Dig deep
View Sequence overviewStudents will:
- observe and measure the soil components in their profile.
- use the ribboning technique and a flow chart to determine soil texture.
Students will represent their understanding as they:
- draw an annotated diagram of their soil profiles.
- discuss soil texture observations.
- discuss what soil components could change over time and the benefits of compost.
In this lesson, assessment is formative.
Feedback might focus on:
- students’ soil solution diagrams. Are they able to represent the layers that have settled in the jar? Do their diagrams include labels and measurements?
- students’ soil ribboning. Are they able to use the flow chart to determine the soil type? Do they describe the texture of the soil using scientific words such as gritty, sandy, silty?
- students’ discussion about soil types and composting. Do they recognise that soils change over time due to natural processes and human intervention?
Whole class
Class science journal (digital or hard-copy)
The video Types of soil (2:02 min)
The video How to test your soil - texture (sand, silt, clay composition) (3:39 min)
The video Composting for kids | Gardening Australia Junior (3:24 min)
Demonstration copy of the Soil ribboning technique flowchart Resource Sheet (digital or hard-copy)
Class soil samples (the three buckets of different soil types used in the previous lesson)
Dirt and soil samples used in Lesson 1
Each group
Soil profile prepared in the previous lesson that have been allowed to settle (may take 1-2 weeks)
Dry soil sample stored in snap-lock bag in previous lesson
Cup
Small amount of water (approx. $\frac {1}{4}$ cup)
Soil ribboning technique flowchart Resource Sheet (digital or, if in hard-copy in plastic pocket or laminated)
Ruler
Each student
Individual science journal (digital or hard-copy)
Lesson
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkRe-orient
Review the previous session using the class science journal, the TWLH chart and the word wall.
Focus students’ attention on the three soil samples explored in Lesson 2 and remind them of the soil profiles they prepared.
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkIdentifying and constructing questions is the creative driver of the inquiry process. It allows students to explore what they know and how they know it. During the Inquire phase of the LIA Framework, the Question routine allows for past activities to be reviewed and to set the scene for the investigation that students will undertake. The use of effective questioning techniques can influence students’ view and interpretation of upcoming content, open them to exploration and link to their current interests and science capital.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to spend some time considering the mindset of students at the start of each Inquire phase. What do you want students to be thinking about, what do they already know and what is the best way for them to approach the task? What might tap into their curiosity?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkWhat’s changed?
Students examine the class set of three soil profiles. Ensure the profiles remain undisturbed.
Pose the question: How do our soil profiles look different now, compared to when we first made them?
Discuss obvious similarities and differences between the three profiles (e.g. floating layer, clearer water, objects settled to the bottom, different layers) and record students’ initial responses in the class science journal.
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkThe Investigate routine provides students with an opportunity to explore the key ideas of science, to plan and conduct an investigation, and to gather and record data. The investigations are designed to systematically develop content knowledge and skills through increasingly complex processes of structured inquiry, guided inquiry and open inquiry approaches. Students are encouraged to process data to identify trends and patterns and link them to the real-world context of the teaching sequence.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider the diagnostic assessment (Launch phase) that identified the alternative conceptions that students held. Are there activities that challenge these ideas and provide openings for discussion? What content knowledge and skills do students need to be able to complete the final (Act phase) task? How could you systematically build these through the investigation routines? Are there opportunities to build students’ understanding and skills in the science inquiry processes through the successive investigations?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkDrawing profiles
Teams collect the soil profiles they made in the previous lesson. Highlight the importance of being careful to ensure the jars aren’t bumped, potentially disturbing the layers and re-mixing the components in the water.
Teams carefully observe their soil profiles, discussing the layers they can see and what each layer contains.
Discuss, and model if required, how to create a labelled diagram of the soil profile, including:
- measuring the height of the jar and each layer within it.
- recording the measurements of each layer on the diagram.
- using an accurate scale.
- A 1:1 scale is easiest and should be possible if the jars are not too large.
Students create a labelled diagram of their soil profile in their science journals.
