Soil

On Monday we started the class by reviewing vocab. To do this ,we got out a blank piece of paper and numbered it from one to nine. Then Mrs.G called out the vocab definitions and we had to write down the word that corresponded with the given definition. This helped me know the words I needed to study for the quiz on Tuesday. The quiz would be on the units we had gone over in class about erosion and weathering and the vocab for those units. After doing the vocab quiz we studied  the textbook questions for the remainder of class. Our only homework was to study for the quiz which was something I really needed to study hard for.

On Tuesday we had our quiz on units 1-2. This quiz had vocab from the notes and material we learned from doing the weathering stations lab. Some of the information from the weathering stations lab included ice wedging. We had to use what we learned from the notes and also the lab to help us answer a question that would require us to apply our knowledge.  I knew most of the questions but some did trip me up. I can use my quiz to understand what I missed and not make the same mistakes next time on the test. Also reviewing the quiz to help study for the test always seems to work for me based on my results from the past.

On Wednesday we got our quiz results back. I did well and I now understand the questions I missed and why I missed them. After reviewing quiz, we were introduced to the new units about soil. For our science starter we were asked basic questions like "what is soil". From my past understanding soil is the minerals and sediment on the ground beneath us with both living and non-living things in it. After that we did vocab cards for the whole unit. These words were all new to me but I understood most of the meanings. One word that you may not know is used to describe soil is humus. Humus is the dark organic matter that form on the soil when living things decay. This is the type of humus that belongs in the ground not on pita chips.

On Thursday we went over the soil unit by learning the soil layers. The vocab we had previously done on Wednesday was very helpful for this. To learn the soil layers we filled out a diagram with definitions on the side. The soil layers are named by letters A, B, C, R and O. The topsoil layer is the best layer to grow plants in because of the mineral rich humus. The bottom layer is very different from the top layer and had been barely weathered. While doing the worksheet we made an edible representation of the layers in soil.  Different ingredients represented each layers of the soil.

On Friday we all brought soil samples for an activity we would be doing next week. My soil definitely contained some sand and felt gritty and heavy. After that we checked on our seeds we had been germinating for a couple of weeks now. So far my group had eight germinated seeds. To germinate the seeds we put them in an air-tight container with water then placed it under a heating lamp. To germinate, seeds need water or else they will die so it was very important that they remained in water the whole time. We planted the germinated seeds into containers with soil and sprayed them with water. Our group had two planters so far with four seeds in each. In a few weeks we should have even more seeds that have germinated. After that we worked on our introduction for our lab report.

Overall this week I learned a lot about soil layers and composition. One thing I can improve on this week is memorizing the order of the layers for the test next week.

Weathering and Erosion

On Monday we were not at school because it was Martin Luther King Jr. day.

On Tuesday we started a new quarter which led to us starting a new unit. This new unit revolves around weathering,deposition, and soil. To ease our way into the new topics, we did an activity before starting our notes. The activity centered around weathering and involved skittles and water. The skittles were put on a tray, which represented Earth or the ground, and then we dropped water on them from a dropper. After each set of ten drops, a drawing was taken and a brief description was also recorded. Very quickly, the water removed the coloring from the outside of the skittle. After the coloring came off, the "s" on the top came directly off. At first I did not completely understand the processes, but after going over notes I understood it more.

On Wednesday, we started a new lab to continue with our unit about weathering. In this lab, there were many stations and at each station we learned about a different type of weathering through a demonstration. The station I went to dealt with chemical weathering. We were instructed to put vinegar on a penny for four minutes and then wipe it off. After the four minutes was up and I wiped the vinegar off, there was a huge difference from when I first put the penny in. The tarnish on the outside was gone and the penny was a lot shinier. The penny that had been sitting for 24-hours was even shinier and had almost no tarnish at all. This demonstration showed what happens to a rock when acid rain constantly hits the rock. The demonstrations we did at the stations helped me better understand the material I needed to improve on.

On Thursday we continued with the lab we had previously worked on. Before we worked on the lab we watched a video showing us the weathering that occurs at beach environments.  The change in just a couple months were very drastic but the change throughout the whole year was almost devastating. Almost 17 meters were gone in only one year due to beach erosion. This is a big problem in our area but it is hard to see in our daily life but this video really showed me how a beach environment can get destroyed by just weathering.
After watching the video we worked on the lab again. Today I mostly learned from the activities about frost action. Frost action occurs when water enter rocks through cracks and freezes. When water freezes, it expands breaking the rock apart. This is a type of mechanical weathering that can occur during the winter on road rocks. In the activity, two cups of water were presented on the table. One had been frozen and the other was normal. There was a difference been the volumes of the two waters. The frozen water appeared to have a greater amount. This was used to show that water expands as it freezes. Overall this lab helped me learn a lot more about the different types of weathering.

On Friday I was sick but it seems that we did more work on our seed lab.

This week was a short week since we had Monday off but I still was able to learn a lot about weathering. One thing I need to improve on this week is reviewing my notes more often. Reviewing my notes more frequently will make it a lot easier around test time and will help me learn the material better.