Katikati College Enhancement Plans

Team Edisons: Adam, Hunter, Brody and Alex

 

Thomas Edison invented many great items that help us with our everyday lives, things like the light bulb, TV and sound recording.

Our enhancement plan:

1. Cover the Quadrat with mulch or compost to fertilise the soil to hopefully attract more life to the square.

2. Adjust the soil pH in that area to 7.0 or neutral by adding 170g of hydrated lime.

3. Keep tilling to a minimum, especially during the warmer weather when earthworms are most active, but till in the organic matter a little bit.

4. Plant a cover crop like clover, buckwheat, or hairy vetch.

 

Expert Feedback from Sue Barker of DOC

Hello Edisons – excellent ideas here.

I presume you are dividing up your quadrat and introducing only one change to each of the sections?  For a fair test you can only change one thing. And, remember to leave some of the quadrat as it is for a ‘control’.  

How will you assess improvement? By the number and type of species?

Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Thomas A. Edison

Expert feedback from Don Morrison, Teacher Fellow with the Royal Society of New Zealand

Hi Thomas Edisons

 I’m not sure about what you are trying to attract to your quadrant. What sort of ‘life’? Animal or plant? You have four things you are going to change (variables).  How do you know which one(s) of these variables ‘attracts more life’? Good to see a precise measurement for the hydrated lime. Precise measurement is very important?How long is your enhancement plan going to run for?

 

Lil Einsteinz: Alice, Celeste, Danielle and Emma

Albert Einstein was known as one of the best scientists of the twentieth century. He began with the theory that 'laws of nature are the same for all observers in unaccelerated'. The famous equation that he worked on was e=mc squared. In 1914 he went back to Germany to become a professor at the university of Berlin. As the Nazis came to power he lost his job and went to the US. In 1939 he asked the president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, to develop the use of atomic bombs in the USA. In world war two, he became much more involved in trying to destroy the nuclear weapons.

Quadrat Recording Table

Organism               Tally               Found above or under
                                                         ground A or U
Dandelion Plants   10                               A     
Canadien                25                                A
Flebane
Roots                     25%                              U
Moss                      60%                              A
Slaters                     1                                  A
Brown Beetle          2                                  A
Butter cup               12                                A
plants       
Grass                      75%                            A
Spider                      1                                 A
Ants                          1                                 A
Self heal                   2                                A
Plants     
Clover                      4                                 A

Enhancement Plan aim - To improve the number of insects in the quadrat.

Hypothesis – We think if we put moist compost on our quadrat area, it retain the moisture and improve the amount of insects and small bug species in the area

Variables – To change: Adding moist compost.

Measure: Number of insects and small bugs in quadrat.

Same -The rest of the area.

Method:

1. Find the pegs that pegged down the quadrat and connect the tape that was removed a couple of weeks ago.

2. Place the moist compost onto the quadrat area and leave for two weeks.

3. Return to count the number of insects and small bugs that were found in the quadrat.

4. Collect and analyse the data to see if there is an improvement.

 

Expert Feedback from Sue Barker of DOC

Greeting Einsteinz: This experiment is well thought out and planned.

You are changing one element by adding the compost and keeping a control area for comparison. You have clear aims and measurements for assessing your enhancement has worked. Your methodology is clear and well presented. This should be a good experiment.

(Interesting research about Einstein – well done).

Einstein quote  "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."

Expert feedback from Don Morrison, Teacher Fellow with the Royal Society of New Zealand

A great start! 

Good survey for your recording table. Are the % a  percentage of the whole quadrant?
Clear aim and hypothesis.     Single variable.  Simple clear measurement. Not sure what you mean by “The rest of the area”. Are you going to leave a part untouched as a control? How much of the quadrat?  This would be really good.

You are going to leave it two weeks. Is this long enough to make a measurable change?
Good to see you are going to analyse the data you collect.

Enjoy your experiment.