Teams compare their soil profiles to the sample of dry soil that was stored in the resealable bag during the previous lesson. They record their observations in their science journals.
Adapting to your context: Formal and informal measurements
How can you support your students to measure the depth of each layer of the soil solution?
The layers in the soil solution can be measured formally or informally. Understanding your students’ mathematical capability will help to guide any decisions you make when adapting the soil solutions activity to your students’ needs and provide guidance on when support for students may be required.
In Year 2, students measured and compared objects “based on length… using appropriate uniform informal units…” (AC9M2M01). In Year 3, students begin to “measure and compare objects using familiar metric units…and instruments with labelled markings” (AC9M3M02).
Consider what support your students might need, if any, to measure the layers in the soil solution. You might:
- model and support students to use a ruler or measuring tape.
- provide a strip of centimetre grid paper that students use to colour in the various layers. Students might then correlate this drawing with centimetre units on a ruler.
The layers in the soil solution can be measured formally or informally. Understanding your students’ mathematical capability will help to guide any decisions you make when adapting the soil solutions activity to your students’ needs and provide guidance on when support for students may be required.
In Year 2, students measured and compared objects “based on length… using appropriate uniform informal units…” (AC9M2M01). In Year 3, students begin to “measure and compare objects using familiar metric units…and instruments with labelled markings” (AC9M3M02).
Consider what support your students might need, if any, to measure the layers in the soil solution. You might:
- model and support students to use a ruler or measuring tape.
- provide a strip of centimetre grid paper that students use to colour in the various layers. Students might then correlate this drawing with centimetre units on a ruler.
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkFollowing an investigation, the Integrate routine provides time and space for data to be evaluated and insights to be synthesized. It reveals new insights, consolidates and refines representations, generalises context and broadens students’ perspectives. It allows student thinking to become visible and opens formative feedback opportunities. It may also lead to further questions being asked, allowing the Inquire phase to start again.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider the diagnostic assessment that was undertaken during the Launch phase. Consider if alternative conceptions could be used as a jumping off point to discussions. How could students represent their learning in a way that would support formative feedback opportunities? Could small summative assessment occur at different stages in the teaching sequence?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkWhat did we see in the soil?
After students have completed their diagrams, share and discuss each group’s observations about their soil profiles as a class.
- What settled at the bottom of the jar?
- What was floating at the top of the jar?
- Why do you think that happened?
- What made up most of the soil profile—rocks, leaves, soil? How do you know?
- The thickness of the layers might indicate what was most prevalent in the soil profile.
- What size and shapes are the different things in the solution? How does this impact how they settle, and the ‘space’ created between them?
- What do you think would happen if we did made a ‘dirt profile’ in the same way? Would it look the same? Why/why not?
Undertake a gallery walk to allow an opportunity for students to examine other students’ soil profiles, original samples, and diagrams.
As a class, group different soil profiles according to their characteristics, then discuss the groupings and record students’ ideas in the class science journal.
- Do any soil profiles look similar? In what way?
- Do any soil profiles look different to each other? In what way?
- Why do you think some profiles look different to others?
- Do the profiles that are grouped together come from the same place in our school grounds or local area?
- Are any of these soils similar to your soil at home?
- What kinds of things are soils made from?
- Where do the living things come from?
- How are the non-living things formed?
- Where do the non-living things come from?
- Why are there different size pieces in the soil?
- What things might cause soil to change?
- Vegetation change, human activity.
- What do you think you did well in the soil profile activity to make it a fair test?
- If you were to repeat the activity, would you do it differently? How?
Allow students an opportunity to add to their labelled diagrams of the soil profiles if required.
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkIdentifying and constructing questions is the creative driver of the inquiry process. It allows students to explore what they know and how they know it. During the Inquire phase of the LIA Framework, the Question routine allows for past activities to be reviewed and to set the scene for the investigation that students will undertake. The use of effective questioning techniques can influence students’ view and interpretation of upcoming content, open them to exploration and link to their current interests and science capital.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to spend some time considering the mindset of students at the start of each Inquire phase. What do you want students to be thinking about, what do they already know and what is the best way for them to approach the task? What might tap into their curiosity?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkTypes of soil
Show the video Types of soil (2:02 min). Discuss and highlight some of the key points of the video, including:
- Soil is made up of tiny rocks, air, water and humus.
