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.