Soils
Lesson 9
Growing Plants in Different Soils
Students explore and reflect upon the effect of soil types on the growth of plants.
3. Lesson set up and Management
SYSTEMS 1.1-Properties: Understand how properties are used to identify, describe, and categorize substances, materials, and objects and how characteristics are used to categorize living things
GLE 1.1.5 Understand physical properties of Earth materials: Sort rocks based on size, shape, and other physical properties and Explain how some Earth materials are used by living things.
GLE 1.1.6 Understand characteristics of living organisms: Identify observable characteristics of living organisms and Observe and describe characteristics of living organisms.
SYSTEMS 1.2-Structures: Understand how components, structures, organizations, and interconnections describe systems
GLE 1.2.6 Know that living things are made of small parts.
GLE 1.2.7 Understand that plants and animals have life cycles.
SYSTEMS 1.3-Changes: Understand how interactions within and among systems cause changes in matter and energy
GLE 1.3.8 Know that most living things need food, water, and air.
GLE 1.3.10 Know that plants and animals need a place to live.
- Many factors, including soil, affect plant and root growth.
- Every soil component has unique properties that can be identified using simple tests.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
Water will need to be aged by leaving it out overnight in an open container to allow the chlorine to evaporate out. Two large plastic jugs, each about two-thirds full of water is plenty.
Local soil will be needed for some of the planting. If extra was not collected in a re-sealable plastic bag for Lesson 1, be sure to have some ready for Lesson 9.
Soak 30 cucumber seeds (two per pair of students) overnight in folded paper towels saturated with aged water. This speeds up germination so plants can be observed sooner.
Student Management:
Each pair of student partners should plant a seed in local soil. Then assign different partner pairs to plant additional seeds in either sand, humus or clay.
Students should check their seeds/soil daily and water to keep them moist. Have them water with droppers to avoid spills. Note cards can be placed over planter cups to retain moisture until plants sprout.
As plants grow, students need to document what they observe in their science notebooks with labeled diagrams and writing. A plant logbook could be copied for students from blackline masters provided in Lesson 9 in the teacher's manual.
Have students plant with a newspaper drop cloth at their work area for easy clean-up.
Students tend to plant seed too deep, which delays sprouting and observation. Discuss and demonstrate how to make a hole that is not deeper than the eraser on their pencil (about a centimeter).
Writing:
Procedural Writing: Have students write the steps, in logical order, that they used to plant their seeds. This is good practice for writing a procedure, which is part of planning an investigation, an assessed skill for fifth graders on the WASL.
Reading:
Several good books for read-alouds or student-reads about plants support this lesson. Among them are How a Seed Grows by Helene Jordan, From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons, The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.