Science 9

This September, my group in science nine did an experiment with pill bugs, or ‘roly poly’s’ , where we inquired if they would choose apples or grass if given the choice between the two. The experiments results were interesting, as some bugs needed to be probed in order to make a decision while others did not. In the end, all of our bugs chose grass over apples, although some went over to try the apples later. Overall, there were definitely some aspects of the experiment we could improve on. For example, we could have probed the bugs with spoons instead of our hands. We also could have used spoons to pick up the bugs as if to not scare them. If the bugs are not scared, then maybe they will not be hesitant to make a decision. As part of the assignment, we used graphs to articulate how long it took the bugs to choose a side and how many switched to apples during the duration of the assignment.  I think the reason that the bugs chose grass over apples is that they are more familiar with grass because they live in that environment and encounter grass on the regular.

Core Competencies:

• Overall
•  Communication (used graphs)
• Creative/Critical Thinking (using spoons instead of hands, reasoning for why bugs chose grass over apples

Site C Research Assignment

In December of 2017, my group in science nine did a research project on the construction of the controversial Site C dam on Peace River near Fort St. John. This assignment really made me aware of the province-wide discussion about this dam, and really made me think about the importance of Site C to BC. I do agree, with electric cars and more devices than ever being used, that we will need more sources of electricity in the future, but a massive $9B dam when we already have more than enough electricity? Adding to the problem was that some natives of the Peace River territory were against building a dam. When suggesting a solution to this, you have to be ethical and respect the opinions of the indigenous people, as it is their land. But you also have to consider the needs of the other side of the argument. What I proposed is a much smaller dam, a little less than half the size, that would cost less money and take less land (win-win!) and still would provide enough energy to benefit our province. In addition to this, the native people of the area will get a cut of the $9B (like $100-200M) that ICBC makes back on the dam.

Core Competencies:

• Social Responsibility (thinking from perspective of indigenous people)
• Creative/Critical Thinking (Dam solution, made reasoned judgement)
• Personal Awareness and Responsibility (respectcing rights)

Saftey Poster

The science safety poster I did at the start of semester one was a fairly simple assignment that made sure we knew how to properly conduct ourselves in a science people. For the poster, we had to come up with catchy rhymes and motto’s that could help us remember the policies of science labs, such as tying your hair back, asking for help if you need it, and wearing goggles. Overall, I think I did a good job of coming up with good rhymes that summarized the rule I was trying to emphasize. I guess by presenting this information to each other, our class made each other aware of how important it is to be safe in a science lab and therefore contributed to the well-being of our class. This assignment also required creative thinking on my part, as I needed to come up with catchy whims such as “tie back your hair to avoid a scare!”, or “wear goggles every lab to keep your eyes fab(ulous)”

Core competencies:

• Creative Thinking (slogans for poster)
• Personal Awareness and Responsibility (Learning to deal with situations)