Class: 6.7.13 + 6.10.13 and Smithsonian Quest

On Friday (6/7/13) we worked on our Immigrant Guides to the West again. Today in class (6/10/13) we presented our Smithsonian Quests.

Smithsonian Quest “Dirt Detective" Reflection:

Issued to:	charliespinale
Badge issued by:	Smithsonian Quests
Badge awarded by:	10th Grade
Badge Issuer Contact:	smithsonian@learningtimes.com
Issued on:	June 10, 2013
Also issued to:	5 others

 

For the Badge I completed all of the Quests for the Dirt Detective section. For the first section titled “dig it”, I listed to a conference that expanded my knowledge of soil. I use to think that all soil was the same everywhere you went but I learned that is not true. Soil is different everywhere and is very unique. In different ecosystems soil contains different components such as water, air, and minerals. The soil in some places in the world is good for farming while other places it is horrible for farming. Prairie soils have a dark surface layer and are rich in minerals. They form in grasslands all over Earth’s middle latitudes. Forest soils are light gray, and are rich in aluminum. Organic soils are dark colored and rich in decomposed organic matter. They form in poorly drained lowlands like a swamp or wetland. Desert soils form in arid settings and are rich in calcium carbonate. Lastly, Tundra soils have a dark organic-rich upper layer. They also have a mineral rich layer over frozen ground. Soils basically develop the way they are due to their climate. An interesting thing I learned from the discussion is that when there is no rainfall, rivers still flow because of the water contained in the soil. The next quest I did was titled “eat it”. In this quest I found edible plants that grow in my area that I could find in a local grocery store. I listed things such as lettuce, beets, tomatoes, potatoes, celery, etc.  After the grocery list I did a quest called “build it” in this quest I took a picture of a local construction around me and found out how the soil was being changed because of the construction. The soil has to be moved around and changed for the needs of the construction. I learned that soil specialist have to come in before a construction and determine if the soil can hold structure that will soon be built. For my last Quest to complete this badge I did “analyze it”. In this Quest I found out what the typical soil composition was like in my area. I learned that the soil in my town is called the Ridgebury series soil. This soil is best known for its poor drainage capacity. Over-all I thought the Triton 16% Smithsonian Quests were a good idea that Mr. Boyle incorporated into class. It allowed students to pick what they wanted to learn for a change. I think that it’s very important that we have opportunities like this because it’s nice to make your own decisions in what you’re learning about. It will prepare us for college when we have to pick what we’re going to major in and that decision will completely change our lives.