Soil Lab


Learning Target: I can examine and describe the properties of soils, including color, texture, capacity to retain water and ability to support the growth of plants. 

Think about these questions today as we learn more about geology:

  • Why is soil important?
  • What does soil consist of?
  • What properties of soil make it good for growing plants?  serving as the foundation to a building?
  • Why do some soils contain more organic materials?
  • How do soils differ in different ecosystems?



  • Turn and talk to your neighbor about these questions.  Be prepared to share what you have discussed:
    • What is soil?
    • What is soil made of?
    • Where does soil come from?



  • Look at Soil-AnchorChart and discuss what you observed.  Use these sentence stems to help you share your thoughts:  I observed…….
  • Questions to discuss
    • What do plants need to survive?
    • What is humus?
    • So what happens if there is too much space between the particles?  Too little?
    • What kinds of soils have just the right amount of space for plants?