 

Briar, Ricky, Finn and Callum

1)Soil type – Clay/Sand/Loam
2)Soil quality –Crumbly/Hard
3) Terrain –Hilly/Steep/Flat
4) Position Sheltered/Exposed
5) Sunlight - Shade/Sun

A or U

a = small Ant = 7
a = short Grass = 70%
a =  Flea bane = 10%
a = Wandering Jew = 3
a = thistle = 2
a = moss = 50%
a = Click beetle = 1
u = worm = 1
a = Dandelion = 10
a = oxalis = 10%
a = clover = 7
a = Self heel = 3

ENHANCEMENT PLAN

To add some more plants that will enhance the quality of the  soil. So that it might  bring some more worms. Plants like:

*Lupin
*mustard seeds

Expert Feedback from Sue Barker of DOC

Hi Briar's Group – for your test to be a fair test you can only change one element, so I would suggest you select either the lupins or the mustard seeds – not both (unless you divide the quadrat into sections and put one plant on one part and the other plant on another section. Maybe the mustard seed would be best as it will grow quickly.

What is the duration of your experiment? How will you assess success? Will that be by counting how many worms there are?

Remember to leave part of the quadrat untouched as a control.

Expert feedback from Don Morrison, Teacher Fellow with the Royal Society of New Zealand

You have started with quite a good survey of some of the characteristics of your quadrat  and an idea of what you might do to enhance the number of worms but you need to go on to describe the details of your plan.

Would you get rid of the other plants/animals? How many plants would you plant?  Would you have a control section?  How long would it take? Where would the new worms come from?

 

Rutherford Group: Joel, Matthew, Nicholas, and Shannon

Rutherford: He split the first atom.

Enhancement Plan

Aim - To improve the number of living organisms  living there.

Hypothesis- I think that putting some mulch on the soil will help the plants to grow giving the insects more places to live. It will also keep the place warm and keep it moist.

Variable:To change- Adding mulch to the area.
    
Measure: Number of insects living there.

Same: Everything else.

Method:

1.  Return to the area already sampled.
2.  Change the area by putting mulch over it.
3.  Leave it for about 5-7 days
4.  Go back to the area and count the number of living organisms as we did before.
5.  Compare results. Did the mulch make a difference?

Expert Feedback from Sue Barker of DOC

Hi Rutherfords – Nice and simple experiment changing one variable and having a clear plan of action. I think you may need to leave more than seven days to get a chance to see change.

Your methods are clear and well thought out. Good luck!  

Ernest Rutherford quote” If your result needs a  statistician then you should design a better experiment”.

Expert feedback from Don Morrison, Teacher Fellow with the Royal Society of New Zealand

A simple but quite clear plan with only one variable. Some things to think about:

Should you set aside part of your quadrat without mulch as a control to compare with the mulched part?  Is 5-7 days long enough?  Which living organisms do you think will benefit from the mulch? How will increasing  the number of living organisms improve your quadrant?

Happy mulching.

 

Galileo Galilei: Briana, Gina, Karla and Zoe  

Galileo Galilei

Galileo was born  on the 15th of February 1564, in Pisa Northwest Italy. When Galileo was seventeen he began to study medicine at the University of Pisa.  He left medicine school because he was running out of money. He became a lecturer for a few years at the Academy of Florence. By 1586 he invented a new type of  hydrostatic balance. Galileo was experimenting with moving objects etc. Professors became angry because they did not believe that you are allowed to speak freely  against taught traditions. He moved to a town near Venice, there he was a professor for eighteen years. He taught Geometry and Astrology. He wrote a letter in his defence, now known as the letter to the grand duchess Christina. Galileo was sentenced to life imprisonment but the pope quickly changed it to house arrest. People attempted to pardon Galileo from  house arrest but failed. He died in Arcetri on the 8th January 1642 from a fever.

Enhancement Plan

Aim: To improve the number of organisms and soil in our quadrat.

Hypothesis:  We think that if we put food that the organisms like the most and mulch (compost) into the ground it will result in an increase of organisms.

Variable to change - providing the organisms with food and putting mulch on to our quadrat.

Measure - Number of organisms, texture of soil, amount of mulch (compost) added, what type of weeds we pull out and how much water we use.

Same - area 1m x 1m

Method:

1. We have to collect information including: organisms, soil, what food they eat, the amount of mulch we will be using and measuring the amount of water we will be using.
2. Get mulch, compost and food
3. Weed the quadrat and record the weeds that we take out
4. Place the mulch, compost and food in our quadrat
5. Then water the quadrate over most of the quadrat
6. Wait for a few days
7. Then sample the quadrats soil and count up the number and types of organisms.
8. Record this data on a table to see if there is any improvement.

Conditions:

Soil type – sand and loam.
2) Soil quality – crumbly
3) Terrain – flat
4) Position – sheltered and shaded

Expert Feedback from Sue Barker of DOC

Hello Galileons: To be a fair test you can only change one variable – unless you divide the quadrat into sections and change one element in each – but also leave one untouched as a control for comparison.

