Soil Survey Lesson

Do great gardeners really have green thumbs—or just really great soil? Environmental scholars discover what makes Earth's soil and soil quality so important through research and experimentation. Learners also develop an understanding of...

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...

All soil is not created equal! A 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. 

Soil scientists gain experience with an infiltrometer can to determine the infiltration rates at different locations on campus. If you are using the entire unit, the class has already analyzed water flow and soil types, so they should...

Soil is 25 percent air on average. Learners may have a difficult time accepting that fact without a visual to demonstrate the property. A quick video lesson uses a model to show how this percentage is true and also discusses the...

Some scientists spend their entire careers analyzing and learning about soils. An interesting video lesson provides an overview of what soil scientists do and why. Pupils learn how soil analysis connects to other branches of science...

Breathe some new life into charcoal. Scholars use biochar to improve soil fertility. They test the effectiveness of this addition by conducting an experiment with soil having 0%, 2%, and 4% biochar.

Learners examine two types of soils in their area. They identify its texture and permeability to determine its origin. They share their results with the class.

Students find ways to decrease soil runoff for an African Village as a part of a Peace Corps project. For this soil runoff lesson, students play a soil runoff challenge online. Students complete online activities and view a slide show to...

Teach your class the descriptive characteristics of soil. Provide information about particle size and a flow chart for assessing texture. Soil scientists then analyze samples and hypothesize which would be the best type for a rain...