Topic+Term+2

Term 2 ...................................................... we are learning about agricultural change due to global warming .We watched three videos and took notes, one was about the water cycle, another about the worlds water crisis, and the other was about Greenhouse warming.after that we went home and made the notes into full paragraphs.

SPEECHES: we are doing speeches this term, i'm doing mine on Animal Cruelty, and its going great!!! toc

OUR TRIP TO THE SMITHS FARM:

**What animals do you have on your farm?**
 2400 ewes 312 ewe lbs 300 fat lambs 30 rams 25 cows 45 heifers 350 bulls 40 steers

**What does the farm need to grow good crops?**
 Warm soil. Right level of soil nutrients (fertiliser and lime ) Soil moisture Protection from weeds Protection from pests ( like beetles, aphids etc )

**What does the farm need to grow good stock?**
 Warmth Clean water Good grass and clover Supplements for when feed is short ( hay balage silage crops ) Good animal health programme ( drench etc )

**How did the recent drought affect you?**
 We sold as much stock as early as we could ( lambs to works, cull ewes to works, cattle to works ) We had crops to put stock on to ( pasja and lucerne ) We fed out hay and balage We found grazing on a neighbours farm We made sure stock were healthy We sold older ewes We sold lambs at lower weights than usual We delayed buying in replacement stock We fed out grape skins from a winery

**Can you plan for this?**
 Long range forecasts are an indication only, not hugely accurate We plant summer crops ( pasja and kale ) We make sure we have hay and balage on hand We try to sell as many lambs as possible at weaning We aim to have all our bulls gone by Christmas The forecast gives an indication of what might happen. I like to watch the Sunday night one to get an indication for the week. The dominion forecast is good to see what will happen for next 5 days They are not hugely accurate for timing but if they say it will rain it generally will at some stage. This is useful for planning shearing and hay making etc.
 * What benefit is the forecast?**

**Do you irrigate?**
 No we don’t. All the water allocation in our area is used up Main types of irrigation are K line which is lots of pods or sprinklers in a line joined together. They are towed around with a motor bike to shift them. Big guns which travel slowly shooting water around in a circle as they move. Centre pivots. A big irrigator that travels round in a circle.

**Do you create microclimates on your farm?**
 No we don’t but we plan too. We want to plant shelter belts of trees to protect paddocks from the wind and to provide shelter for stock

<span style="color: rgb(177, 32, 167)">**What is the extra expense for drought properties?**
<span style="color: rgb(177, 32, 167)"> The cost of supplying supplementary feed ( balage and hay ) Selling animals lighter and sooner and for less money Having lighter stock which produce less ( less lambs and lighter lambs ) Having to put weight back on animals rather than being able to fatten other animals Extra animal health requirements ( more drenching ) More thistles grow in bare ground Pasture takes a long time to fully recover Usually higher stock losses from weaker stock toc

= = = = =**Weather Experiments**=

__**Making A Wind Vane.**__
Stiff cardboard cut to 20 cm x 16 cm. An enlarged photocopy of the arrow diagram. Scissors. Sticky tape. The cap of a felt tip pen. A kebab skewer or a knitting needle that will fit through a cotton reel. A piece of cardboard cut 20cm x 20cm. A pencil. Felt tip pens. A ruler. A magnetic compass. Two cotton reels. Blu-tack. A terracotta pot. Fold the 20 x16cm piece of cardboard lengthways in half. Trace the photocopied arrow onto the card and carefully cut it out through both layers of cardboard. You should now have two cardboard arrows. Tape the arrows together, fixing your pen cap between them midway along. The open end of the cap should face towards one of the long sides. Insert the tip of the skewer into the pen cap. Check that the wind turns the arrow freely on it. Take the arrow off again in the meantime. Mark North, South, East and West compass points on the 20 x 20cm card. Stand the non pointed end of the skewer inside the cotton reel, using Blu-tack to fasten it in an upright position. Place the terracotta pot upside down over the compass card so that the skewer is poking up through the hole in the base of the pot. Place the arrow back onto the point of the needle or skewer and put your wind vane outside in an open space. Use the commercial compass to find north and align the compass card accordingly. Stand back and watch which way the wind is blowing.
 * WALT:** We are learning to make a wind vane so that we can learn from what direction the wind is coming from.
 * MATERIALS:**
 * METHOD:**

__**Making A Rain Gauge.**__
Plastic drink bottle. Scissors or craft knife. An ice-cream container. Sand or pebbles. Cut off the top of the plastic bottle just below the shoulder, turn the top upside down to make a funnel, and push it back inside the the cut-off rim of the bottle. To stop the gauge from falling over, place it in an ice-cream container and fill the surroundings with sand or pebbles. Leave your gauge in the school grounds for a week. Each day, use the ruler to record the amount of water collected. Make sure you collect your data at the same time each day. In this way, you will be gathering results from an exact 24 hour period. Remember to tip out the water and dry the rain gauge each day after you have recorded your data. Display your results in an attractive way...charts, graphs etc.
 * WALT:** We are learning to make a rain gauge to determine the amount of rainfall we have and to draw conclusions about rainfall at this time of year.
 * Materials:**
 * METHOD:**

