Download FINAL DRAFT of Class NonFiction Book Book Title: Spectacular Soil

FINAL DRAFT of Class NonFiction Book
Book Title: Spectacular Soil
Table of Contents:
Why We Need Soil
The Layers of Soil
Let’s Talk About Clay
Learn About Loam
All About Sand
A Little About Compost
Why We Need Soil:
Do you know why we need soil? Let’s look at the many reasons
why soil is important.
Soil is important because it gives nutrients to vegetables, fruits,
flowers, and trees that are planted. Without soil, plants and trees
would not be able to get off the oxygen that we breathe. Without
soil, the vegetables and fruits we eat would not be able to grow.
Soil is important to farmers because they need soil so they can sell
their crops.
Soil is also important because it is a home for some animals like
ants, worms, and moles.
The Layers of Soil:
There are three layers of soil - topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock.
Topsoil is the top layer of soil. Topsoil has the most humus of any
layer.
Subsoil is the middle layer of soil. This layer has the largest grains.
Bedrock is the last layer of soil. This layer is solid rock.
Let’s Talk About Clay:
Clay is one of the three types of soil. Most clay is a reddish-orange
color and feels hard when it is dry. When it is broken apart is can
feel crusty and little tiny rocks.
Clay has small grains. Because clay has small grains it holds water
very well. Sometimes water will sit on top of the clay because the
small grains do not let a lot of water pass through. When clay is
wet, it feels sticky and mushy but when it dries, it becomes hard
again.
Learn About Loam:
Loam is another type of soil. Most loam is a brownish-black color
and feels soft. It is dark and contains humus and nutrients needed
for plants.
Loam has small and large grains. Because loam has small and
large grains it holds some water and drains some water. Loam
holds just enough water for plants because it has the right
combination of small and large grains.
All About Sand:
Sand the third type of soil. Most sand is brown and tan and feels
gritty. When it is wet, sand can feel mushy, soft, smooth, and
squishy.
Sand has large grains. Because sand has large grains water easily
drains through. Sand is not good for most plants because it does
not have many nutrients.
A Little About Compost:
Compost is made of food scraps, dead insects, and decayed things
that were once living. Using compost for plants is a way to help the
Earth by recycling scraps. Compost can act as a fertilizer and it is
good for farming. We can all help the Earth by composting!
I POEM:
I am a plant’s best friend
I wonder what plants would do without me to support them
I hear the sound of rain as it pitter patters on top of me
I see the roots as a plant grows through me
I want to be seen as something other than “dirt”
I am a plant’s best friend
I understand that I’m important to the Earth
I say humans need me more than they know
I dream about not being called dirt
I try to soak up the right amount of water
I hope people will take care of me
I am a plant’s best friend
About the Authors:
We are Mrs. Shore’s Third Grade Class
We have a variety of heart wonders
We hear the sounds of excitement
We see where we want to go
We want to be the best
We are Mrs. Shore’s Third Grade Class
We understand how to work hard
We believe in doing our best
We dream about going to college
We try to impress our teacher
We hope we are good enough to meet our goals
We are Mrs. Shore’s Third Grade Class
Resources:
Mrs. Shore’s Third Grade Class
Harcourt Science, Harcourt School Publishers, 2000
Microsoft ClipArt
Pictures from Mrs. Shore’s Camera :)
http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/01093/proj_env.html - Compost