Presented By: Lisa Dizengoff Science Facilitator Pembroke Pines Charter School - East Campus Pembroke Pines, Florida ldizengoff@pinescharter.com
The purpose of this interactive, enlightening and engaging workshop is to debunk the myth that soil is strictly something that simply holds plants up,! Students will not and can not appreciate the ecological and biological processes that sustain nearly all terrestrial life on our planet if they are not told the dirty truth about soil!! Every plant and animal you can think of depends on this vast hidden ecosystem. Each shovel of soil holds more living things than all the human beings ever born. Through several cross-curricular activities, including a delicious edible dirt dessert, participants will understand how physical, chemical, and biological actions work together to create every soil on the planet.
Is soil an important ingredient in your every day life? The answer isyes, and here are a few reasons why: Last night you slept in a building built on soil. You drink water that flows through soil and is cleaned by the soil. You breathe air that comes partly from plants growing in the soil. You even wear clothes made from plants that grow in the soil. Soils make our lives possible. We build on them, play on them, drive on them, eat food grown in or raised on them,take medicines from them, wear clothes we wouldn t have without soils, drink water that wouldn t be clean without soils, breathe air we wouldn t have without the plants and trees growing in soils. The entire earth every ecosystem, every living organism is dependent upon soils.
A Few Facts about Soil Soil makes up the outermost layer of our planet. Topsoil is the most productive soil layer. Soil has varying amounts of organic matter (living and dead organisms), minerals and nutrients. Five tons of topsoil spread over an acre is only as thick as a dime. Natural processes can take more than 500 years to form one inch of topsoil. Soil scientists have identified over 70,000 kinds of soil in the United States. Soil is formed from rocks and decaying plants and animals. An average soil sample is 45 percent minerals, 25 percent water, 25 percent air and five percent organic matter. Soil makes up the outermost layer of our planet. Different-sized mineral particles, such as sand, silt, and clay, give soil its texture. Fungi and bacteria help break down organic matter in the soil. Plant roots and lichens break up rocks which become part of new soil. Roots loosen the soil, allowing oxygen to penetrate. This benefits animals living in the soil. Roots hold soil together and help prevent erosion. Information provided by U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service and listed on the Environmental Protection Agency website at http://epa.gov/gmpo/edresources/soil.html.
SOIL IS FOUND ON EARTH S SURFACE BIG IDEA 6: EARTH STRUCTURES BENCHMARKS AND TASK ANALYSES SC.1.E.6.1 Recognize that water, rocks, soil, and living organisms are found on Earth's surface. SC.1.N.1.1 Raise questions about the natural world, investigate them in teams through free exploration, and generate appropriate explanations based on t those explorations. The student: raises questions about the natural world. explores questions about the natural world with a team of students through free exploration and generates appropriate explanations for what was observed. SC.1.N.1.2 Using the five senses as tools, make careful observations, describe objects in terms of number, shape, texture, size, weight, color, and motion, and compare their observations with others. The student: uses the five senses as tools to: make careful observations. describe objects in terms of number, shape, texture, size, weight, color, and motion. compare own observations with observations of others. SC.1.N.1.3 Keep records as appropriate - such as pictorial and written records - of investigations conducted. The student: keeps records, such as student-drawn illustrations, science notebooks, or digital media, of investigations conducted. SC.1.N.1.4 Ask "how do you know?" in appropriate situations. KEY QUESTION Where is soil found, why is it important, and what is it made of? TEACHER BACKGROUND INFORMATION Soil is a mixture of rock, mineral particles, and organic matter. Weathering forms the rock and mineral particles of soil. These particles are inorganic parts of soil. Other inorganic parts are water and air. Most organic material in soil comes from decaying plants and animals. This material is called humus. Bacteria and fungi break down plant and animal remains and form humus. Soil is made up of layers called horizons. The first layer is mostly decaying leaves, twigs, and animal remains. The second layer is topsoil, the third is subsoil, and the bottom is weathered rock. It takes thousands of years for a soil to mature. SC.1.E.6.1 Recognize that water, rocks, soil, and living organisms are found on Earth's surface.