You have very well documented data from your fist audit of life forms, but a control will also let you know if some things would have changed anyway – despite your changed variable (eg weather).

As other groups at your school are using mulch, why not just do the ‘food’ addition ( a commercial compost?) and see what changing you can note.

(Interesting research about Galileo – a sad way to die!)

 

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.
Galileo Galilei

Expert feedback from Don Morrison, Teacher Fellow with the Royal Society of New Zealand

You have a well set out enhancement plan with lots of details and measurement. The more detailed and accurate you are the more likely you are to succeed. Some questions to think about:

By organisms do you mean plants or animals or both?
When you talk about ‘increase in organisms’ do you mean how big, or how many individuals or how many different types?
Why are you removing the weeds? 
Will ‘wait for a few days’ be long enough to see any changes in organisms or soil?
Do you have a control section of your quadrant to compare results with?

A great plan to work on.

 

Isaac Newton Group: Anqush, Kieran and Izzy

Enhancement Plan

Aim - To improve the number of spring tails in our quadrat and plant growth.

Hypothesis - I think that putting mulch over the quadrat area will retain moisture and improve plant growth, also the growth of spring tails.

Variables:

Changed - Adding mulch.
Measured – no. of plants in quadrat.
Controlled – Area, keep location and all other aspects of the quad rat the same.

Method:

1. Return to the same quadrat and add mulch of 1 cm.
2. Flatten mulch out so it's evenly placed out.
3.Wait three weeks.
4.Carry out first procedure that was taken, locate a suitable area then then add the 1m x 1m rope and divide into 16 squares again.

Discussion - Our group discussed that if you were to carry out the procedure that was stated above over a long period of time then it could be possible to improve the numbers of spring tails that were found in out quadrat, also it could improve the plant growth that was occuring in our location.

Expert Feedback from Sue Barker of DOC

Greetings Newtonians: This seems like a nice, simple experiment. You are changing one element by adding the mulch. Remember to leave part of the quadrat as it is, as a control for comparisons.

Your measure of change is a little unclear – you have number of springtails, number of plants and growth of plants. I suggest you measure number of species and numbers within each species. 

Newton quote “No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess”.

 

Expert feedback from Don Morrison, Teacher Fellow with the Royal Society of New Zealand

The adding of mulch sounds like a good idea. Some questions to think about:

Have you done a survey of your quadrat to measure what is living there?

Why did you choose springtails to improve the number of rather than other insects?

Do you want more of all plants? Which plants would be good for your quadrant?

Do you have a ‘control’ area which you can compare your mulched area with?

Do you think three weeks is long enough to see a measurable change?

 

Enhancement Plan: Luke, Scott and Jason

Aim

To improve the amount of earthworms living in the soil.

 Hypothesis

We believe that the soil is too dry and not in good enough condition for earthworms to live in. We think that watering the soil and adding mulch will help it.

Variables

Changed Variables - The amount of earthworms in the soil. Also, the amount of water in the soil will be changed.

Measured Variables - We will measure the amount of water that we put into the soil. We will also measure the amount of earthworms in the soil. Thirdly, the amount of mulch added will be measured.

Fixed Variables - Area that we work in. Also the group members working on it won’t be changed.

Method

We will return to our quadrat that we measured and we will water it and add mulch to the soil every two days for two weeks. We will measure the amount of worms in the soil twice every week for three weeks. We will record our results and see if our addition to the soil has made any significance to the amount of earthworms in the soil.

Expert Feedback from Sue Barker of DOC

Hello Luke, Scott and Jason,

Remember for it to be a fair experiment you can only change one element – either the water or the mulch – not both. As so many other groups are doing mulch, why don’t you do water? Remember to leave part of the quadrat unwatered for a control.

Your measure of improvement is going to be a worm count, so it will be interesting to see if there is change after two weeks.

Expert feedback from Don Morrison, Teacher Fellow with the Royal Society of New Zealand

The hypothesis looks good.

Do you want to improve the number of earthworms or how big they are? Earthworms are a good indicator of the health of soil so having more earthworms would mean the soil was enhanced. Do you think it would show in other ways?

Do you have a control area the same size and in the same location that is not watered and mulched so that you can use it to compare results?

Happy worm hunting.