NEWT
Hello and welcome to your Herbology NEWT! This year you will be working in Greenhouse Seven. You have three tasks to complete this year, all are worth 60 points and all need to be completed by the end of Week 8.
Task 1: Herbology in Ancient Cultures
Choose one of the following cultures and tell me about some of the herbs and plants that were native to their environment and how they were used for healing, in cooking, or in magic and/or divination. Give examples. You may focus on one herb or plant if you cover it in depth (for example, briefly discuss several types of use and then choose one use to cover in detail) or do a shorter overview of 2 to 4 herbs or plants, covering at least one type of use for each with some level of detail.
Your essay should be 400 to 500 words, but may be a bit longer if you find the topic sufficiently fascinating.
i. Ancient Greece or Rome
ii. Medieval England
iii. Native American (North American or South American): choose a tribe that interests you
iv. Australian Aborigine
v. Choose your own (Ancient China, Persia, India, modern-day country or other) but please confirm your choice with me before starting your work.
If you already did Task 1 when Professor Hyacinth was teaching this class please PM me for an alternative Task. Or, if you prefer, you can simply choose to do Task 1 on a different culture.
Please submit this task in the NEWT topic at the Owlery.
Task 2: Adolescent Mandrakes
I've moved a number of mandrakes into Greenhouse Six as they've reached the adolescent phase and have become rather rowdy. You'll recall from your second year that at this age they become moody and secretive, and will sometimes throw loud parties. This is perfectly natural, of course, however they do leave the greenhouse in quite a mess! For two weeks I'd like you to observe the mandrakes and make notes on their amusing behaviour. I'd also like you to clean up after them once they've settled down and make sure they're sufficiently fed, watered and covered with dirt. Keep in mind that now they've grown their cries can cause a bit more damage, but aren't yet fatal, so just your earmuffs alone may not be enough to prevent you from passing out. Before entering the greenhouse you might want to add some kind of extra protection. I reckon you'll be OK though as mandrakes typically only cry when taken from their pots against their will.
Oh, and one last thing! If I've timed this task correctly, by the time the two weeks are up you should start seeing the mandrakes move into each others pots. Please leave the greenhouse immediately if this happens. Do not under any circumstances try to tend the mandrakes at this point.
As this task is worth 60 points I expect at least 400 words. You can choose to write this task in journal form or as a narrative essay. As with Task 1, please submit your work in the Owlery.
Task 3: Venomous Tentacula
For your final task this year we'll be heading into Greenhouse Seven to study the venomous tentacula. The bulk of this task will be in the form of an interactive practical that can be worked on sporadically throughout the year. When you're ready to begin, please answer the questions below (which are worth 20 points total) and post them in the correct topic in the Greenhouse. You will then be given your practical task.
1. Describe the physical appearance of the venomous tentacula.
2. What spell can be used to defend against an attack?
3. What sort of food does the venomous tentacula like to eat? What sort of plant does this make it? Which mundane plants eat similar food? Name at least three.
4. Are there any known fatalities from a venomous tentacula? If so, please tell me who they are.
5. Which part of the venomous tentacula is a Class C non-tradeable substance? What unique quality do they possess?
6. What can be used on a diseased venomous tentacula to nurse it back to health?
7. Who is Derwent Shimpling and what is his link to the venomous tentacula?
Bonus Task (optional): Devil's Snare
You'll recall learning about devil's snare at the end of your first year of Herbology. I'd like to return to it once again in order to give you an idea of what it feels like to encounter such a plant and how to get away from it. If you're interested in completing this task (for which you'll receive 20 bonus points for your House as well as potentially bumping your grade up a level) please PM me so we can get started.