What is a State Soil? A state soil is a soil that has special significance to a particular state. Each state in the United States has selected a state soil, twenty of which have been legislatively established. These Official State Soils share the same level of distinction as official state flowers and birds. Also, representative soils have been selected for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Areas with similar soils are grouped and labeled as soil series because their similar origins, chemical, and physical properties cause the soils to perform similarly for land use purposes. A soil series name generally is derived from a town or landmark in or near the area where the soil was first recognized. Each series consists of soils having major horizons that are similar in color, texture, structure, reaction, consistence, mineral and chemical composition, and arrangement in the soil profile. A soil profile is the sequence of natural layers, or horizons, in a soil. It extends from the surface downward to unconsolidated material. Most soils have three major horizons, called the surface horizon, the subsoil, and the substratum. The surface layer has the maximum accumulation of organic matter and is the horizon of maximum leaching of clay minerals and of iron and aluminum oxides. Some soils have a subsurface layer below the surface layer. The subsoil, which underlies the surface layer or subsurface layer, is the horizon of maximum accumulation of clay minerals, iron and aluminum oxides and other compounds. These compounds may have been leached from the surface layer and redeposited in the subsoil, or may have formed in place. Most likely, they occur as a result of a combination of both of these processes. The subsoil commonly has blocky or prismatic structure and generally is firmer and lighter in color than the surface layer. The substratum is below the surface layer and subsoil. It consists of material that has been somewhat modified by weathering but is relatively unchanged by soil-forming processes.
SOIL FOLDABLES Dinah Zike s Big Book of Science for Elementary K-6 *http://www.dinah.com/store.php?sort=science Create a Vocabulary Foldable to help you learn your SOIL vocabulary. Directions: Divide your paper into 3 columns : The 1st column is WORD The 2nd column is DEFINITION The 3rd column is PICTURE Vocabulary Words soil bedrock silt sand humus soil horizon topsoil subsoil litter decomposer
O Soil Texture Classification Sheet 1. Place a handful of soil into your hand and use the spray bottle to moisten the soil. Rub the soil together until there is an equal amount of water throughout the soil. 2. Try to form the soil into a ball. If it does not form into a ball and crumbles in your hand then the soil texture is sandy. If the soil does form into a ball go to the next step. 3. Feel your ball of soil. Is it a tight ball that does not easily fall apart? Is it really sticky? Is it hard to squeeze? Does it shine when you rub it? If you try to roll it out, does it make a long snake? If you answered yes to all of these questions then your soil texture is clayey. If you did not answer yes to all of these questions then. go to the next step. 4. Feel your ball of soil. Is it very soft and very smooth? Are you unable to roll it out into a snake? Does it resist breaking but will crumble easily? If you answered yes to all of these questions then your soil texture is silty. T To determine the texture of your soil follow these simple directions.
1. There are layers of soil. When digging, we are only observing of those layers. 2. The soil layer I am studying is called 3 When moistened, does the soil form a ball? If yes, what is your soil called? 4. If your soil does not form a ball, what is it called? Name 2 or more items found in this soil (roots, rocks, plant life, bugs,) 5. What are the sizes of the soil particles? Small Medium Large 6. What is the color of the soil? 7. Does the soil have an odor? 8. What was the final texture of your soil as determined by the Soil Texture Classification Sheet?
Edible Soil Activites http://www.kfb.org/ageducation/agedimages/ediblesoil.pdf http://www.mt.nrcs.usda.gov/about/lessons/edible.html http://www.growingthenextgeneration.com/documents/seedsurvivor_ediblesoil.pdf
National Association for Conservation Districts http://www.nacdnet.org/
http://soil.gsfc.nasa.gov/ Soil Society of America https://www.soils.org/
If you have any questions or would like additional information or websites, please don t hesitate to contact me ldizengoff@pinescharter.com Florida Agriculture In The Classroom Conference Ft. Lauderdale, Florida June 2011