Objectives:

Students will be able to:

• Understand the importance of humidity in agriculture and how to monitor and control
humidity levels to prevent fungal diseases and water stress in plants.
• Explain how humidity sensors are used in agriculture to optimize plant growth and
prevent disease.
• Describe the components and functioning of a DHT11 humidity sensor and how it can be
integrated into various projects for environmental monitoring.

Materials:
 Projector and screen or whiteboard
 Markers or pens
 Handouts with lesson content (optional)
 Student devices with internet access (for Session 2)

Procedure:

Activate Your Prior Knowledge

• Show an image of a greenhouse with a ventilation system including exhaust fans, intake
vents, and circulation fans.
• Ask students what the image depicts and if they are familiar with any other greenhouse
cooling technologies.
• Ask students the following questions to activate their prior knowledge:
o What factors do you think affect plant growth in a greenhouse environment?
o How do greenhouse farmers traditionally control temperature and humidity?
o What are the potential consequences of improper temperature and humidity
control in greenhouses?

Key Concepts (15 minutes):

• Importance of Humidity in Agriculture (5 minutes):

o Explain that humidity refers to the amount of moisture in the air and how it
significantly impacts plant growth and development.
o Briefly discuss the ideal humidity range for most plants and the consequences of
exceeding or falling below this range.
 • Humidity Sensors in Agriculture (5 minutes):
o Introduce humidity sensors as electronic devices that measure the amount of
moisture in the air.
o Explain how greenhouse farmers can utilize these sensors to monitor and
regulate humidity levels within their greenhouses.
• Benefits of Humidity Sensors (5 minutes):
o Highlight the advantages of using humidity sensors in agriculture, such as:
▪ Optimizing plant growth by maintaining ideal humidity levels.
▪ Preventing fungal diseases that thrive in high humidity environments.
▪ Reducing water usage by detecting water stress in plants.
▪ Allowing for real-time monitoring and adjustments to the environment.

Key Components (10 minutes):

• DHT11 Sensor (5 minutes):

o Introduce the DHT11 sensor as a common type of humidity sensor used in
agriculture.
o Explain that it measures both relative humidity and temperature.
o Briefly discuss the sensor's working principle, mentioning its capacitive humidity
sensing element and thermistor for temperature measurement.
• Heat Spreader (5 minutes):
o Introduce the concept of a heat spreader as a device used to dissipate heat in a
specific environment.
o Explain how a heat spreader can be beneficial in a greenhouse by regulating
temperature and preventing heat buildup.

Key Programming (15 minutes):

• Explanation of Key Commands (15 minutes):
o Briefly explain commonly used commands in Arduino programming related to
humidity sensor integration, such as:
▪ Serial.begin(Baud rate): Initializes serial communication between the
Arduino and computer.
▪ Serial.print(): Outputs a value to the serial monitor.
▪ Serial.println(): Outputs a value with a new line to the serial monitor.
▪ #include <library>: Includes an external library for sensor interaction.
▪ #define [variable] [int]: Defines a digital pin for sensor connection.
▪ DHT dht([PIN Variable], [Type of Sensor Variable]): Initializes a DHT
class instance.
▪ dht.begin(): Initializes the DHT sensor.

Assessment:
I. True or False Questions (5 minutes):
II. Word Bank Definition: (5 minutes):
Guided Activity (45 minutes):
• Divide students into groups and assign each group a specific automated farming system
to research.
• Materials:
o Arduino Uno or compatible board
o DHT11 sensor
o Jumper wires
o Breadboard (optional)
o Computer with Arduino IDE software installed
• Instructions (15 minutes):

1. Hardware Connection (5 minutes):

o Instruct students to carefully connect the DHT11 sensor to the Arduino board
using jumper wires based on the following pin configuration:
▪ DHT11 VCC pin to Arduino 5V pin
▪ DHT11 DATA pin to Arduino digital pin 2 (or any other digital pin)
▪ DHT11 GND pin to Arduino GND pin
o Briefly explain the purpose of each connection (power supply, data signal, and
ground).
2. Code Introduction (5 minutes):
o Guide students to open the Arduino IDE on their computers.
o Explain that they will write a program to read temperature and humidity values
from the DHT11 sensor and display them on the Serial Monitor.
3. Code Breakdown (5 minutes):
o Provide students with a pre-written code snippet and explain each line's
functionality:
▪ #include <DHT.h>: Includes the DHT library for sensor interaction.
▪ #define DHTPIN 2: Defines the digital pin connected to the DHT11 sensor
(pin 2 in this example).
▪ #define DHTTYPE DHT11: Defines the DHT sensor type (DHT11 in this
case).
▪ DHT dht(DHTPIN, DHTTYPE);: Creates a new DHT object instance.
▪ void setup() function: Runs once when the program starts.
▪ Serial.begin(9600);: Initializes serial communication at a baud
rate of 9600.
▪ dht.begin();: Initializes the DHT sensor.
▪ void loop() function: Runs repeatedly.
▪ float temperature = dht.readTemperature();: Reads
temperature from the sensor and stores it in the temperature variable.
▪ float humidity = dht.readHumidity();: Reads humidity
from the sensor and stores it in the humidity variable.
▪ Serial.print("Temperature: ");: Prints "Temperature: " to
the Serial Monitor.
▪ Serial.print(temperature);: Prints the temperature value to
the Serial Monitor.
 ▪ Serial.print(" °C, Humidity: ");: Prints " °C, Humidity: "
to the Serial Monitor.
▪ Serial.print(humidity);: Prints the humidity value to the
Serial Monitor.
▪ Serial.println("%");: Prints "%" and a new line to the Serial
Monitor.
▪ delay(2000);: Creates a 2-second delay before looping again.

Independent Activity
• Objective:
o Design and build a functional heat spreader prototype using Arduino to regulate
temperature in a simulated environment (e.g., a small box or container).
• Materials:
o Same materials as the guided activity
• Procedure (15 minutes):
o Circuit Construction:
▪ Instruct students to carefully assemble the heat spreader circuit on a
breadboard following the provided diagram.
▪ Ensure proper connections between all components and verify
component placement according to their functions.
o Code Upload:
▪ Guide students to upload the modified code (incorporating temperature
control logic) to their Arduino boards.
o Testing and Observation:
▪ Instruct students to place the heat spreader prototype inside a small
container or box with a plant or temperature sensor (if not using the
DHT11).
▪ Encourage them to monitor the temperature readings and observe how
the fan activates and deactivates based on the set threshold.
o Data Collection and Analysis (10 minutes):
▪ Provide students with a table to record temperature readings within the
container at different intervals.
▪ Ask them to analyze the data and observe the effectiveness of the heat
spreader in maintaining a desired temperature range.
Answer Keys
Assessment:
I. True or False
1. False
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True
II. Identification
1. heat spreader
2. greenhouse farming
3. crop yields
4. temperature regulation
5. airflow
6. microcontroller
7. I2C - Inter-Integrated Circuit
8. LCD - Liquid Crystal Display
9. HD44780
10. Backlight