say: Farmers use many innovative techniques to increase irrigation efficiency and water distribution. Smart, sustainable solutions can support responsible agricultural decision-making.

Say: These solutions and decisions are the kind of considerations we will brainstorm as we answer our challenge question on how gravitational force affects water flow on farmland and how farmers can use this understanding to design better irrigation systems.

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Challenge Requirements

Design a simulation or prototype to observe gravitational force.

Collect and analyze data to identify patterns and create a visual to explain findings.

Apply findings to an agricultural scenario.

Present a final product that promotes sustainable water use.

Slide Notes

Say:

Your solution to the challenge must address the impact of gravitational forces on water in an agricultural scenario.
To explore this solution, you must design a simulation or prototype that allows for the manipulation of mass and distance to observe their effects on gravitational force.
You will collect and analyze data from multiple trials to identify patterns in how gravitational force changes with mass and distance.
Next, you will create visual representations (graphs, tables, etc.) to clearly show the relationships between variables that were tested.
The solution requires you to apply findings to an agricultural scenario, such as water flow on sloped farmland, to explain how gravity affects irrigation.
Lastly, you will present a final product (e.g., report, video, or poster) that connects gravity science to real-world agricultural solutions and promotes sustainable water use

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Challenge Design Process

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Challenge Timeline

Design Process Step	Timeline
Identify	2 days
Imagine	2 days
Design	2-3 days
Create	3-4 days
Test & Improve	2-3 days
Share	2 days

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Step 1: Identify

Purpose of IDENTITY:

Define the problem and explore how it affects life globally, nationally, and locally.
Research to build background knowledge on gravitational force and its agricultural applications.
Describe why this problem needs a solution.
Determine constraints (e.g., time, space, resources, etc.).

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Step 1: Identify - Student Action

Answer these questions during your research:

What is gravitational force, and how does it work?
How do mass and distance affect the gravitational force between objects?
How could gravity affect water movement on sloped land?
Why would understanding this help a farmer? What do you already know about irrigation systems?

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Step 1: Identify – Reflection Questions

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Step 1: Identify - Share Out

Time to Share Out!

How does the problem affect communities globally, nationally, and locally?
In what ways have others addressed finding a solution?
What constraints should be considered (e.g., time, space, resources, etc.)?

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Step 2: Imagine

Purpose of IMAGINE:

Brainstorm possible solutions, experimental setups, and ways to test gravitational interactions
Consider using both simulations and real-world modeling to provide possible solutions to the challenge.
Discuss the tools available and how they might be the best solution.

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Step 2: Imagine - Student Action

Answer these questions to kickstart your brainstorm:

How can we use a simulation to explore gravitational force and its variables?
What kind of physical model might represent water flow on a slope?
What materials could help us simulate mass, distance, and gravitational pull?
How might different slopes or weights affect how water moves?
How might gravity influence how water moves across farmland with different slopes?
If you were a farmer, what problems might you face with water flow?
What would happen to water if the mass of water increased or the flow changed?
What would an ideal irrigation system look like if gravity was used to help water flow
What kind of data do you think we’ll need to collect to understand the relationship between gravity and water flow?

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Step 2: Imagine – Reflection Questions

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Step 2: Imagine - Share Out

Time to Share Out!

Share your list of possible solutions.

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Step 3: Design

Purpose of DESIGN:

Develop a detailed plan to investigate gravitational interactions using digital simulations and/or physical prototypes. Plan includes variables, controls, data collection, and visual representation of data.

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Step 3: Design - Student Action

Answer these questions to kickstart your brainstorm:

What simulation will you use, and what variables will you test (mass, distance)?
If you’re building a model, what slope, container, or materials will simulate farmland?
How will you collect and organize data?
What will your data table or graph look like?
How will you make sure your design can be tested more than once to determine accuracy?
How can your design connect back to a real-world farming scenario?

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Step 3: Design – Reflection Questions

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Step 3: Design - Share Out

Time to Share Out!

Share a detailed description of the solution.

A written plan of how what you plan to test
A materials list, with a budget
Directions for the model build
Expected outcomes

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Step 4: Create

Purpose of CREATE:

Conduct the investigation, collect and organize data.
Begin creating physical prototypes that simulate sloped farmland and irrigation systems.

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Step 4: Create - Student Action

Use these steps to get started on your solution creation:

What happens to gravitational force when mass or distance changes?
What patterns emerge from your simulation?
How does water behave on your sloped model?
What role does gravity play in moving water in your setup?
How does your model or simulation represent a real farm landscape or irrigation system?
What farming challenge are you simulating (e.g., too much water at the bottom of a hill, erosion, dry patches)?
If a farmer saw your model, what could they learn about how to manage water on their land?
How might different crops or soil types be affected by the water movement you observed?
Are there any real irrigation tools or farming methods your model is like (e.g., terracing, drip irrigation)?

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Step 4: Create – Reflection Questions

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Step 4: Create - Share Out

Time to Share Out!

Share your solution with the class.

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Step 5: Test & Improve

Purpose of TEST & IMPROVE:

Review your findings.
Refine your understanding, to improve your model or experiment.
Deepen your analysis of gravitational interactions and their agricultural implications.

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Step 5: Test & Improve - Student Action

Use these steps to test your solution:

Are your results consistent? What do you think caused unexpected outcomes?
How can you improve your data collection, simulation setup, or model design?
How do your findings support your claim about gravity and irrigation?
If this were a real farm, would your system help conserve water or prevent erosion? Why or why not?
How would changes in slope, soil type, or crop placement affect the success of your irrigation model?
What improvements could make your model more helpful for farmers dealing with uneven land?
If a farmer tested your idea in real life, what feedback might they give?
What would you change if your farm was in a very dry area? A rainy one?

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Step 5: Test & Improve – Reflection Questions

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Step 5: Test & Improve - Share Out

Time to Share Out!

Share your records of test trials and share data with peers.
Make sure to include qualitative and quantitative data.
Share what changes have been made to improve the solution and the effect they had on the outcome.

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Step 6: Share

Purpose of SHARE:

Present your findings in a format that explains the relationship between mass, distance, and gravitational force.
Connect your data to irrigation design in agriculture.

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Step 6: Share - Student Action

Here is how you can get started with sharing your solution:

What did your data show about how mass and distance affect gravity?
How does gravitational force influence water movement on a slope?
What would you recommend to a farmer designing a gravity-fed irrigation system?
How did your model or simulation help you understand a real-world problem?

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Step 6: Share - Share Out & Reflect

Time to Share Out!

Take a moment to reflect on all the hard work you’ve done in this project.
Present to the class!
Share your thoughts!

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YOU DID IT!

Submit for a chance to win the Purple Plow STEM Learning Challenge Prize!

Purple Plow is a special project of the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, made possible through the generous support of Corteva Agriscience.