G8-3 CHNOPS
Published on The Edible Schoolyard Project (http://edibleschoolyard.org)
G8-3 CHNOPS
Author: Kyle Cornforth
Publish Date: July 25, 2016
Place of Learning: Garden
Resource Type: Lessons
Grade Level: Grade 8
Program Affiliations:
The Edible Schoolyard Berkeley [1]
G8-3_FrontPageIllustration.jpg [2]
In this eighth grade science lesson, students review the six essential elements of life and discuss
how they function in the garden.
Objectives
After this lesson, students will be able to:
Name the six essential elements of life
Describe the role of bacteria in converting non-usable forms of the six essential elements into
usable forms
Give examples of how the six essential elements are obtained by plants in the garden
Assessments
During this lesson, students will:
List carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur as the six elements of life
Discuss the role of bacteria in converting non-usable forms of the six essential elements into
usable forms
Connect the essential elements to processes in the garden while playing a game called The
Wind Blows
Materials
Compost Cake Visual Aid [3] with Velcro backed ingredient cards, elements, and file folder
Nitrogen Cycle Visual Aid [4]
Example cover crop plant (legume) with nitrogen nodes on roots
The Wind Blows game cards [5]
The Wind Blows element and bacteria signs [6]
Before You Begin
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G8-3 CHNOPS
Published on The Edible Schoolyard Project (http://edibleschoolyard.org)
Create the Compost Cake Visual Aid [3]
Create the Nitrogen Cycle Visual Aid [4]
Pull-out an example of a cover crop with nitrogen nodes on roots
Create The Wind Blows game cards [5]
Create The Wind Blows element and bacteria signs [6]
Procedures
Timeline Overview
Total Duration: 90 minutes
1.
2.
3.
4.
Invitation* (5 minutes)
Concept Invention (10 minutes)
Application* (60 minutes)
Reflection* (15 minutes)
At the Opening Circle
1. Invitation*: (5 minutes)
1. Welcome students and explain that we will be talking about CHNOPS in Opening Circle before
working in the garden today.
2. Concept Invention*: (10 minutes)
1. Introduce the six essential elements of life and the acronym CHNOPS.
2. Explain that all living organisms need the essential elements of life to live.
3. Prompt students to think about how, as humans, we get the six essential elements of life.
Begin with oxygen and hydrogen and explain that we rely on bacteria to convert the
remaining four into usable forms.
4. Show students the compost cake, highlighting the six essential elements in each layer of the
compost pile.
Explain that within the FBI (fungus, bacteria, invertebrates), the bacteria are primarily
responsible for breaking down and converting the elements into a usable form that
plants can uptake through their roots.
5. Show the cover crop and explain that it is an example of bacteria “fixing” nitrogen.
Refer to the nitrogen cycle poster and further clarify the process.
6. Explain that when plants are able to uptake the essential elements of life, we are then able to
intake those elements when we eat plants.
7. Repeat the CHNOPS acronym, and call for choral responses after saying each letter.
8. Tell students that in Closing Circle they will play The Wind Blows game, identifying the six
essential elements of life and the role of bacteria.
9. Divide the class into four groups for garden jobs.
10. Encourage students to observe examples of the six essential elements during their time in
the garden.
In the Field
Garden Work Rotation
3. Application*: (60 minutes)
Students think about and look for examples of the six essential elements while they work in the
garden.
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G8-3 CHNOPS
Published on The Edible Schoolyard Project (http://edibleschoolyard.org)
At the Closing Circle
4. Reflection*: (15 minutes)
Play The Wind Blows, a game similar to musical chairs:
To play The Wind Blows, which is similar to musical chairs, there must be one less seat than
participants in the circle (in our class, we ask that each student sit on one gardening cushion). When
the person standing reads the front of the card, all players for whom the sentence applies must
stand up and find a new seat, moving at least three spaces away from their original seat. The card
reader must also find a seat. Once all but one participant has found their seat, the original card
reader reads the back of the card aloud, and then passes the deck to the new student left standing.
The new student then chooses a new Wind Blows card, reads the prompt aloud, and races to find a
seat. The game continues until time or cards have run out.
Vocabulary
Carbon [7]
Hydrogen [8]
Nitrogen [9]
Oxygen [10]
Potassium [11]
Sulfur [12]
Bacterium [13]
Cover crop [14]
Nitrogen fixation [15]
Connections to Edible Education Framework
Communication is strengthened by identifying the 6 essential elements (CHNOPS), shouting them
out in order and playing a game that involves reading, listening and following instructions.
Sustainability is highlighted by learning that cover crops are not only grown to occupy garden beds
between plantings and slow down erosion, but also to fix nitrogen into the soil. Any plant in the
legume family will fix nitrogen. A cover crop is chopped down after a few months and incorporated
into a new compost pile where the FBI breaks it down. During this process of decomposition,
essential elements will be converted and made available. Nourishment is explored by learning that
bacteria have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing plants like beans and peas and are
responsible for converting elements into usable forms that plants can take in. Some of the six
essential elements are easily absorbed in our bodies, like oxygen and hydrogen, however the other
elements are usually found in non-usable forms, which we can absorb only by eating plants. Life
Skills are sharpened as students focus on listening, speaking and following directions and
participate in class routines.
