All biological organisms require certain nutrients to live. In this activity, learn about nitrogen and use nitrate test strips to investigate some possible fates of nitrogen in soil.
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.
This lesson focuses on soil health and recognizing that soil is a living system.
The lesson also emphasizes that soil microbial activity, specifically decomposition activity, can be a good indicator of how alive and healthy a soil is.
This activity is an adaptation of a classic cotton strip test used to test soil
decomposition capacity. More recently the "Soil Your Undies" campaign led by various soil conservation groups has been a fun way for farmers to test their soil health by burying a pair of cotton underwear to see the decomposition activity of their soil.
This activity focuses on the function of decomposers in food webs using a
modified game of tag that simulates the role of decomposers in converting dead plants/animals (organic matter) to nutrients for living plants/animals in an ecosystem.
This is a modified game of tag, where students play different functional groups in the ecosystem: decomposers, living plants and animals, and dead plants and animals (organic matter). Different rounds with slightly different roles and rules illustrate key concepts about decomposers.
In this activity, students learn the importance of decomposers in terms of
breaking down dead organic matter and their broader importance in food webs in terms of nutrient recycling and bioturbation.
After discussing decomposers and their importance in the soil food web and
terrestrial ecosystem, students can create a log hotel, which is a terrarium habitat for common backyard decomposer organisms. Once they create their
habitat, they can find decomposers in their yard or local park to add and
observe. Decomposers are easy pets to keep and the log hotel can be kept
indefinitely!
Could Shewies, a funky bacteria, be a sustainable future clean energy source? This lesson provides an overview of the electrical current created by "Shewies" and how you can use a MudWatt to create a Microbial Fuel Cell.
Though we cannot see respiration, we can observe the result. This simple activity can be used to demonstrate the relative amount of microorganism activity in the soil. Water and a food source are added to the soil, and a balloon is placed on the bottle to collect the carbon dioxide released as the organisms decompose the food source.
The lessons in this Soils Overview Unit provide students with a basic understanding of the fundamentals of soil science through the integration of disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts. The unit includes six sections, each containing learning objectives, background information, student information, selected resources, and ties to the NGSS standards
