Introduction

Soil blankets the Earth's surface. It is the basic foundation of ecosystems. Plants rely on soil as a substrate the surface or material on or from which an organism lives, grows, or obtains its nourishment for plants to grow in and anchor to. The majority of vital nutrients needed by plants are supplied by and obtained through the soil. Soil type influences the type of plants that can grow in an area, which influences the type of animal life that exists. Soil is important to humans as the foundation of food sources. The ground is tilled and planted to grow plants that can be harvested for food. Soil also provides a natural filter for water. As rain water - or wastewater from septic tanks - infiltrates through the layers of soil, harmful pollutants are filtered out by the soil particles.

In this lesson, you will learn how soil can be eroded, how humans contribute to soil erosion, and what factors make soils vulnerable to erosion.


Builders use a silt fence to prevent erosion while construction is taking place.

Lesson Objectives

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

  • Identify the main agents of erosion.
  • Describe human actions that impact on soil erosion.
  • Identify factors that affect soil erosion.

Enduring Understanding:

  • Soil erosion is a naturally occurring process affecting the quality of the soil and how well plants can grow on it.  Human activity is one of the main contributing factors to soil erosion. If man does not take care of the soil, whether by poor agricultural practices or by deforestation, habitats and land quality can be negatively compromised.

The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: Environmental Science 7, 10, 14, and 15

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

 

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