- Humus is made up of dead and decomposed plants and animals.
- How does this relate to what students just observed about their soil profiles?
- The tiny rock particles are classified as either sand, silt or clay. Discuss students’ prior knowledge/experiences with these (students will most likely easily identify sand and clay, but not silt).
- It might be important to note for students that beach sand and the sand found in soil are not the same. They are similar in size and are both made of grains of broken-down rocks, but beach sand has a very high salt content due to its proximity to the ocean and only specially adapted plants and animals can live in it. The sand found in soil is not high in salt.
- Sand, silt and clay are different sizes, so they either let more water pass through or hold more water in the soil.
- Different plants grow best in different soils. Ask students’ ideas on why this might be.
Pose the question: Can we tell whether the soil has sand, silt or clay particles in it by just looking at it?
Discuss how it can be difficult to differentiate the different particles with visual observations alone, because the particles are very small and close together. Sand may separate as part of the soil profiles but is likely unobservable by the naked eye in a 'dry' sample of soil.
Pose the question: How can we find out if our soil has sand, silt or clay in it?
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkThe Investigate routine provides students with an opportunity to explore the key ideas of science, to plan and conduct an investigation, and to gather and record data. The investigations are designed to systematically develop content knowledge and skills through increasingly complex processes of structured inquiry, guided inquiry and open inquiry approaches. Students are encouraged to process data to identify trends and patterns and link them to the real-world context of the teaching sequence.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider the diagnostic assessment (Launch phase) that identified the alternative conceptions that students held. Are there activities that challenge these ideas and provide openings for discussion? What content knowledge and skills do students need to be able to complete the final (Act phase) task? How could you systematically build these through the investigation routines? Are there opportunities to build students’ understanding and skills in the science inquiry processes through the successive investigations?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkSoil texture
View the video How to test your soil - texture (sand, silt, clay composition) (3:39 min) to examine the methods for observing soil texture: feeling, listening and the ribboning technique.
Note: It is recommended that you watch this video from 0:46 onwards. The first section of this video discusses concepts and uses vocabulary not suitable for students at this age group or this stage of conceptual development. From 0:46 the video is more practical and clearly shows techniques students can use to determine what’s in a soil sample.
Optional: Either as an alternative, or in addition to watching the video, conduct a live demonstration of the feeling, listening and ribboning technique shown.
Using the demonstration copy of the Ribboning technique flow chart Resource sheet, discuss how the chart can be used to help observe the soil texture and determine the soil type.
Teams use the ribboning technique to determine soil texture:
- Collect one cup of one soil type, taking note of which sample they are investigating.
- Add a small amount of water.
- Use the feeling, listening and ribboning technique and flow chart to investigate the soil texture and soil type.
Discuss teams’ findings and record results in the class science journal.
- Were you able to form a long ribbon by pushing your thumb into the ball of soil? What does this tell us about the soil type?
- Did your soil feel slippery, silky or gritty when you rubbed it between your fingers?
- What are the hard gritty pieces likely to be?
- Sand.
- Did it stain your hands easily and feel silky? Why would it do that?
- Soil that does this is likely to contain silt.
- Did it feel sticky?
- Soil that feels sticky is likely to contain clay.
- Based on your results using the ribboning technique, what type of soil is it?
- Clay, silty clay, sandy clay, silty loam, loamy sand or sand.
Using flowcharts
How are your students working like scientists when they use a flowchart?
Scientists use flowcharts to show the pathway of an experiment, using brief text to give an overview of a multi-step process. Flowcharts make it easier for the reader to understand and provide a repeatable method to follow.
Flowcharts encourage dynamic scientific thinking, using observation, knowledge, deduction and reasoning, and reflect the non-linear process of science.
