LESSON PLANS WITH OBJECTIVES – SOIL
I. AND II. PROPERTIES OF SOIL
OBJECTIVES:
1. Identify six components of soil.
2. Distinguish between the three components that make up
organic matter in the soil.
3. Describe the four types of soil texture.
4. Name the factors which have the greatest affect on soil
structure.
5. Use the Soil Card to determine soil structure.
6. Explain why organic growing is not as dependent on soil pH
as conventional growing.
LESSON PLAN:
1. Show the video of Whippoorwill Farm and discus the focus
questions.
2. Use Unit 1 power point presentation Slides 1-19 to present
and discuss the properties of soil.
3. If soil tests will be analyzed next class, show the power point
presentation from Unit 2 on Soil Sampling.
4. Incorporate in class student activities
a. Soil Texture Analysis – may be done outside
b. Measure pH of soil with pH strips – may be done
outside
5. Incorporate in class demonstrations of:
a. Tray of soil with sand, silt and clay separated
b. Tray of organic matter with living, dead and well
decayed humus separated
c. Soil type map from Soil Conservation Service for your
area
d. Balls of various sizes to represent the size difference
of sand, silt, clay. These may be bbs, marbles, and
tennis balls
packed in clear tennis ball cans.
e. Balls of various sizes glued together to represent peds.
6. Outside students activities:
a. Soil Texture Analysis – may be done inside
b. Soil Quality Card to analyze soil
c. Measure ph of soil with pH strips – may be done inside
d. Soil Test lab may be done with first unit or second
unit.
III. SOIL BIOLOGY AND ECOSYSTEMS
OBJECTIVES:
1. Name four types of organisms that are important in the soil
ecosystem.
2. Define soil biodiversity.
3. Identify the five trophic levels in the soil food web.
4. Describe five ways the soil food web helps plants.
LESSON PLAN:
1. Use Unit 1 power point presentation slides 20-30 to discuss soil
biology, trophic levels and ecosystems.
2. Incorporate in class
a. Soil Food Web simulation
3. Outside student activities
a. Collecting Soil Organisms
b. Set up Soil Decomposition activity for later analysis
IV. SOIL NUTRIENT CYCLES
OBJECTIVES:
1. Explain the importance of carbon and nitrogen for living
organisms.
2. List three places where carbon is stored on our planet.
3. Describe how carbon cycles in plants.
4. Describe two ways that atmospheric nitrogen is converted
into forms available to plants.
LESSON PLAN:
1. Use Unit 1 power point presentation slides 31-34 to discuss
the nitrogen and carbon cycles.