Download Rocks and Soils - PES Science Staff Development

Rocks and Soils
Kindergarten Science
Essential Questions and Answers:
What are the physical characteristics of rocks?
Color: The color of the rock.
Texture: The way that a rock feels.
Luster: The way a rock reflects light. (Is it shiny or dull?)
Size: How large or small a rock is.
What are some words that might describe my rock’s color?
For this part of your AKS, the students need to use color words to
describe their rock. They can use any color word. **Answers may vary.
What are some words that might describe my rock’s texture?
For this part of your AKS, the students need to use words to describe
the way their rock feels. They can use words like bumpy, smooth, and rough. **Answers may vary.
What are some words that might describe my rock’s luster?
For this part of your AKS, the students need to use words to describe the way their rock looks. They can use
words like glassy, shiny, or dull. **Answers may vary.
What are some words that might describe my rock’s size?
For this part of your AKS, the students need to use words to describe their rock’s size. They can use words like
large, medium, or small. **Answers may vary.
Where are some places that we can find rocks?
Students should be able to describe places that they have found rocks. They may name places like: their yard,
the street, the woods, or other various places. **Answers may vary.
What are the physical characteristics of soils?
Color: The color of the soil.
Texture: The way that a rock soil.
Smell: The way that the soil smells.
Size: How large or small a soil is.
What are some words that might describe my soil’s color?
For this part of your AKS, the students need to use color words to describe their soil. They can use any color
word. **Answers may vary.
What are some words that might describe my soil’s texture?
For this part of your AKS, the students need to use words to describe the way their soil feels. They can use
words like soft or hard. **Answers may vary.
What are some words that might describe my soil’s smell?
For this part of your AKS, the students need to use words to describe the way their soil smells. They can use
words like smelly, stinky, etc. **Answers may vary.
What are some words that might describe my soil’s size?
For this part of your AKS, the students need to use words to describe their soil’s particle or grain size. They can
use words like large, medium, or small. **Answers may vary.
Where are some places that we may find soil?
Students should be able to describe places that they have found soil. They may name places like: their yard, the
woods, the playground or other various places. **Answers may vary.
What materials make up the earth?
Your children need to know that the Earth is made up of different types of materials. They should know that the
land is made from rocks and soils. The oceans, rivers, lakes, streams, etc. are made from water. They also need
to know that air is everywhere.
Background information for the teacher:
There are three types of rocks. They are sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, and igneous rocks.
Sedimentary rocks are formed when weathered and eroded pieces (sediment) are deposited in layers that
become buried and compressed. Over time the rock pieces become cemented together forming rocks. Igneous
rocks are formed when melted rock (magma) pushes through cracks in the earth’s crust in the form of lava and
cools and solidifies (hardens). Metamorphic rocks form when sedimentary or igneous rocks are changed from
heat or pressure or both.
Types of Soil
Humus Soil refers to the organic material in soil lending it to a dark brown or black coloration. In soil science,
humus refers to any organic matter which has reached a point of stability, where it will break down no further
and might, if conditions do not change, remain essentially as it is for centuries, if not millennia. In agriculture,
humus is sometimes also used to describe mature compost, or natural compost extracted from a forest or other
spontaneous source for use to amend soil.
Sandy soil is very gritty and crumbles into fine particles. Because of this, the soil drains too quickly and is
susceptible to extreme fluctuations of heat and cold during the growing season. These soils are unable to retain
nutrients.
Clay Soil is slick and greasy feeling when wet, hard and brittle when it is dry. Sometimes tinted white, red, or
yellow, these soils are rich in minerals but have a low concentration of organic material. Clay soils will hold
water well when conditions are dry, but tend to get water logged after several days of rain.
Potting Soil is a mixture of soil, peat, or fiber base and a balanced nutrient content that is used for growing
plants in pots.