Our Learning Garden - Grade 8 Lesson 1-4
Sacred Soil and Wheatgrass
• Lesson Summary- This unit connects students to soil as they learn that soil is
fundamental to life.
• We explore the concept of life in healthy soil
• The PowerPoint presentation includes many hands on experiments with soil
and wheatgrass
• A link to a great video on soil.
• We review the anatomy of soil, erosion and include language arts activities
discussing if soil is sacred, comparing soil to a passage in a William Blake poem
and the limited resources to planet has to sustain the growing population.
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Apple exercise that illustrates how little arable soil we have to support the earths
population
Explore the principles of erosion , pollution and bioaccumulation by grow under
different conditions. Wheatgrass with/without fertilizer, acid rain and high salinity.
• All lesson plans and related files for download - ourlearninggarden.ca
The files are open so feel to change content to class requirements.
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On Line Links to lesson-www.ourlearninggarden.ca
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Specific Curriculum Outcomes
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General Outcome 1: Students will listen, speak, read, write, view, and represent to explore thoughts, ideas, feelings, and
experiences.
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1.1.2 Consider Others’ Ideas Integrate new understanding with previous viewpoints and interpretations.
1.1.3 Experiment with Language and Form Experiment with memorable language to convey personal perceptions,
feelings, experiences, thoughts, and ideas in various forms.
1.2.2 Explain Opinions Articulate, represent, and explain personal viewpoints clearly.
1.2.3Combine Ideas Structure and restructure ideas and information in personally meaningful ways to clarify and extend
understanding.
1.2.4 Extend Understanding Reconsider initial understanding in light of new information, and ask clarifying questions;
listen to diverse opinions and recognize ambiguity.
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Grade 8 English Language Arts- The lesson plans meet many of the required out comes of the Grade 8 English Language
Arts. Students explore the concept of soil in a scientific realm but deploy their language arts skills to interpret the poetry
of William Blake. Students can discuss in class and write a short essay on “ Is soil sacred? sa·cred (skrd)-Worthy of
respect; venerable.”
Explore the principles of erosion , pollution and bioaccumulation by grow under different conditions. Wheatgrass
with/without fertilizer, acid rain and high salinity.
.8-4-11 Science- 8-4-11 Erosion
GLO: B2, B5
8-4-17 Identify substances that may pollute water, related environmental and societal impacts of pollution, and ways to
reduce or eliminate effects of pollution.
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Grade 8 Healthy Lifestyle Practices - Knowledge
• Grow Wheatgrass and review the nutritional benefits of
wheatgrass
• Empower students to grow healthy food supplements
Curriculum Outcomes
Grade 8-K.5.8.A.2- Examine lifestyle practices and their
effects on body systems.
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Do you take soil it for granted?
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We ride on it
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We walk on it
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We play in it
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Could we live without it?
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A handful of soil has more living organisms than all the people
that have ever been born.
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One gram of fertile soil can contain up to one billion bacteria.
Only 5% of what is produced by green plants is consumed by animals,
but the 95% is consumed by microorganisms
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In “Soil Stories”, the host, embarks on a journey that begins with her realization that
soil is alive and that without soil, life as we know would not exist. She meets with
soil scientists who help her “see” beneath the surface of the soil and help her
understand how diverse yet ordered soil bodies are in the landscape.
In the second half of the story, Francine meets with characters that help her take an
up close and personal look at some physical and biological attributes of soils without
which they would not function. In the final part of the video, a character from
history shares an epiphany about soils with Francine and translates this to modern
terms.
Click to watch “Link to Soil Stories-The Whole Story”
30 minutes
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Film Review
• Do you agree with film position that
soil is alive?
• Can you explain the difference
between soil that is alive and dead.
• What is the biotic string and glue
with respect to soil?
• Write a 100 word review of the
documentary.
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n his famous poem, The Auguries of
Innocence, the poet William Blake
wrote:
"To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your
hand,
And eternity in an hour."
Discuss the above quote and what it means to you.
Write an essay on this quote in relation to a handful of soil.
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Soil is teeming with living organisms. Living organisms present in soil include archaea,
bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, algae, protozoa, and a wide variety of larger soil fauna,
including springtails, mites, nematodes, earthworms, ants, insects that spend all or
part of their life underground, and larger organisms such as burrowing rodents. All of
these are important in making up the environment we call soil and in bringing about
numerous transformations that are vitally important to life.
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Surface soil particles are held together by various
organic substances.
Glomalin, a protein produced by fungi, acts as a
“soil glue” to create stable soil aggregates.
The gluing of soil particles together into
aggregates helps maintain pores and channels in
the soil for air and water to enter and move
through it.
Soil aggregates are more stable and harder to
wash away than individual soil particles during
rain storms.
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Discuss in class and write a short essay on “ Is soil
sacred? sa·cred (skrd)-Worthy of respect; venerable.”
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• Concept: A visual demonstration of the limited sources of food available
from land and water.
• Materials: An apple, a knife, and a paper towel
• Procedure: Slice the apple according to the instructions, narrating as you
go. Use the Discussion
• Questions to encourage critical thinking in discussion of these facts.
