For honors credit you must complete 2 projects each term for a total of 8 projects for the year.
Term 1 (Complete A and B)
A. Insect Collection
You are required to make an insect collection, so you need to begin collecting insects. When you collect insects, keep them in the freezer in a stiff container with a tight fitting lid (like a cottage cheese container). Anytime your container is out of the freezer, leave the lid open slightly or your specimens may mold. Collect as many different looking insects as you can-even tiny ones. Keep track of when (date) and where you caught your insect (city, state). If you are scared of insects you can get someone else to catch them for you.
- Spiders, slugs, snails, rolly pollies, and worms are not insects.
- Do not share your collection with another student (like a Highschool student). Each must do their own project, however, you may collect insects together, but only one student gets credit for each insect.
- Do not use insects from someone’s old collection use only fresh catches.
- Do not pin insects, we will do this in class with special pins that I will provide.
- Do not let insects dry out -- they become too brittle to pin.
- Please do not collect a praying mantis, they are too beneficial. However, if you find a dead one, you can use it.
- Do not buy insects off the internet.
- Sometimes beetles remain alive after 3 weeks in the freezer-so be careful.
B. Habitat observation #1 -turn in handwritten field notes *(see field note instructions below)
1. Select a habitat you can use for the entire year. Please do not observe someone’s yard. Somewhere in a canyon, desert, or near a lake would be ideal. You will use this same place for Terms 2 and 4, also so make sure that you choose a place that you can get to during the winter.
2. Please do not go with a friend.
3. Stay for 1/2 hour and write one full page of field notes describing your observations and feelings.
Field Note Instructions:
1. Include date, place, and time
2. They should be handwritten-not typed
3. You don’t need to always use complete sentences
4. Describe the surrounding environment and weather conditions
5. Describe the plants and animals you see (not humans)
6. Explain the feeling you get when you are at this place
7. Fill the whole page/there should not be any empty spaces
8. Pictures are great, but there should be more writing than drawing
9. Try to include some quantitative data (temperature, wind speed, # of petals on a flower, etc.)
9. Try to include some quantitative data (temperature, wind speed, # of petals on a flower, etc.)
No comments:
Post a Comment