Plants, Soil, and Nutrients, Oh My!

It's time to roll up those sleeves and get a little dirty in the second lesson of this series on the science of food. Investigate where plants and animals get the minerals they need to live in this two-part exploration of soil. First,...

Students perform experiments to review the importance of nutrients and their affect on plant growth and nutrition. Students explain how nitrogen is removed from the soil and used by plants. They list the symptoms of insufficient or...

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.

Students list sources of phosphorus in soil. They explain how phosphorus is removed from the soil and used by plants. Students list the symptoms of insufficient or excess phosphorus. Students perform experiments to examine the effect of...

This presentation on soil shows how it is formed, what the different types of soil are, how soil is eroded, and how soil can be conserved. Fantastic photos and excellent graphics and text are found in each of the slides. The last slide...

You will get much mileage out of this resource. It is three presentations in one! Standard general ecology information is included within these 69 slides. The first segment deals with levels of organization, biotic and abiotic factors,...

Students explore decomposition and soil health by creating their own garden.  In this agriculture lesson, students build a "lasagna garden" with organic matter found in the area and plant perennials native to their region.  Students are...

This lesson plan is designed after research done on the ecology of soil lichen in the Tucson Basin area during the summers of 1997 and 1998. Its purpose is to guide students into adopting the problem solving thinking of ecologists. The...

What type of soil holds in moisture the best? Find out with a guided-inquiry based lesson in which scholars investigate three types of soil—sand, clay, and silt—and the ability of each to retain waiter for plant growth. Learners graph...

How do roots find nutrients? The PBS video, part of a series on food science, describes experiments proving roots grow specifically toward nutrients in the soil. A theory of how roots know in which direction to grow provides an...