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Population Connection Education Action For A Better World
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If this apple represents the Earth , how much good soil
is on the earth; that can grow food?
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How much good soil is on the earth; that can grow food?
What do you think?
Half (50%) the earth?
1/10 (10%) of the earth?
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Around 75% of the earth is water.
What fraction is that?
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Around ¼ of the earth is the total land surface.
What fraction is that?
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Around ¼ of the earth is the total land surface.
But half of this land surface 1/8 you cannot live on
or grow anything. They
are deserts, swamps, and
high or rocky mountains.
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This 1/8 represents the other half of the Earth’s
surface. These are the areas on which people can
live, but cannot necessarily grow food.”
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These 3/32 represent land on which people can live, but cannot grow food.
Some of it was never arable because it's too rocky, wet, cold, steep or has soil
too poor to produce food. Some of it used to be arable but isn’t any longer because it’s
been developed—turned into cities, suburbs, highways, etc., so it can no longer be
farmed. Governments have earmarked other areas, such as parks, nature preserves and
other public lands to remain undeveloped forever.”
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"So, only 1/32 of the Earth's surface has the potential
to grow the food needed to feed all of the people on
Earth"
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“This tiny bit of peel represents the topsoil, the dark,
nutrient-rich soil that holds moisture and feeds us by
feeding our crops. Currently, 90% of croplands lose
soil above the sustainable rate.
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Grab an apple and slice it up as per the previous slides
•Around ¾ of the Earth is water
•¼ of the earth is land
•1/8 cannot support food or humans
•1/8 can support humans
•Cut the 1/8 into 4 pieces = 4/32
•3/32 people can live but not grow food
• 1/32 of the Earth's surface has the
potential to grow the food needed to
feed all of the people on Earth“
•Anyway you slice it , there is not very
much soil to support the growing global
population!
Enjoy eating the apple
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Erosion by wind and water causes of soil loss and degradation. Erosion
is also caused by construction, deforestation, and unsustainable
practices in farming and animal grazing.
Great spires carved away by erosion in Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
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Deforestation: When trees are cut down, the soil loses the shelter of branches and
leaves that protect it from the force of rain and wind.
The root systems that hold the soil in place are destroyed.
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Over-grazing: When cattle eat grass, they pull it out of the ground by the roots,
taking some soil with it. Each bite leaves a patch of ground uncovered, exposed to
the wind and the rain. These animals' sharp hooves also tear up the surface a little
with each step.
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With a limited amount of land and a growing number of people to feed from that land,
each person's part becomes smaller and smaller. Protecting our land resources is of
great importance.
Anyway you slice it ,
there is not very much
soil to support the
growing global
population!
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With a limited amount of land and a growing number of people to feed from that land,
discuss the importance of protecting the arable land from the process of
bioaccumulation.
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Lesson 3
• Lesson 3 –examines the relationship between
food chain and pollution
• Students are introduced to the concept of
biomagnification.
• 2-4-12 Identify substances that pollute air and
water, and describe ways of reducing such
pollution. GLO: B3, B5, D3, D
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Pollution can effect the shells of eggs
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What do you think happens when a
egg shell is thin and weak?
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What do you think happens when a
egg shell is thin and weak?
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What do you think happens when a
egg shell is thin and weak?
Thin eggshells can easily break
as they are subject to many
conditions in nature that stress
the shell.
Movement in nest by mother,
predators and forces of wind
and water stresses the shells.
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Eagle were nearly extinct
as their egg shells are very
sensitive to pollution.
Investigate what chemical
was responsible for
causing this and the
reaction that caused the
egg shell to become thin.
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Pollution on land and farmers fields drain into rivers
and lakes
Pesticides and pollution can effect the strength / thickness of the birds egg shell.
Oil, lead and mercury are some of the causes. The higher you are in the food chain the
higher concentrations of toxins you eat.
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• If you supplemented
the birds diet with
calcium do you think
the shells would be
stronger?
• What is an egg shell
made of?
• Investigate if
chickens get calcium
supplements.
• The concentration of some chemicals, such as
DDT, increases as it gets higher in the food chain.
This process is called biomagnification.
1
NG EDUCATION WEBSITE
The concentration of DDT is relatively low in
plants and primary consumers such as fish and
insects. Secondary consumers, such as chickens,
have higher levels of DDT. Tertiary consumers,
such as eagles and pelicans, have the highest
concentrations of DDT in their bodies.1
NG EDUCATION WEBSITE
1
• Pelicans and raptors are near the top of their
food chains. Why do you think they suffered
more dramatic effects from DDT (such as
thinning eggshells) than lower-level predators
such as chickens and quail?
Does pollution in a food chain affect you?
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Bioaccumulation
Blue dots are pollution
What is happening?
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Species on the food chain get more chemical or pollution in
their body as they go up the food chain.
This process is called bioaccumulation or biomagnification.
Can you illustrate an example of bioaccumulation
in soil?
