Some things in soil can't be seen and can only be measured with tests. Learn how to use a soil test kit to find out how much of each types of chemical is in your soil.

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Organization
Soil Science Society of America
Discipline
Life Sciences
Grade Level
6-8
9-12
Lesson Area
Soil Chemistry
Lesson Type
Activity
Lesson Keywords
Testing
chemicals

Next Generation Science Standards

Grade Discipline Core Idea
6-8 LS2.B: Cycles of matter and energy transfer in ecosystems

The atoms that make up the organisms in an ecosystem are cycled repeatedly between the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem. Food webs model how matter and energy are transferred among producers, consumers, and decomposers as the three groups interact within an ecosystem.
9-12 LS2.B: Cycles of matter and energy transfer in ecosystems

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration provide most of the energy for life processes. Only a fraction of matter consumed at the lower level of a food web is transferred up, resulting in fewer organisms at higher levels. At each link in an ecosystem elements are combined in different ways and matter and energy are conserved. Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are key components of the global carbon cycle.