Soil Analysis Lab:
Subject: Biology/Ecology
Grade Level: 9th/10th
Lesson Duration: 2-3, 55 min. class periods
Long Term Unit Goal - Students will be able to locate instances of environmental injustice, specifically in the soil, and will find ways that they can facilitate change in these areas.
Standards -
NGSS Standard - HS-LS2-6. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem. [Clarification Statement: Examples of changes in ecosystem conditions could include modest biological or physical changes, such as moderate hunting or a seasonal flood; and extreme changes, such as volcanic eruption or sea level rise.]
NGSS Standard - HS-LS2-4. Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using a mathematical model of stored energy in biomass to describe the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another and that matter and energy are conserved as matter cycles and energy flows through ecosystems. Emphasis is on atoms and molecules such as carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen being conserved as they move through an ecosystem.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to proportional reasoning to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy.]
Lesson Objective - The students will be able to test and explain (through active lab work and data collection) how soil quality is determined. They will be able to differentiate "good" soils from "bad" soils.
Materials:
For each group of students:
Assessment: See the lab assessment rubric in the "Assessment" tab under "Curriculum".
Procedure: Introduce the lab in www.mysciencebox.org/soilanalysis, there is a linked button below which will take you right there. Print out the PDF labs, questions, and station directions as you see fit. Walk students through the procedure, cover all the safety steps and rules, show the kids the stations and give descriptions of the steps that occur there as well. Show student groups where they can pick up their supplies and where disposal of materials needs to take place. Then let the groups get together and begin to explore their soils. If time allows after the lab is complete (remember, this takes 2-3 days to finish fully, so there will most likely be down time at some stations) engage students in contemplative discussion about where they would expect soil quality to be best and where they would find contamination or low quality soils. Why do they think these locations reap these sorts of quality types?
I really like this lab lesson from http://www.mysciencebox.org/soilanalysis. It covers ALL the basics of soil quality and is easy for the students to modify once they start gathering samples from other areas to compare and contrast with their own. Doing this lab in its entirety FIRST will allow the students to get acquainted with testing methods and materials as well as provide them with the initial results they will need for their final comparisons (soil from home and from a school provided source (the control)). Arming them with this information first will allow them to better distinguish shat they need to be looking for as they learn about mapping quality based on pollutant location, etc.
NOTE: I want to thank mysciencebox.org for existing and offering FREE labs and lessons for all of us in the education field! It's a great site and I highly suggest taking a peek at their other offerings!
NOTE 2: The materials needed and all directions and methods are listed on the following links. Have fun with this and modify as needed for what you really want to focus on, as well as for Individual Education Plans/English Language Learners/Gifted/Etc.
Grade Level: 9th/10th
Lesson Duration: 2-3, 55 min. class periods
Long Term Unit Goal - Students will be able to locate instances of environmental injustice, specifically in the soil, and will find ways that they can facilitate change in these areas.
Standards -
NGSS Standard - HS-LS2-6. Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem. [Clarification Statement: Examples of changes in ecosystem conditions could include modest biological or physical changes, such as moderate hunting or a seasonal flood; and extreme changes, such as volcanic eruption or sea level rise.]
NGSS Standard - HS-LS2-4. Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on using a mathematical model of stored energy in biomass to describe the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another and that matter and energy are conserved as matter cycles and energy flows through ecosystems. Emphasis is on atoms and molecules such as carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen being conserved as they move through an ecosystem.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to proportional reasoning to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy.]
Lesson Objective - The students will be able to test and explain (through active lab work and data collection) how soil quality is determined. They will be able to differentiate "good" soils from "bad" soils.
Materials:
For each group of students:
- 4 petri dishes
- 2 funnels (card stock paper rolled and taped into a funnel shape and cut to 4-6 inches tall may be substituted)
- 2 funnel holders to hold funnels upright above a Petri dish (card stock paper rolled into a tube works well or you can eliminate the Petri dish as well by using a cup that the body of the funnel rests in as long as the bottom tip of the funnel does not touch the bottom of the cup)
- 2 square of cheesecloth
- 2 strips pH paper
- 2 white paper towels
- 2 clear 15 ml tubes with lids, glass or plastic
- Clay in ziplock bag
- Sand in ziplock bag
- Silt in ziplock bag
- Compost in ziplock bag
- 8 large plastic cups
- 8 plastic spoons
- 2 graduated cylinders
- 2 tablespoons
- 2 rulers
- 2 different types of soil (The more different the texture, composition, and organism content of the 2 soils, the better. For example, try soil from the school yard vs. store-bought potting soil, a clay soil vs. a sandy soil, or rich garden soil vs. soil from an abandoned lot.)
- 3-4 bare light blubs hung or mounted approximately 1 foot from the table top (desk lamps work well)
- 1 small jar alum (available at supermarkets for pickling)
- 2 magnifying glasses
- 1 package removable dot labels or rolls of masking tape
Assessment: See the lab assessment rubric in the "Assessment" tab under "Curriculum".
Procedure: Introduce the lab in www.mysciencebox.org/soilanalysis, there is a linked button below which will take you right there. Print out the PDF labs, questions, and station directions as you see fit. Walk students through the procedure, cover all the safety steps and rules, show the kids the stations and give descriptions of the steps that occur there as well. Show student groups where they can pick up their supplies and where disposal of materials needs to take place. Then let the groups get together and begin to explore their soils. If time allows after the lab is complete (remember, this takes 2-3 days to finish fully, so there will most likely be down time at some stations) engage students in contemplative discussion about where they would expect soil quality to be best and where they would find contamination or low quality soils. Why do they think these locations reap these sorts of quality types?
I really like this lab lesson from http://www.mysciencebox.org/soilanalysis. It covers ALL the basics of soil quality and is easy for the students to modify once they start gathering samples from other areas to compare and contrast with their own. Doing this lab in its entirety FIRST will allow the students to get acquainted with testing methods and materials as well as provide them with the initial results they will need for their final comparisons (soil from home and from a school provided source (the control)). Arming them with this information first will allow them to better distinguish shat they need to be looking for as they learn about mapping quality based on pollutant location, etc.
NOTE: I want to thank mysciencebox.org for existing and offering FREE labs and lessons for all of us in the education field! It's a great site and I highly suggest taking a peek at their other offerings!
NOTE 2: The materials needed and all directions and methods are listed on the following links. Have fun with this and modify as needed for what you really want to focus on, as well as for Individual Education Plans/English Language Learners/Gifted/Etc.