Soils are alive! This SSSA video shows how “alive” soils are given the diversity and complexity of life in soils. Soil biology is what makes soil more than dirt.

View Lesson
Discipline
Life Sciences
Grade Level
3-5
6-8
PreK-2
Lesson Area
Soil Biology
Lesson Type
Video
Lesson Keywords
Microorganisms
Bacteria
Life
Biology
Soil Habitat
Soil Biology

Next Generation Science Standards

Grade Discipline Core Idea
3-5 LS2.A: Interdependent relationships in ecosystems

The food of almost any animal can be traced back to plants. Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants for food and other animals eat the animals that eat plants, while decomposers restore some materials back to the soil.
6-8 LS2.A: Interdependent relationships in ecosystems

Organisms and populations are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors, any of which can limit their growth. Competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial interactions vary across ecosystems but the patterns are shared.
PreK-2 LS2.A: Interdependent relationships in ecosystems

Plants depend on water and light to grow, and also depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around.