Teacher sheet · Ages 6–7 · about 45–50 minutes
What is in soil?
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/soil/ages-6-7/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/soil/ages-6-7/print/
Learning aims
- Soil is a mix of rock bits, old plant and animal matter, water and air.
- Soil is full of living things, such as worms and fungi.
- Living things help turn dead leaves back into soil.
- Soil forms very slowly and we need it for food.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Starter: pass round a sealed bag of soil. What do you think is inside? |
| 10 min | Read the text together; act out a worm pulling a leaf into its tunnel. |
| 15 min | Soil detectives experiment in pairs. |
| 5 min | Living or not living? game. |
| 5 min | Quiz. |
| 5 min | Worksheet drawing. |
Materials for the experiment
- A cup of garden soil (from a place without dog or cat mess)
- A white paper plate or sheet of paper
- A magnifying glass
- A lolly stick or plastic spoon
- A clear cup of water
- Gloves (optional)
Safety: Use soil from a clean place, never where pets go to the toilet. Do not eat soil or put your fingers in your mouth. Wash hands with soap afterwards. Be gentle with tiny animals and put them back outside.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| Soil is just dirt and is dead. | Soil is full of living things; a spoonful of healthy soil holds more living things than there are people on Earth. |
| Soil is all the same everywhere. | Soils are different mixes of sand, silt, clay, old plant matter, water and air. |
| New soil appears quickly. | Soil forms very slowly, over hundreds of years or more. |
Worksheet answers
- A drawing showing, for example, stones (not living) and a worm or root (living).
- Yes (air in the soil bubbles out).
- Because almost all our food grows in it and it takes a very long time to form.
Quiz answers
- What is soil made of? Rock bits, old plants, water and air. Soil is a mix of tiny rock bits, dead plant and animal bits, water and air.[1]
- What do earthworms eat? Rotting leaves. Earthworms eat decaying plant material.[6]
- Where do the bubbles come from when soil goes in water? The air in the soil. Air fills the gaps between the bits of soil.[1]
- Does new soil form fast or slowly? Very slowly. A thin layer can take hundreds of years.[3]
- Is there life in soil? Yes, lots!. A spoonful of healthy soil holds more living things than there are people on Earth.[7]
Going further
Make a mini wormery or watch a compost heap over a few weeks with your class (see local wildlife-trust guides), then return the worms to the garden.
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] Soil basics (University of Illinois Extension): reliability High
- [2] Biology 2e, 31.2 The Soil (OpenStax (Rice University)): reliability High
- [3] Polluting our soils is polluting our future (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)): reliability High
- [6] Earthworms (Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)): reliability High
- [7] Microorganisms and soil processes (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness): reliability High
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/soil/sources/
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