Comparing Soil in North Carolina
Elementary Science
Big Idea:The students will use comparing and contrasting of three different soils and how plants adapt to their environment.
Grade Level: 3rd grade
Rationale: Students should be able to learn how to compare and contrast different things.The will learn how to use a Venn diagram to compare the three different types of soil. The students will need this in science to compare different mixtures as well as theories.
NC Essential Standard(s): 3.L.2 Understand how plants survive in their environments.
National Science Education Content Standards Reference: K-4: Life cycles of organisms and organisms and their environment.
Instructional Objective: Students will be able to compare and contrast the types of soil found within the two NC regions. (Coastal, Piedmont)
Prerequisite knowledge and skills: Students need to be able to identify the parts of a plant (flower, leaves, stem, and root). They also need to be familiar with the life cycle of a plant. Students should know that plants need air (O2), sunlight, and water in order to survive. How do plants reproduce? (cross-pollination: plants must spread their pollen to other plants). Students also should be able to identify the three different types of soil.
Materials/Resources:
1 cup clay soil per group
1 cup sand soil per group
1 cup humus soil per group
Worksheet
Brainpop jr video
3-4 Hands lens per group
Source of your lesson: (Attach all print materials and a copy of the original lesson source).
Estimated Time: 35 minutes
Accommodation for Special Needs/different learning styles:
Slow learners: I will pull a small group that needs extra assistance during the lesson. I will also give them clearer instructions and try to walk them through the lesson
ESL: I will translate some of the directions for the student so they are able to understand what we are doing. I will also demonstrate exactly what the students should be doing so they are able to follow along
Students who finish their work early will be able to write a letter to the citizens explaining why vegetation is easier to grow in the Piedmont region. They can also draw a picture of the environment on the back of their worksheet.
Safety considerations: Students will stay seated in their groups and not roaming around the room. Students will also handle the hands lens very carefully to avoid breaking them. The teacher will pass out the soil to each group so students aren’t wandering all over the room.
Content and Strategies (Procedure)
Engage: The teacher will ask the students, when observing plants in the piedmont regions, why might we find more vegetation? Do you think growing plants in different soil changes how they grow? Where do the plants get their nutrients from? (Soil). The students will watch a video on Brain Pop about plant adaptation.
Explore: The teacher will ask students, What were the important facts that you saw in the video? Do you think plants will grow differently in red clay than growing the plants in the sandy soil? What is a way we can compare and contrast two different things? The teacher will pass out a worksheet with a Venn diagram on it for the students to record what they observe. The teacher will separate the students into groups randomly using popsicle sticks with their numbers on them. The students will work together to observe the three different types of soil. Each group will get a cup of red clay, sandy soil, and humus soil. The students will use a hands lens to observe the physical properties of the soil. The students will record the color, size/shape, and any other characteristics they find while observing the soil. Once the students have written down their observations, they will use the Venn diagram to compare and contrast the three types of soil.
Explanation: Comparing and Contrasting: The teacher will draw a Venn diagram on the board and ask students what they observed when they looked at the soil through a hands lens. The teacher will ask, Were the three soils all of the same color? If not what color was each of the
soil? What kind of texture did you notice when you observed the soil? Were there any other characteristics you noticed when you observed the
soil? After looking at this list, how can we compare and contrast these soils?
Elaborate: The teacher will then have students return back in their groups and will cut small holes into the bottom of each soil cup. The students will weigh their cups before they add water and record their result. The students will then put each of their soil cups into another plastic cup and will spray 8 sprays onto their soil. Students will write down their predictions on the back of their worksheet about which soil will absorb the most water. The children will then remove the first cup from the second and reweigh their soil. The teacher will ask, What soil absorbed the most water? Why do you think the soil absorbed the water that was sprayed? The students will then make a list of plants that they could find grown in the different soils. (Cactus can live where there is little rain because their thick stems absorb and store the water needed). Students that finish early can draw an illustration on their sheet of a plant in either the rainforest, desert, or near the water. Students can also write a letter to the citizens explaining the different types of soil and where they can find the soil.
Evaluate: Students will hand in their worksheets at the end of the lesson for the teacher to check for completion. The teacher will also check to make sure students understand the lesson and were able to compare and contrast the three types of soil.
Closure: I will ask students to write down three things they learned either about plant parts, life cycle of a plant, or any characteristics they learned about the soil. The students will hand in these tickets at the end of the lesson in order to move on to the next activity. The teacher will then review the different types of plants that can be found in these regions and why they are grown there.