Academics fulfill Next Generation Science Standards for matter and energy flow in organisms;
Common Core State Standards in ELA for collaborative discussion; speaking and listening, language;
following multistep procedures; and integrating quantitative or technical information. See
Connections to Academic Standards below for details.
Connections to Academic Standards
Next Generation Science Standards, Middle School
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G8-3 CHNOPS
Published on The Edible Schoolyard Project (http://edibleschoolyard.org)
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
Within individual organisms, food moves through a series of chemical reactions in
which it is broken down and rearranged to form new molecules, to support growth, or
to release energy.
Performance Expectations:
MS-LS1-7: Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions
forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves
through an organism. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on describing that molecules are
broken apart and put back together and that in this process, energy is released.]
[Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include details of the chemical reactions for
photosynthesis or respiration.]
Common Core State Standards, English Language Arts and Literacy, Grade 8
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher- led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’
ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.8.1.a Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under
study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text,
or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
SL.8.1.b Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making, track progress
toward specific goals and deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
SL.8.1.b Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers and respond to
others’ questions and comments with relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
SL8.1.c Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and, when warranted,
qualify or justify their own views in light of the evidence presented.
SL.8.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner
with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye
contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
SL8.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal
English when indicated or appropriate. (See grade 8 Language standards 1 and 3 on page 53
for specific expectations.)
L.8.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
L.8.1.d Recognize and correct inappropriate shifts in verb voice and mood.
L.8.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or
listening.
L.8.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific
words and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase
important to comprehension or expression.
RST.6-8.3 Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking
measurements, or performing technical tasks.
RST.6-8.7 Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a
version of that information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or
table).
Connections to Edible Schoolyard Standards
Edible Schoolyard 3.0
In the Edible Schoolyard Program
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G8-3 CHNOPS
Published on The Edible Schoolyard Project (http://edibleschoolyard.org)
1.0 Students work with each other and teachers to develop community and personal
stewardship, along with skills that will help them navigate different situations throughout
their lives.
1.1.1 – 1.3.12 This lesson fulfills all Edible Schoolyard Program standards, numbers 1.1.1
through 1.3.12. See The Edible Schoolyard Berkeley Standards [16] for details..
In the Garden Classroom, 8th Grade
Tools 3.1.2 Select, use, and care for scientific measuring tools in the garden, measure
precisely and understand what results mean.
Contributors
All lessons at the Edible Schoolyard Berkeley are developed in collaboration with the teachers and
staff of the Edible Schoolyard and Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School.
Learning Cycle and Think-Pair-Share discussion routine © The Regents of the University of California.
All materials created by BEETLES™ at The Lawrence Hall of Science.
This lesson follows the BEETLES Project’s Learning Cycle (Invitation-> Exploration -> Concept
Invention -> Application -> Reflection) and uses their Discussion Routines (Think-Pair-Share, WhipAround). All are highlighted * with an asterisk for easy identification. See the documents
BEETLES Discussion Routines and BEETLES Learning Cycle included in Resources below for more
information.
Files:
BEETLES Learning Cycle [17]
BEETLES Discussion Routines [18]
G8-3 Nitrogen Cycle Visual Aid [19]
G8-3 Compost Cake Visual Aid [20]
G8-3 The Wind Blows [21]
G8-3 FBI Images [22]
G8-3 CHNOPS Lesson Plan [23]
CC License: I agree that by publishing this content on our website, I am making it available under
the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 UnportedLicense. [24]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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G8-3 CHNOPS
Published on The Edible Schoolyard Project (http://edibleschoolyard.org)
Source URL: http://edibleschoolyard.org/resource/g8-3-chnops
Links:
[1] http://edibleschoolyard.org/program/edible-schoolyard-berkeley
[2] http://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/G8-3_FrontPageIllustration.jpg
[3] https://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/CHNOPS_Compost_Cake_Visual_Aid_0.pdf
[4] https://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/G8-3_Visual_Aid_0.pdf
[5] https://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/The%20Wind%20Blows%20-%20CHNOPS%202.pdf
[6] https://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/G6-2%20FBI_0.pdf
[7] http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=Carbon
[8] http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=Hydrogen
[9] http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=Nitrogen
[10] http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=Oxygen
[11] http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=Potassium
[12] http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=Sulfur
[13] http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=Bacterium
[14] http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=Cover%20crop
[15] http://www.wordcentral.com/cgi-bin/student?book=Student&va=Nitrogen%20fixation
[16] http://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/03_esyb_standards_2016.pdf
[17] http://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/BEETLES_Learning_Cycle%20%282%29_6.pdf
[18] http://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/BEETLES%20Discussion-Routines_12.pdf
[19] http://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/G8-3_Visual_Aid_0.pdf
[20] http://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/CHNOPS_Compost_Cake_Visual_Aid_0.pdf
[21] http://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/The%20Wind%20Blows%20-%20CHNOPS%202.pdf
[22] http://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/G6-2%20FBI_0.pdf
[23] http://edibleschoolyard.org/sites/default/files/G8-3_CHNOPS_L_0.pdf
[24] http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
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