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3. Soil Analysis

Soil Profile from Tabott county, Tennessee

Summary
Students conduct 4 tests of soil quality in the classroom that can then be applied to their terraqua columns and to the outdoors: visual observation, soil separation, pH, and Tullgren Funnel (to isolate living things in the soil). They make comparisons between 2 different types of soil and draw conclusions about how "healthy" each soil is. Through this process, students discover the major "ingredients" of soil: clay, silt, sand, organic material, water, air, living things, and minerals. By recording information in their science journals, they learn how to keep good notes and share the information with others in the class during a concluding class discussion about what "healthy" soil might look like and why.


Submitted by jpsalter on Mon, 2005-07-18 15:39.

1. Terraqua Columns

Summary

Students discover what ecosystems are by exploring the relationships between him/herself, other living things, and the student's environment. Students create and study miniature ecosystems by building a terraqua column - a 2 story soda bottle tower with soil and plants on the top and a water source on the bottom. The terraqua columns will be used throughout the ecology unit for practice with water and soil quality monitoring and with making and recording observations. Later in the unit students can conduct independent investigations with their terraqua columns.


Submitted by irene on Thu, 2005-07-14 13:51.
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