__**Making A Barometer.**__
A balloon. Scissors. A large jar. A rubber band. Sticky tape. A long, narrow straw. cardboard. Felt pen. Ruler. Cut a piece from the balloon and stretch it over the neck of the jar. Secure the piece of balloon in place with the rubber band. Use sticky tape to attach one end of the straw to the middle of the stretched balloon. Make sure the straw is horizontal. Stand a piece of cardboard behind your barometer. Mark an appropriate scale on the card to show when the air pressure is high, average or low. Stand the barometer somewhere away from the direct sunlight.It can be indoors or outdoors.
 * WALT:** We are learning to make a barometer so that we can measure atmospheric pressure and understand the weather that comes with high/low pressure.
 * MATERIALS:**
 * METHOD:**

__**Making a Cardboard Thermometer.**__
A photocopy of a thermometer; glue; cardboard; scissors; hole punch; piece of white string twice as long as the thermometer, plus 10 centimeters;red felt tip pen. Glue photocopy of thermometer onto cardboard. Cut out thermometer. Punch a hole at each end, in the bottom of photocopy and above the 50 degree mark. Use felt tipped pen to colour half of the string red. Thread the string through the holes, with the red colour at the bottom of the thermometer. Behind the thermometer, knot together the ends of the string. Change the position of the red string to show: 0 degrees, 10 degrees, 35 degrees and minus 15 degrees.
 * WALT:** We are learning to make a cardboard thermometer.
 * TIB:** We need to be able to read and understand thermometer readings and especially degrees below zero.
 * MATERIALS:**
 * METHOD:**

toc __//**INQUIRY TIME!!!!!!**//__ For our inquiry this term we have to put all our info on a powerpoint or i a movie. I'm doing mine on a powerpoint. Hope you like it!!!!

My big question: Who is the main culprit for global warming? Animals, Nature, or Mankind?

My Study Questions:
 * What is global warming?


 * What are we doing to stop it?

<span style="color: rgb(254, 1, 220)"> __//**MY INFO:**//__ CLIMATE CHANGE
 * What have we done already?

Earth has warmed by about 1ºF over the past 100 years. But why? And how? Scientists are not exactly sure. The Earth could be getting warmer on its own, but many of the world's leading scientists think that things people do are helping to make the Earth warmer.

Greenhouse Effect, Climate Change, and Global Warming

__**The Greenhouse Effect:**__ Scientists are sure about the greenhouse effect. They know that greenhouse gases make the Earth warmer by trapping energy in the atmosphere. And not letting all the heat out ( like a greenhouse)

__**Climate Change:**__ Climate is the long-term average of a region's weather events lumped together. For example, it's possible that a winter day in Buffalo, New York, could be sunny and mild, but the average weather – the climate – tells us that Buffalo's winters will mainly be cold and include snow and rain. Climate change represents a change in these long-term weather patterns. They can become warmer or colder. Annual amounts of rainfall or snowfall can increase or decrease.

__**Global Warming:**__ Global warming refers to an average increase in the Earth's temperature, which in turn causes changes in climate. A warmer Earth may lead to changes in rainfall patterns, a rise in sea level, and a wide range of impacts on plants, wildlife, and humans. When scientists talk about the issue of climate change, their concern is about global warming caused by human activities.

When Do You Send Greenhouse Gases into the Air?

Whenever you ...
 * 1) Watch TV
 * 2) Use the Air Conditioner
 * 3) Turn on a Light
 * 4) Use a Hair Dryer
 * 5) Ride in a Car


 * 1) Play a Video Game
 * 2) Listen to a Stereo
 * 3) Wash or Dry Clothes
 * 4) Use a Dish Washer
 * 5) Microwave a Meal

... You are helping to send greenhouse gas into the air. ( which isn’t a good thing)

To perform many of these functions, you need to use electricity. Electricity comes from power plants. Most power plants use coal and oil to make electricity. Burning coal and oil produces greenhouse gases.

Cars and other things we do send greenhouse gases into the air too;

The trash that we send to landfills produces a greenhouse gas called methane. Methane is also produced by the animals we raise for dairy and meat products and when we take coal out of the ground. Whenever we drive or ride in a car, we are adding greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. And, when factories make the things that we buy and use everyday, they too are sending greenhouse gases into the air.

The five steps to the carbon cycle

• Plants and animals die and go into the ground. • The dead animals and plants stay there for hundreds of years • the remains turn into oil ( fossil fuel) • We find it • And put it into cars to make them run/go

But our supplies are running out and if we are not careful, there will be none left at all so we need an alternative!!! And fast!!! toc