Rocks and soils
Soil is amazing and supports all living things. This lesson plan will explore the wonderful world of soil and what soil is made of.
Learning objectives:
- To understand soils are made from rocks and organic matter
- Identify similarities and differences between types of soil
- Investigate soil from the local environment
- Look at how the parts a soil is made of affect how it behaves
- To begin to understand the value of soil
Curriculum links:
- Science: Study rocks, soils, and their properties
- Geography: Understand weathering, soil formation, and their role in the environment
- Maths: Measurement skills for soil testing
- PSHE: Appreciate the value of soil and its conservation
Key vocabulary
Introduction
Resources
- Soil samples
- Transparent lidded container, spoon, water
- Soil texturing flow diagram (ideally laminated)
- Collecting bucket, spoon
- Magnifiers
Activities
- Make a soil shake: Use a wide necked, transparent container with a well-fitting lid. Half fill with water and add a spoonful of soil. Screw the lid on tightly and shake vigorously to combine, then leave to settle for at least 5 minutes. Observe how different components sink into layers, whilst others float. Are the layers clearly visible? Due to differing particle size the bottom layer will be sand, the middle silt and the top clay. The largest layer will indicate the general soil type
- Make a soil cake: Go outside and collect the ingredients to make soil. Have you made soil? What’s missing? Use our what is soil of made of? resource to explain this
- Explore soil characteristics: Pour water onto different samples of soil (sandy and clay), observe what happens – does the water drain through or sit on the surface?
- Soil texturing test: The way a soil feels describes its texture and this is dependent on the size of the particles it contains. Test different soil types to see if you can feel the difference. Use our soil texture test activity to find the answer. Test different soils from a range of locations in your outdoor space, to see if they are the same. Record this information on a map of your grounds. Make sure you are testing soil, not
compost
Plenary
‘The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself’ is a quote from Franklin Roosevelt (President of the United States from 1943-45). What does this mean?
Ask for a description of soil again - has the content changed from words used at the beginning of this lesson?
Differentiation
- Create a recipe card for soil
- Extension: What would be the ideal type of soil to grow crops and why?
- Try growing plants in different types of soil - what can you discover?