Observations
Keen observation skills are critical for a good scientist. In ~100 proofed, succinct words, explain your observations of the two outdoor campus sites that were observed. Note how your classmates, who were in relatively the same location have similar and/or different experiences.
posted by Frank LaBanca, EdD @ 6:20 AM
14 comments
14 Comments:
Here are my observations of the two places we observed:
The first thing I noticed is the sounds of my surroundings. You could hear many things like distant traffic, the leaves on the ground crunching as people walked on them, and the occasional chirping of an insect. It was a bit humid, the air felt misty. It was cool in the shade but hot in the sun. A breeze went by from time to time. The leaves layered the ground as if they were a blanket. There were brown, yellow, green, and the occasional red or orange leaf. Next to me was a spider web with drops of dew entwined in the strands. There was a little spider feasting on what appeared to be a fly but it was too late in his meal to be exactly sure. We then moved on to the next place we were observing.
The sounds were the same at the second location. I was standing in front of a baseball diamond. There was hardly any shade were the class was so the sun was beating down as hot as can be. The grass is very green and covers 90 percent of the area. Otherwise it has other things on it like the tennis courts. The sky was very blue, periwinkle in color, and the clouds moved by slowly. They looked big and fluffy. Then we were instructed to move along back inside.
I wouldn’t know how my other classmates experiences were similar or different because I was the first one to comment…
-- Casey Day
My observations:
When we settled down in the place where we would be obverving, the first thing I heard, like Casey, were the cars driving by and twigs snapping as we stepped on them. I also heard leaves rustling and some insects chirping in the trees. As I lay back on the tree behind me, I could feel the rough bark digging into my back as I wrote. When I looked down at the ground, I could see pine needles of brownish-orange color laying against the fallen leaves. When I looked closer at the leaves, I could see little holes in them that could've been made by caterpillars. As I was writing my observations, a little brown piece of leaf fell on my paper. It was actually quite cool outside and misty like Casey said. I could see some sunlight shining through the tops of the trees and onto some leaves and when I stepped into the sunlight it warmed me up.
Our next observation location was the baseball/soccer fields. When we stepped out of the forest and onto the fields, the first thing I noticed was the brightness and warmth coming from the sun. This location was very different from our last location. As I looked at the ground I could see my shadow in front of me and some dirt with patches of grass. By my right foot there was a cracked plastic cup. I could hear the sound of cars traveling on the road near us and someone tapping their pen. As I looked ahead I could see the empty tennis courts and the baseball field with a few of my classmates walking in the grass. Shortly after that, we headed back to the classroom.
When we started observing in the forest, I noticed the all of the tall trees, mostly covered in green leaves, but with a few colored leaves here and there. The forest floor was covered with leaves of all colors and brown pine needles. Twigs were scattered everywhere on the ground, along with little weeds trying to grow through the leaves on the ground. Rough gray rocks were covered with moss and brown pine needles, and spider webs were weaved around bare, low branches on some trees. Though the forest was mostly dark, the sun shone through the trees and gave light to some parts on the ground. The sound of crickets and other bugs was quite loud, and there was the faint sound of rustling leaves, too. There was a slight breeze in the fresh air, and all was still and calm. There was this peaceful feeling of just being surrounded by beautiful nature.
When we moved on to the field, the next place being observed, it was much different then the forest we had just came out of. Unlike the forest, there was not a leaf anywhere to be found. Instead, healthy green grass covered most of the area. With no trees, there was no shade, and it felt much hotter. It was noticeable that this area had more use than the forest, for a garbage can was overflowing with trash, and there were paved paths. The sound of traffic cars overpowered the sound of birds chirping. With the blue sky above, we left this area and went back to class.
At our first location, my ears zeroed in on a fast-paced chirping of a bird, the all around constant buzz of insects, and the hum of traffic. The forest floor was covered in a blanket of brown leaves and pale orange pine needles, which were lightened by patches of sunlight through the canopy of green leaves.
At our second location the air was much warmer and our surroundings were less moist. The traffic was quieter. From my position I could see the parking lot filled with glittering cars, and the back of the school which was untouched by the sun.
-Cait Coster
OBSERVATION
(Sight One)
When we were out there in the sight one, which was the one where we were on the hill in the woods, I felt that this was the most peaceful sight. As I looked around I notice some weak and thin, partially bent over trees. I also noticed that the blue skies could hardly be seen through all the trees that were in the way of the sky and the sun, but I think that added a lot to the sight. I also noticed many pine trees that were surrounding a lot of the woods. It smelt really fresh, which is something I liked, and you could smell fresh grass and wetness. You could hear a lot of crickets chirping, and occasionally you might hear a branch fall down on the ground and hit the leaves. I heard a number of cars driving by on the main roads close by and the near by highway. You could also hear the generator from the high school, which made a lot of sound. You could feel whatever sun could get through the trees, heating up on your skin. You could also feel the cool breeze that sometimes made its way through the woods.
OBSERVATION
(Sight Two)
I felt that this sight was hard to make observations on, because there did not seem to be much out there, but it might also have been, because I am out there everyday for practice that I don’t notice many things, because I already know that they are there. But what I did see, what the 4 fields were visible to the eye used mainly for soccer, field hockey, and football. 2 baseball courts were also there. And 1 tennis court was directly behind me. There was a flag pole I noticed that was directly in front of me but a few hundred feet away. The sun was shining all over the field, there was nothing there to hide the sky. The car sounds seem to be a lot closer that in the woods, and you could hear a lot of planes flying in the sky.
I really liked doing this observation activity, it made me become more observant, and teaching me how to use all my senses to observe everything around me.
As we were walking up the hill to go deeper into the woods I noticed right away that the air got much cooler and crisper. The sun wasn't shining through the trees a lot, so that explains why it was crisp and cool. I heard cars zooming by near the high way, and I also heard a buzzing sound from bugs/insects, and birds chirping repeatedly. As I looked around, I noticed spider webs (cob webs) laced through leaves. When the sun hit the cobwebs at the right angle, I could see the water drops that were still there from the morning dew. I saw moss on the ground, on rocks and old rotting logs. It was early in the morning, and the sun was streaming through the trees. There were HUGE rocks that several people were sitting on. They were all disfigured. We were surrounded by trees, some were REALLY tall, some were split down the middle, some bent over. Some had no leaves, or many leaves. I even saw a beehive on one of the humongous trees. A few trees had orange or burnt out looking leaves. They seemed like they wanted to change, or they had been burnt to a crisp from the sun and a lack of rain.
2nd Location: I heard the same buzzing sound from the insects and the birds chirping. The cars were still driving by. The sun was beaming down across the whole back field, and it was every where in sight. It was a lot warmer and I was starting to get uncomfortable sitting in the direct sun. The grass was greener than I expected. I also noticed it was a tad breezier out in the fields. I enjoyed going outside and observing nature. I think that observing things outside was a warm up so that when we do labs we will have all of our senses intact.
When I sat down in our first spot I was atop a very large rock, one that was much larger than me. When I sat down the rock was very cold and rough. I also saw variouse things in the woods, such as trees in all shapes and sizes and evev colors, some of the trees are already starting to change, which tells me autumn is coming. When I looked up I could see the sky peering through the leaves on the tree tops, and when I looked down I could see many brown colored pines which tells me there dead. Alos resting on the fround I see fallen down trees that are now hollowed out logs. I could hear and feal the cool breeze on my face, and it was so cold that when i breathed I could see my own breath. From atop my rather large rock i can hear the traffic from the nearby road.
Then we moved to our second location, which was a baseball field. Many of the noises were the same, such as the traffic from the neighboring road. I could still feel the cool breeze on my face but it did seem alittle warmer. Though I could feel and hear most of the same things, many of the objects had changed. Now, sitting in the bleachers of the baseball diamond, I could see geese sitting in the nearby soccer goal. I could now smell the fresh cut grass, from the field instead of dirt and bark from the woods. I could still feel a cold sensation from under me, but now it was because of the bleachers and not a rock. There are many yellow lines marking goal lines and out of bounds. Then we were taken back to the classroom.
While we were in the woods, I noticed the color of the leaves on the trees. Most of them were green, but you had the occasional red or brown dried out leaf. All of the leaves on the ground were brown and dried out. I could hear the gusts of wind going through the trees and the insects chirping. Also, there was a road nearby and I could hear the traffic. The further I walked into the woods surrounded by more trees, the colder and darker it got. All around me were spider webs, and I noticed a couple of crunched soda cans in the leaves. The sky was very hard to see; instead i would look up and see the tops of trees, branches, and leaves. The air was very humid.
After the woods, we followed a path down to the softball field. Instead of it being dark, cold and covered with leaves, it was very wide open. The sun was beating on my back, and the entire area smelled like a lawnmower and grass. The only trees nearby were about 100 yards away past the tennis courts and baseball diamond, and there werent insects or spider webs anywhere to be seen. The air was much warmer than the air in the woods. The sky was bright blue with a couple of small clouds.
Observation Site 1
When we were in the woods I noticed a lot of different sounds, mostly the hum of something in the school and the sound of the cars going past on the road. There were also the sounds of birds and the crunching of leaves when someone moved there feet. The air was kind of muggy because of how humid it was, but it was still crisp as you took a deep breath in. The leaves were still damp with the mornings dew on them, and the spider webs still had dew on them, that you could only see when a stray streak of light hit them. I found many things on the ground just where I was standing. If you just glanced at it all you could see was the dead leaves, but when you got closer you could see all the holes in the leaves and little ants and spiders scurrying around, and acorns half hidden under the leaves and fallen branches. I even found a little beehive. The leaves on the ground were mostly brown but some of them looked like they had just recently fallen. The tree that I was standing up against was very interesting; I noticed that the branches were bare at the bottom 3rd of the tree orange at the middle section and green at the top of the tree. The tree across form me was rotted out and all of the dust from the inside was now sitting at the bottom of the tree. The tree that I was leaning up against was still wet from the rain that we had had the night before. In the woods was a very serene place.
Observation Site 2
At our second observation site it was nothing like the woods, you could no longer hear the gentle hum of the school and you could hear the cars a lot more, although you could occasionally hear the sounds of a bird. I was wearing a dark sweater and could feel the sun warming me up a lot, very quickly. You could see the shy very well, there was nothing in the way blocking your sight, or giving you shade. The sky was a very pretty blue color an there wasn’t that many clouds but they were light and fluffy when there was some. There were many sport fields, tennis courts, baseball, football and soccer. There was one bee that flew by my ear and some ants on the ground. I could also hear a few crickets. When I looked around at my eye level I saw a garbage can filled to the top, and when I looked down at the ground I saw some garbage that missed the can and someone was to careless to pick it up. The second observation spot was not that quiet or calm.
Stephanie Villa
To start off, it is a little cold. The tree I am sitting on is hard and slighty soggy. The ground is full of soft leaves that make a crunchy sound when stepped on. Birds chirping could be heard in the distance. Mostly though, it is the sound of cars that pass the highschool. Some of the leaves on the trees have turned a fall yellow, but most of them are still green. The smell is a cold woodsy smell. The thin narrow tree in front of me has hard, bumby chipping bark. The side of the tree is shining from the rays of the sun. On the ground there are patches of sun spots which makes a brownish yellow leave look like it is glistening. There is a small dead and blackened plant on the left of me which probally died last winter.
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The sun is beating beating right on me and it makes everything a lot warmer. Over the small hill there's a long patch of fog. The highest point is probally three feet, but it gests smaller as it moves towards the school. The grass that I am sitting on is dry, but you can see drops of water in some grass, probally from this mornings fog.
I really liked observing the outdoors because it taught me to use my sences and brought my outside of the classroom.
As we setttled in the woods behind the school, I could feel the leaves, soft and coll benieth me. I was sitting on a log. The air was slightly humid, and rather cool. The ground and log I was purched upon had quite a large accumulation of due which had not dried from earlier in the morning due to the cool temperature in the area and the surrrounding shade. I could hear the distant cars on the street and the air conditioner behind me in the school building. I could also hear the soft humming of insects.
At the baseball diamond, I was sitting in the sun, on a warm metal bench. The ground was hard benieth my feet and the sun beat down on us all. I could hear the occasional russel as classmates moved about, but not as much as I could hear it in the leaves in the woods. I heard the distant cars and the chirping of birds in the trees. The insects were more plentiful, or perhaps just easier to hear due to the lack of the hum from the air conditioner.
Observations from both the woods & the field:
Walking up the hill itself showed that this area that we were about to enter into was out of our way just enough that not many people would have been up there as apposed to where we would be heading for our second group of observations.
Sitting outdoors in what is an almost untouched patch of woods felt “natural”. The sights, sounds and other senses are nothing like what was experienced in and around the schools field. I definitely favored a quiet, secluded region rather than the baseball diamonds, tennis court, and track paths. Although in both areas I was alone except for the rest of the people using their senses, having the trees around me instead of metal fences made me feel more secure.
There’s a light freeing sensation from the cool breeze, earth tones and noises of birds and bugs. Scattered spider webs, looking like a cotton material, let you know that this is another world all together civilized by these creatures. Creatures that have a right to live without spray paint on their trees and aged rocks housing leaves and crinkling pine needles in the creases. As shadows between the trees covering the ground for shade, different shapes and colors reflect on the moss, the forest’s carpet.
One of my first observations exiting the woods to move onto the empty field was the sudden change in surroundings. Not many trees were visible at this point to bring us shade. Even the ground covering changed from the pine needles and leaves to grass, paths of dirt to occasionally gravel. The only reason that this area might have been calming was because of the tranquility and silence around me. But although it was quiet and calming, for me it wasn’t satisfying to be out there as much as it was in the woods.
-Mary Tauras
I sat at the moss covered base of a tall tree. When I looked around I saw hundreds of trees around me.
As I breath, a light mist would fill the air. I hear the sounds of insects and other bugs. I hear birds chirping in the distance, but their sounds are muffled by the sound of cars roaming the paved roads in the distance. I see colors such as green leafs and moss, and dead brown leafs and pine needles on the ground. At my last glance I see the Sun's rays peer through the trees above.
As I move towards the baseball feild I see the well tamed grass compared to the wilderness. The smell of trees faded and in its place a more fresh and clean smell of the fresh cut grass. Instead of forest I see black pavement obstructing the natural grass. The climate greatly changed because the trees no longer filtered the Sun's rays and the mist from my breath was no longer there.
These are the observations that i made at the two places we were at.
In the woods, the first thing that I observed was that it was cold and wet. Also, it was mainly dark except for the small patches of sunlight that would find thier way through the trees. There were also many fallen branches and sticks on the paths, that I could hear people stepping on as they walked. I also heard people walking on the leaves as the leaves crunched under their feet. There were also many spider webs that were covered with dew, and I could hear birds high up in the trees, and the sound of cars on the nearby highway.
At the back fields it was much hotter, and brighter than it was in the woods. Again i heard the sound of birds, and people kicking dirt as they walked. I noticed that there were many open fields there, and it was very flat, with little to no trees, almost the opposite of the woods. I also heard cars again as they drove past, and i heard a truck backing up. Then we headed back to the classroom.
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