Standards
STANDARD III: Students will understand the basic properties of rocks, the processes involved in the formation of soils, and the needs of plants provided by soil.
Objective 3: Observe the basic components of soil and relate the components to plant growth.
a. Observe and list the components of soil (i.e., minerals, rocks, air, water, living and dead organisms) and distinguish between the living, nonliving, and once living components of soil. b. Diagram or model a soil profile showing topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock, and how the layers differ in composition. c. Relate the components of soils to the growth of plants in soil (e.g., mineral nutrients, water). d. Explain how plants may help control the erosion of soil. e. Research and investigate ways to provide mineral nutrients for plants to grow without soil (e.g., grow plants in wet towels, grow plants in wet gravel, grow plants in water).