Curated OER
Soil Testing
Earth science learners experiment with the water-holding properties of sand, pebbles, and clay. They apply their findings to the building of a well. This activity is engaging and tactile, and it demonstrates the importance of considering...
University of Georgia
Density and Texture of Soil
All soil is not created equal! AÂ lab activity asks learners to collect and analyze soil. Specific calculations determine the amount of sand, silt, and clay in a sample and allow individuals to identify the soil texture.Â
Curated OER
Super Soil
Young scholars compare the organic matter found in soil. In this soil lesson, students compare a commercial garden mix soil to their local soil and determine which has more organic material.
Curated OER
Does Soil Get Soggy?
Study the properties of soil and water absorption with a science activity. Based on a paragraph with background knowledge on sandy soil, silt, and clay soil, third graders choose which illustration represents a bottle full of sandy soil....
Curated OER
Agricultural Practices in Kansas: Comparing Agricultural Practices Before and After the Dust Storms of the 1930s
Knowing about history is one thing, learning form it is another. Rather than just discuss the causes and effects of the Dust Bowl, this presentation discusses what we learned from the Dust Bowl. Presented are the types of agricultural...
University of Waikato
Investigating Soil Moisture Content
Class members analyze the water content in soil samples by drying out the samples and taking measurements every minute until all the moisture is gone. Scholars compare the initial weight to the dried weight to calculate the percentage of...
University of Waikato
Growing Soil Microbes
View how microbes grow in soil. Class members first create a Winogradsky column to grow bacteria. They then set up the column of mud in a plastic bottle and include a food source for the microbes and observe the column of mud over the...
Curated OER
Rooting Into the Soil: Examining the Relationship Between Plants, Soil, And Water
Students, in groups, conduct an experiment to compare how water moves through different soils. They discuss how different soils could have an impact on different plants.
Curated OER
Soil Scrolls
Third graders examine soil samples and explore the what happens in each layer of the subsoil. They work in cooperative groups to create a scroll that shows what takes place in each layer, and discuss why much of the activity is in the...
Curated OER
Soil Water Worksheet #1
Drawings of four groups of soil particles of varying sizes are displayed across the page for soil scientists to examine. As they complete the worksheet, place a set of similar soils at each table for hands-on experience. In this way,...
Illustrative Mathematics
Growing Bean Plants
Plant growth experiments offer rich, cross-curricular learning opportunities that can really excite and engage young learners. In this series, children work in pairs planting, measuring, and comparing the height of bean plants in order...
Curated OER
Soil, the Forgotten Resource
Students discuss soil understanding that is is often overlooked as a natural resource. In this science lesson plan, students recognize that we depend on it for energy in the form of foods. Students experiment with six boxes of soil to...
Curated OER
What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Soil
Students conduct an experiment to evaluate whether plants need soil to survive and grow. They plant two seeds, one with soil and one without, make predictions, and record and analyze the seed germination results on a worksheet.
Curated OER
Soil Testing and Texturing
Young scholars are introduced to soil textures and why they are important in examining soil quality. They find out how to feel the difference between soil textures. Pupils describe which soil texture is best for gardens and growing...
Curated OER
Settlement Exploration: Then and Now
NASA has crafted an imaginative and memorable series of lessons, "NASA and Jamestown Education Module." This lesson is one of the five components. In it, middle schoolers connect history and science by comparing the settlement of...
Curated OER
Soil Structure
Sixth graders examine how different soils are made up of varying proportions of clay, silt, and sand. They compare soil samples, conduct Internet research, and create a model to demonstrate the relative sizes of grains of clay, sand, and...
Curated OER
Soil Composition
Students examine soil. In this soil composition lesson students participate in soil sedimentation and filtration activities. The students discuss what non-living and living things are in soil and why it is so important.
Curated OER
ExplorA-Pond: 5th Grade Soil Erosion
Fifth graders visit a pond or a stream and find areas of the shoreline with vegetation and without. They pour buckets of water down each and observe the effect plants have on soil erosion. They draw and record results in a lab booklet.
Curated OER
Soil
In this soil worksheet, students read about soil and the attributes that determine how soil is formed. They then answer the 11 questions in the packet. The answers are on the last page of the packet.
Curated OER
What is Soil?
Students examine soil. In this earth science lesson, students define and describe weathering and erosion as it relates to soil. Students compare and contrast potting soil with forest soil and complete a science observation worksheet.
Curated OER
Soil Recipe
Young scholars examine the components of soil. They work together to use different materials to create their own soil. They make their own dirt cake as well.
Curated OER
soil, Water, and Plants
Students examine the relationship between water retention and plant growth by conducting two experiments. They first compare the water retention qualities of clay, sand and loam soil types. Then they use the data from the first...
Curated OER
Soil Porosity, Moisture Content, pH, and Density
This lab activity does not have to be done with AP environmental scientists. It can also be done with middle to high school earth scientists. The procedures aren't complex. Learners determine the density of dry and wet sand in order to...
Curated OER
Selecting Soil For a Sports Field
For this science worksheet, students take part in a laboratory exploration looking at different types of soil. The soil is evaluated in order to fill the role of becoming a sports field.