School Yard Ecosystem Investigation Name
Date
Purpose: To collect water runoff from bean plants using a variety of fertilizers.
Materials:
 three 500 mL water bottles
 cheese cloth
 3 elastic bands
 sharp probe
 soil with no added fertilizer
 inorganic fertilizer
 water
 egg shells
 banana peels
 nitrate testing kit
 phosphate testing kit
 journal
 scissors
 scoopula

Procedure:
1.
With your lab partner, gather your materials, using the list above as a checklist.
2.
Cut each of your water bottles in half.
3.
Using the half of the water bottle with the mouth, cover it with a double layer of cheese cloth, and secure with an elastic band (see demonstration).
4.
Fill the half of the water bottle with the mouth, cheese cloth and elastic with soil, banana peel and egg shells, leaving 3 cm of space at the top.
5.
Place the water bottle you just filled with soil into the bottom half of the water bottle (see demonstration).
6.
Repeat steps 3 – 5 with the remaining two water bottles without adding the banana peels and egg shells, and label each of them with your group member
names. Label one bottle as control, one as inorganic fertilizer and the one with the banana peels and egg shells as organic fertilizer.
7.
Using a scoopula, dig three 1 cm deep holes, equally spaced out, in each of the planters you have created.
8.
In each hole, place one bean seed, and cover with soil.
9.
Water your control and organic fertilizer plants with tap water.
10.
Water your inorganic fertilizer plants with the water and fertilizer solution.
11.
Write your observations in your journal. Draw a diagram of your plant set up and label it.
12.
Repeat steps 9 and 10 everyday during the first ten minutes of class everyday, and record detailed observations in your journal.

School Yard Ecosystem Investigation Name
Date
A great journal entry will include:
1. Your name and date
2. Qualitative observations: These are details you notice that you can’t measure or describe with numbers. For example: The leaves breaking the soil have a light green colour, and feel soft and smooth to touch.
3. Quantitative observations: These are details that you measure and describe with numbers. For example: The lengths of the longest stems and leaves are recorded in the table below:
Trial Stem Length (cm) Leaf Width (cm) Leaf Length (cm)
Control 5 1 3
Inorganic 3 0.8 2.7
Organic 3 0.9 3.5
4. The use of full sentences. Let’s practice for the literacy test!
PART B: Collecting and Testing Water Runoff
1. In your journal, re-create this chart. This should take up one entire page, although the sample below only have 4 rows, your chart will have more.
Table 1. Nitrate and Phosphate Concentration in Bean Plant Runoff (C = Control, I = Inorganic
Fertilizer, O = Organic Fertilizer)
Date
C
Nitrates
I O C
Phosphates
I O
2. On days indicated by your teacher, you will be using a nitrate and phosphate testing kit to measure amounts caught in the runoff from your planter. These values will be recorded in your data table.
3. Look for differences between your plants, and record these into your observations in your journal.

School Yard Ecosystem Investigation Name
Part C: Make Conclusions…Your Final Journal Entry
Date
At the end of this unit, you will be analyzing your data and observations, and using them to answer the following questions in your journal:
1. Based on your experiment, which method produced the biggest and best bean plants?
2. Nitrates and phosphates are both nutrients that plants have trouble obtaining, which is why they grow so well when we add nitrates and phosphates to the soil they grow in. This can have negative consequences on ecosystems such as:
 Causing algae to bloom (grow rapidly) in lakes ponds and streams. When this algae dies, the decomposers use up the oxygen in the water to break them down, killing off many fish and other aquatic organisms. a) Where could / do you use fertilizer in your day to day life? b) Which type of fertilizer would you choose and why? c) What can you do to reduce the amount of nitrates and phosphates being released into the local ecosystem?
Level 3 Level 4 Achievement
Criteria
Level 1 Level 2
PART A: Daily Lab Work and Journal Entries
Communication
Expressing observations
Observations are limited, all in point form. Missing many key observations.
Some clear observations but not all are written in full sentences.
Inquiry
Making clear, concise and accurate observations
Does not include a variety of qualitative and quantitative observations.
Limited clarity. No diagrams.
Some variety of qualitative and quantitative.
Some clarity.
Diagrams are included, though not clearly labeled.
Observations are considerably clear concise and accurate. No point form, all in full sentences.
Good variety of qualitative and quantitative.
Includes clearly labeled diagrams.
Considerable clarity.
Observations are thorough and insightful.
Large range of qualitative and quantitative, all in full sentences.
Clearly labeled diagrams are included. High degree of clarity.
PART B: Nitrate and Phosphate Data Table
Inquiry
Data table effectiveness
Data table is difficult to read.
Did not use a ruler.
Missing key information.
Data table gives a moderate idea of results. A ruler was used in some parts. Most key information is presented.
PART C: Making Conclusions…The Final Journal Entry
Communication
Drawing conclusions from investigation data
Draws conclusions from all data with limited effectiveness
Draws conclusions from all data with moderate effectiveness
Data table covers the appropriate results. A ruler was used in all parts. All key information is present.
Draws conclusions from all data with considerable effectiveness
Date table is detailed and thorough. A ruler was used in all parts. All key information is present.
Draws extensive conclusions from all data with a high degree of effectiveness

School Yard Ecosystem Investigation Name
Date
* Remember to always use full sentences 
1. The independent variable (the one we change on purpose) was:
2. The dependent variable (the one we measure) was:
3. The controlled variables (the ones we try to keep the same to make sure the investigation is fair) were: