Bio ‘Churr’

Description

Biochar is a carbon-rich material made by heating biomass in limited oxygen supplies. Soil improvement is cheap and effective using this indigenous farming technique that has been around for thousands of years. Could this technique be used to solve the forestry offcut (slash) problems of Te Tairāwhiti (Gisborne)?

ACTIVITIES INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• Activity one: Explore connections to your own life and experiences, while reading about biochar and its many benefits and uses. Watch the clips on biochar and note down keywords and phrases. Engage with Science
• Activity two: Find out more about the keyword ‘biochar’. Rate your understanding, then select some of the science terms (words) that you collected and learn more about these terms by completing summary boxes like the example given. Share your boxes with your hoa mahi (workmate). Read and interpret the info-graphic on biochar and its role in decreasing greenhouse gas. Interpret representations.
• Activity three: Watch the clips on forests and note down keywords and phrases. Make a list of five keywords. Use suggested strategies to find out the meaning of your keywords and then compare your own words with others. Explain: how can biochar help to make forests healthy? Use evidence.
• Activity four: Whakaaro (think): who cares? Swap your writing with your partner and use our checklist to improve your writing, and theirs.
• Additional activities: More to read and watch.