To start the class,we did vocab cards on some of the new words in our vocab. One word that stuck with me was biomass. Biomass is dried matter that is compiled in a habitat or living area. An example of this is dried leaves. So instead of saying "I have to rake the leaves outside", you could say " I have to rake the biomass outside".
After that we talked about our new lab. In this lab we will go over and learn how the things that we pollute the atmosphere with can affect the growth of our plants. This is the first lab so far this year in which we will actually construct our own labs. This project is very similar to the biosphere lab we did in sixth grade but this lab will take about 2 weeks.
On Tuesday we finished up the note cards for the quiz we will take next Tuesday. One new word we added to our collection of note cards was hydroelectric energy. Hydroelectric energy is energy made by water sources such as dams. However this is one of the many "natural resources" that is questionable if it hurts or helps the environment. In our notes we began learning about the largest contributions to the gaping hole in the ozone layer. For those who were wondering what the ozone layer is, it is a layer in our atmosphere that protects our plant from some of the sun's harmful rays. I bet you never thought that one animal's fart could contribute to 20 percent of the earth's overall green house gas level. Cow farts contain methane which is natural green house gas but is still harmful to our atmosphere. I bet you will remember that next time you see a cow.
After notes we got into groups and discussed and brainstormed for our sustainable ecosystems lab. In this lab our group will be testing to see the effects of pesticides on plants. We will have two control groups and two test groups to make sure our results are very accurate.
On Wednesday I was sick so I could not attend science class. However it seems like they were very productive.
On Thursday we continued with our lab. Since I was not there the previous day, my lab partner had to update me on what was happening.To finish up the main parts of the lab we created our lab procedure. Since we were testing the effects of pesticide on plants, we made sure to include the step on the amount of pesticide used and when to apply it. After writing the procedure we set up our bottles. To do this we took four water bottles,two for tests and two for control, and cut the tops of of them. Then we poked a hole in the top and put water on the bottom of the bottles. Then in the upper part a mixture of soil and Bermuda grass seeds. To finish them off we added four sprays of water and let the magic of science kick in. One tip when doing any labs is to label each test or group so that you do not get anything mixed up.
On Friday we continued with our labs. Today was the day we created our data tables for the growth of our plants. When making our data table we made sure we included both qualitative and quantitative observations. A quantitative observation is an observation that deals with numbers but a qualitative is an observation that deals with descriptions and appearance. For example in our lab our first quantitative observation was the height of the grass and our first qualitative observation is that nothing has started to sprout in the soil yet.
I can improve on my speed for Picture This. I have a new strategy up my sleeve.
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