Introduction

Soil is one of the three major natural resources, along with air and water. It blankets the earth, providing essential nutrients for life on earth. It is essential to life because it is where plants grow and receive nutrients. The plants use these nutrients, along with light from the sun, to make food that then becomes available for animals. Without soil, terrestrial of the earth; in this case, plants that live on land plants would not exist, meaning that food would not be available for other organisms. Soil is also the living habitat for many organisms, such as worms. Whole communities exist in the soil beneath your feet. According to the EPA, five to ten tons of animal life can live in one acre of soil.

Visit Soil for Schools: Organisms in the Soil to read more about organisms located in the soil.

Not only is soil essential for plants, it is the underlying foundation for houses, buildings, and roadways. It also serves as a natural filter for industrial, human, and animal wastes. In this lesson, you will learn about the composition / makeup of soil and how its makeup is important in agricultural and engineering decisions.

Lesson Objectives

Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to...

  • Identify the different components that make up soil.
  • Describe soil in terms of a soil profile.
  • Identify the main physical and chemical characteristics used to describe soil.
  • Describe soil texture in terms of particle size.

Enduring Understanding:

  • The composition of dirt determines the eventual use of it as well as the determination of the building of man-made structures.

The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Environmental Science 13

This lesson incorporates the following Literacy Standards: R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R10, W1, W2, W3, W4, W5, W9, and W10.

 

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