April 2012
2nd Grade: Unit- Soil
Duration: 45 Minutes
Title: Observing Sand, Clay, and Humus
Materials: For each pair: 2 hand lenses, 2 stirrers, trays, paper, 1 cup of clay, 1 cup of sand, 1
cup of humus (distribute at different times)
Resources: Science and Technology for Children: Teacher’s Guide (binder)
Objective: 1. Students will be able to differentiate sand, clay, and humus.
Procedures:
I.
II.
III.
Opening (1:50-2:05)
a. What is soil?
i. Review pie chart on the board
1. Organic Matter (5%) – decomposing plant and animal remains
and manure, collectively known as humus
2. Inorganic Matter (45%) – rocks that have disintegrated into tiny
particles of sand, silt, or clay
3. Water (25%)
4. Air (25%)
ii. Review Inorganic Matter and Organic Matter
iii. Size: clay, silt, sand, gravel (draw on board)
iv. What do we know about Sand? Humus? Clay? (Large Paper on the board)
Activity (2:00-2:25)
a. (Observe: texture, color, density, appearance, sound, touch, smell, etc.)
b. One student from each pair moves through the assembly line to collect their first
cup of clay, sand, or humus.
c. Have the students guess what they have in their cup based on previous
knowledge
d. Have students follow the worksheet packet for observations
Closing/Wrap-Up (2:20-2:30)
a. Have the students clean up their materials and wipe their desks.
b. Review that clay, sand, and humus are present in soil.
Student Assessment: Add to the “What do you know about _____?” papers. (After observing all
three materials and working through the packet there will not be a lot of time left)
Soil Observations
What is in my cup?
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What does it look like?
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What does it sound like?
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What does it smell like?
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What does it feel like?
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