Download Classroom Activity – Soil Exploration

Classroom Activity – Soil Exploration
Grade Level: Science 1 - 4
Time Duration: One lesson period plus extensions
Description:
Students explore the life cycle of a plant and investigate the soil needed for plant growth.
Overview:
In this lesson, students will explore the makeup of soil and its importance to help plants grow.
Students will develop an experiment which will show the importance of soil in the growth of a
plant. This lesson will develop understanding of the interdependence of all living and non-living
things in our environment.
Outcomes
Students Learning
Science 1 - Life Science: Needs and Characteristics of Living things
Analyse different ways in which plants, animals I can;
Identify the needs of a plant
and humans interact with various natural and
Ask questions about ways plants grow and how they
constructed environments to meet their basic
interact with the environment
needs.
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Science 3 - Life Science: Plant Growth and Changes
Investigate the growth and development of
I can;
plants by investigating conditions needed for
germination.
-
Science 3 - Earth and Space Science: Exploring Soils
Analyze the interdependence between soil and I can;
living things.
-
Recognize how the local environment can help plants
grow and things that cause plants not to grow
Understand the basic needs of a plant (food, water,
air, shelter)
Determine conditions needed for plants to grow
(i.e. nutrients in soil)
Experiment in caring for plants by planting and
observing their life cycle
Understand the interdependence between plants
and soil.
Know what soil is made up of and why it is
important
Science 4 - Earth and Space Science: Rocks, minerals and Erosion
Assess how human use of rocks and minerals
impacts self, society, and the environment.
I can;
-
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Determine other uses for rocks and minerals.
Know what other materials can be used to
simulate soil used in planting
Science 4 - Life Science: Habitats and Communities
Analyze the structures and behaviours of plants I can;
and animals that enable them to exist in various
habitats.
-
Observe and acknowledge plant growth and
plant structures
Express this knowledge using graphs and charts
Social Studies 3 - Dynamic Relationships
Compare the beliefs of various communities around
the world regarding living on and with the land.
Cross Curricular Competencies
Developing Thinking
I can;
-
Recognize the meaning and the different uses of
land around the world
Goal: Think and learn creatively. Experiment with
hypotheses and educated guesses
Introduction:
Review what every organism needs to survive: food, water, space and shelter. Explore which
plants live in Saskatchewan and which plants do not. Have a group discussion, using questions
such as:
 What do plants need to grow?
 Why is soil important to plants?
 What plants do you see growing around your home?
 What plants do you not see growing around your home?
 What plants do we eat?
 Locate on a map where some of our plants/vegetables/fruit come from - Why do things
like oranges grow best in California and not Canada?
 If land can be used for a specific purpose, should it be? Or should other considerations
go into those decisions, i.e. Environmental impact, or impact on surrounding
communities
As a class, read the Indigenous legend of the Three Sister Garden. Have pictures or models of
corn, squash and bean plants and seeds. (A link to this can be found through the web resources
below).
Activity:
1. The lesson starts by planting a seed in regular potting soil. Use a paper cup or plastic
pot to plant the seed. You can use any type of seed: corn, bean, sunflower and grass are
all easy to grow. Follow the instructions on the seed package.
o This can be done by each student or in groups. This plant will become the
control in the experiment. A control in an experiment is a set standard that can
be used to compare different variables in the experiment. In this case the soil
will be the variable.
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2. Have students record what kind of seed they planted and when in a planting journal.
3. Investigate the soil used. Have dry soil in a Petri dish for students to observe. If
available, have students look through a microscope at a soil sample. Observe what
materials are in the soil. Most potting soil is composed of peat, compost material, sand
and perlite.
4. You can add to this experiment by creating a different environment for the seeds to
grow. Students will experiment to discover why soil is a good material to produce
plants. Provide students with different materials to plant another seed using a substrate
of their choice. Some possible materials can be water (hydroponics), gel crystals, paper
towels, news print, vermiculite, or packing peanut. Students will choose what material
they will use, place it in the same planting container and use the same seed. The same
amount of water will be given to both plants (unless plant is grown in water).
5. Students record and compare the growth of their two plants in their planting journal
noting the difference between samples.
Key questions: Which plant grew faster? Does the soil or material a seed is
planted in affect how it grows? How does plant growth relate to the kind of soil
it is planted in?
6. As a conclusion, review the results from the entire class. Have students create posters
or reports to show the results of the two plants. Students can also create charts showing
the plant growth over time, or use images and results of their individual experiments.
Materials:
Cups, soil, seed, news print, plastic, vermiculite, paper towels, note book or log book, Three
Sisters legend
Links to Saskatchewan Science Centre:
Richardson Ag-Grow-Land Exhibit
Where to go: “the Dirt on Dirt”
Soil is more than dirt! Saskatchewan soil is chernozemic which means it is
filled with organic matter. Because of this chernozemic soil is great for
growing crops. Look for other exhibits in Ag-Grow-Land about soil.
What to say: Why is soil so important to growing plants? What
characteristics are the best to plant crops in? Look at the layers of soil in
the picture. What do you see?
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Web Resources:
http://cafmuseum.techno-science.ca/en/index.php
http://www.soils4teachers.org/lessons-and-activities
https://agclassroom.org/
Three Sister Legend
http://www.ncdcr.gov/Portals/7/Collateral/Database/F05.legend.three.sisters.pdf
http://www.birdclan.org/threesisters.htm
Key Word Definitions:
Soil is a mixture of many compounds such as minerals, organic materials, rocks, and sand which
all work together to support plant life. Soil is the top layer of earth that produces vegetation and
grows crops.
Peat is organic material found in an area with a lot of moisture. It is made of partly decaying
plant material and is used as a fertilizer.
Fertilizer is a material that is added to soil to increase the nutrients which are essential for a
plant to grow. Fertilizer can be natural such as decaying plant material or manure, and also
synthetic or inorganic, which contains nitrogen, potassium and other multinutrient formulas.
The goal of fertilizer is to help plants grow faster and produce more.
Compost is made up of decaying plant materials and organic matter such as leaves, vegetables,
and fruits. It is added to soil as a fertilizer.
Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral that is added to soil to provide more air and better
drainage. It is usually small white rock like pieces.
Perlite is a form of obsidian or volcanic glass that is used to improve moisture level in soil. It can
hold more water then Vermiculite.
Chernozemic soil is high in organic matter and humus. The soil is usually found in grasslands
with climates that have cold winters and short but hot summers. Chernozemic soil is used for
growing cereal crops and raising livestock.
Humus is composed of mostly decayed plant material from microbial decomposition of plant
and animals. Humus contains compounds such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur
which are all needed for plant growth.
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