Looking at the photograph below, it is obvious that the center window is missing the reflective film which is on the surrounding windows. It is easy to see how the film cuts back the amount of light entering the classroom. The algae cups (to the left and right of the plants) had been placed along the entire window sill, which exposed some of our experiment and control cups to a new variable - more light.

To see how dramatic the difference between the two windows are, we decided to place construction paper on the window sill for five days and compare how much the colors fade. We also placed some squares in an evelope to use as our control subjects .

The students placed construction paper squares on the window sill to see what affect the window film would have on the colors fading.

Reflective film is on the left, no film is on the right (notice that these pictures were taken at the end of the experiment, and the color fading is very evident, especially the blue).

The students were asked to record their observations in their science journals and form a conclusion based on those observations.

All of the students concluded that the reflective film does keep the construction paper from fading as fast as direct sunlight. You can decide for yourself by looking at the data grid below.

As far as affecting our original experiment, "Does cooled microwaved water affect algae growth?" , it is hoped this oversite does not skew our results. The cups were placed on the window sill in pairs so both A & B cups were exposed to extra light. However, there is a possibiity that the A group or B group receive more sunlight overalll. The students will be asked to take this into account when we form our conclusion.