Introduction to Soil Lesson Plan
An Investigation into the Properties of Soil
A simple investigation for elementary aged children into the properties of different types of soil.
Most children will have had some previous experience with soil whether through plants in the house, playing in the dirt or having flower or vegetable garden outside. This investigation will help children to notice differences in soil types.
Purpose:
- To explore and investigate the components of soil
- To investigate the properties of different types of soil
Materials:
- Large jar
- Samples of different types of soil
- Magnifying glasses
- Stop-watches or timers
- Coffee filters with baskets
- Photocopied charts
- Pencils
- Water
- Measuring jugs
- Jars which the coffee filters will fit
Activity:
- Before you start this lesson it is important to have a discussion about the importance of always washing hands when handling the soil samples.
- Prepare several samples of different types of soil and let the children examine them. They can feel the textures and look at them through the magnifying glasses to observe colour and consistency.
- Have a discussion with the children about what they think the soil is made from. Their ideas should be noted for future use.
- Put a sample of soil into a large jar with some water. Screw the lid on firmly and shake the jar until the soil is fully suspended in the water. Now set the jar aside so the contents can separate and settle during the remainder of the lesson.
- Divide the children into small working groups.
- Show the children the various different soil types and get them to think about the differences between them. Each group can then choose one type of soil to investigate more closely.
- Have each group measure the samples carefully so they are all equal and then place them into the coffee filters and their baskets. These will then be put onto glass jars and water added. The children will then predict which groups’ water will filter through more quickly or more slowly.
- Record these predictions in a simple table.
- Each group then observes how long it takes for the water to filter through using the stop-watches and record the results. They can compare their results with their earlier predictions and discuss the possible causes of the different times.
- It should now be time to go back to the first jar of soil and water that you set aside to see what has happened. Hopefully, the soil will have separated and the children can see the various components. They can then compare what they observe with what their predictions were at the beginning.
- This can lead onto a discussion of the different soils' properties and how this could be caused by where they were obtained and how much plant matter each soil had been observed to contain.
- Explain to the children that the water and nutrients contained in the soil provide growing plants with two of the components needed for growth - the third being light.
Follow-on activities:
- Try growing seeds in each soil type and find out if the differences in the soils affected growth and development
- Make a wormery to see how worms help enrich the soil with plant matter.
The copyright of the article Introduction to Soil Lesson Plan in Curricula/Lesson Plans is owned by Elizabeth Pace. Permission to republish Introduction to Soil Lesson Plan must be granted by the author in writing.