Using flowcharts helps students to develop their scientific inquiry skills and to recognise that science is not a step-by-step recipe, but an evolving process of discovery.
Scientists use flowcharts to show the pathway of an experiment, using brief text to give an overview of a multi-step process. Flowcharts make it easier for the reader to understand and provide a repeatable method to follow.
Flowcharts encourage dynamic scientific thinking, using observation, knowledge, deduction and reasoning, and reflect the non-linear process of science.
Using flowcharts helps students to develop their scientific inquiry skills and to recognise that science is not a step-by-step recipe, but an evolving process of discovery.
The Inquire phase allows students to cycle progressively and with increasing complexity through the key science ideas related to the core concepts. Each Inquire cycle is divided into three teaching and learning routines that allow students to systematically build their knowledge and skills in science and incorporate this into their current understanding of the world.
When designing a teaching sequence, it is important to consider the knowledge and skills that students will need in the final Act phase. Consider what the students already know and identify the steps that need to be taken to reach the level required. How could you facilitate students’ understanding at each step? What investigations could be designed to build the skills at each step?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkFollowing an investigation, the Integrate routine provides time and space for data to be evaluated and insights to be synthesized. It reveals new insights, consolidates and refines representations, generalises context and broadens students’ perspectives. It allows student thinking to become visible and opens formative feedback opportunities. It may also lead to further questions being asked, allowing the Inquire phase to start again.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider the diagnostic assessment that was undertaken during the Launch phase. Consider if alternative conceptions could be used as a jumping off point to discussions. How could students represent their learning in a way that would support formative feedback opportunities? Could small summative assessment occur at different stages in the teaching sequence?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkMaking sense of soil types
Ask students to identify some uses of soil they know, for example: growing plants, food, habitat for animals, an anchor trees, to purify water, making bricks, lining dams.
Ask students to consider if some soils would be better for some uses than others, and why and how.
- Would you be able to grow most food plants in a really sandy soil? Or clay soil? Why do you think that?
- Some plants grow better, or can only grow, in sandy soil because too much water can give them what gardeners call 'wet feet'. 'Wet feet' means that a plant's roots get a lot of water, and are always too wet. This can cause the roots to rot and ultimately kill the plant. Root vegetables like carrots can grow crooked and stunted in clay soil, because the soil particles are very close together, or compacted, making it harder for them to grow.
- What is a good way to use sand?
- Is sand a soil type?
- Yes—it drains well.
- What would be a good way to use clay?
- Are some soils a mixture of clay and sand?
- Does this investigation make you think of any other questions about soil (water holding capacity, how well quickly water drain through a soil, can you see humus)?
Introduce the concept of composting by watching the video Composting for Kids (3:24). Discuss with students what composting is, and why you might add sticks or newspaper etc. to a compost heap. Discuss how compost can be similar to soil.
- What did the person in the video say about adding sticks to the compost heap? What about the newspaper?
- Why would you add water to a compost heap?
- How would this be similar to soil?
- If you had a clay soil, but you wanted to grow plants that needed ‘good drainage’ what could you do to? What might you add to the soil to help?
Return to the samples of soil and dirt looked at in Lesson 1, and the list of observations students made. Ask them again which sample they would say is dirt and which is soil and why. Explain that dirt is just the sand, clay and silt part of soil, sometimes with rocks in it. It doesn't have the other ‘organic matter’ in it, the bits of decaying leaves and animals etc. Jointly construct definitions of soil and dirt, and consider how you might turn dirt into soil.
Reflect on the lesson
You might:
- add to the class word wall vocabulary related to features of soil, soil solutions and texture.
- review the TWLH chart. Record what students have learned and answer any questions.
- discuss how students were thinking and working like scientists during the lesson. Focus on why taking accurate measurements is important and using scientific language for observations (small/large grain size, layers, silky, gritty, rocks, smooth).
- determine whether soil profile jars will remain in the classroom for continued observation or be taken home by students.