Road Salt and the Environment Lab

How much salt is too much for nature? 🌎🧂

Looking for a hands-on way to help students explore how human actions affect ecosystems? The Road Salt and the Environment Lab lets students investigate the real-world impact of de-icing salt on plants, soil, and aquatic life. Through guided experimentation, students grow plants in soils with different salt concentrations, record changes over time, and analyze how increased salinity alters growth and water quality.

Perfect for Biology or Environmental Science, this NGSS-aligned lab helps students connect chemical changes in the environment to biological responses and human decision-making. Students practice authentic science skills—making predictions, analyzing data, and writing CER responses—to evaluate the trade-offs between road safety and ecosystem health.

Why Teachers Love This Lab:

• Engaging, real-world environmental science connection
• Low-prep setup using simple classroom or household materials
• Built-in CER writing and data analysis sections
• Includes vocabulary review, discussion prompts, and extension ideas
• Encourages systems thinking about human impacts on nature

What’s Included:

• Printable student lab handout with background and clear procedures
• Teacher guide with sample data, answers, setup tips, and differentiation strategies
• Data table for organized observations
• Higher-order thinking questions and real-world extensions
• Optional aquatic impact mini-investigation

What Students Will Learn:

• How salt affects plant growth through osmosis
• How chloride pollution alters soil and water chemistry
• The link between human activities and ecosystem balance
• How to construct a scientific argument (CER) using real data
• How communities can make sustainable decisions about road maintenance

Easy Setup, Big Impact:

No specialized equipment needed—just cups, soil, seeds, salt, and water. Students see visible changes within days and develop a deeper understanding of how everyday choices (like salting roads) ripple through ecosystems.

Bring environmental science to life with this inquiry-based lab that combines biology, chemistry, and sustainability in one powerful investigation!

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If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Thanks for visiting!
Jessica