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Yellow circle is pollution
What is happening?
Is this biomagnification?
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Pollution runs into our rivers , lakes and oceans
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Some farmers aerial spray crops with chemicals to kill weeds
Where do all the chemicals go?
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Some farmers sprays crops with chemicals to kill weeds
Where do all the chemicals go?
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Pollution runs into our rivers , lakes and oceans
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Can you illustrate the concept of
biomagnification?
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Identify what the source of the pollution is
Draw all the species in the food chain
Show the process of bioaccumulation / biomagnification
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Growing Wheatgrass
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Growing Wheatgrass
• Grow Wheatgrass
• Manipulate the soil and see how pollution affects
the crop
• Lets examine the root system of the wheatgrass and
its role in preventing erosion. Does vegetation
similar to wheatgrass have a role in preventing
erosion.
• Lets review the nutritional benefits of wheatgrass
and try juicing (eating) some
• Your teeth are great juicers, chew up the wheatgrass
and spit out the pulp if you do not have a juicer
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Instructions for Growing Wheatgrass
•Soak the seeds (3/4 cup per tray) in tepid water for 48-72 hours,
•Rinse every 24hours if possible and put fresh water in the container
you are soaking the seeds in
•When the seeds are just starting to sprout (see white end protruding)
you can plant them
•Spread the soil out evenly in the tray
•. Mix the fertilizer with 350 ml of water
•Water the soil evenly with about 350 ml of fertilizer water mixture
•TRY ANOTHER TRAY WITH NO FERTILIZER , Observe and record the
growth of the 2 trays
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•Remove the seeds from water, rinse, strain and spread out
evenly on top of the soil
• Spread soil on top of the seeds so that all seeds are completely
covered with soil.
• Optional-Cover the trays with the lids or green garbage bag for
2-3 days until the grass has sprouted –around 2 -4 centimeters.
Speeds up the growth cycle covering the trays
•When the seeds in soil have sprouted 2-4 cm you can water
them before placing under the grow lights
Place the tray about 40 -50 centimeters from the fluorescent
lights or natural window light
• You will need to water the wheatgrass every 2nd or 3rdday;
depending on the humidity. Keep it slightly damp.
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• Look at how quickly the
root system has developed.
• Examine the root system
on the 4th or 5th day when
the sprouts /blades have
emerged from the soil.
• Try lifting the wheatgrass
out of the tray and
examine how the roots are
holding together the soil.
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1. Observe and record the difference between fertilized wheatgrass and no fertilizer
2. What did you notice?
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1. Observe and record the difference between that pollution has on the wheatgrass
2. What did you notice?
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1. Observe and record the difference between that pollution has on the wheatgrass
2. What did you notice?
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Water one tray with salt water (30 ml salt to
90ml water) ,
What happens to the wheatgrass?
Record your observations
Does it affect the taste of the wheatgrass?
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1. Observe and record the effect salt water has on the wheatgrass
2. What did you notice?
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Water another tray with Vinegar is 5% acetic acid, (20
ml vinegar to 90ml water)
What happens to the wheatgrass?
Does it affect the taste of the wheatgrass?
Is this similar to acid rain
If a farmer uses pesticides what do you think happens
to the crop?
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1. Observe and record the effect acetic acid(acid rain) on the wheatgrass
2. What did you notice?
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• After you harvest
the grass remove
the block of soil
from the tray. Try
tearing it apart and
see how strong the
root structure is
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Cut a piece of wheatgrass and
put it in a tray with 2cm of water
Put a handful of soil into the water
What did you observe
1. Observe and record the difference between a tray of wheatgrass and loose soil
2. What did you notice?
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Overview of Wheatgrass
• Wheatgrass is a food prepared from the
cotyledons of the common wheat plant, Triticum
aestivum
• It provides chlorophyll, amino acids, minerals,
vitamins, and enzymes. Claims about the health
benefits of wheatgrass range from providing
supplemental nutrition to having unique curative
properties. Some consumers grow and juice
wheatgrass in their homes. It is often available in
juice bars, alone or in mixed fruit or vegetable
drinks. Wheatgrass contains no wheat gluten.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/custom/900675/2
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Nutritional Comparison
Table 1. Nutrient comparison of 1 oz (28.35 g) of wheatgrass juice, broccoli and spinach.
Nutrient
Wheatgrass Juice
Broccoli
Spinach
Protein
860 mg
800 mg
810 mg
Beta-carotene
120 IU
177 IU
2658 IU
Vitamin E
880 mcg
220 mcg
580 mcg
Vitamin C
1 mg
25.3 mg
8 mg
Vitamin B12
0.30 mcg
0 mcg
0 mcg
Phosphorus
21 mg
19 mg
14 mg
Magnesium
8 mg
6 mg
22 mg
Calcium
7.2 mg
13 mg
28 mg
Iron
0.66 mg
0.21 mg
0.77 mg
42 mg
90 mg
158 mg
Potassium
Data on broccoli and spinach from USDA database.[4] Data on Wheatgrass juice from
indoor grown wheatgrass.[2]
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