Program Outline

Program Outline: Plants and Soil - A Bond for Life

To help students understand:

all soil has common ingredients (earth materials, organic matter - including living creatures, water and air), but the "recipe" or amount of each of those ingredients is very different depending on the needs of the plant or the purpose that the soil is being used for; and,
there is no "best soil" (i.e. different types of plants thrive in different types of soil; the soil needs of indoor plants are different from outdoor plants; when humans change nature’s cycle by growing plants for food/enjoyment, it is up to us to care for the soil through methods such as composting; this returns organic matter and keeps the soil "alive")

using a sorting table (dicotomous key), students examine a variety of materials and apply their collective ideas/knowledge to identify which elements are found in soil and which are not; students continue sorting to identify which materials are "from rocks" (earth materials) and which may be best described as "from plants" (organic matter)
through this activity, and a mini-lesson that builds on the results of their sort, students are introduced to "Nature’s Ingredients for Soil", i.e. earth materials, organic matter, air and water
students then work with a partner and use the ingredients found in all soil to make and record their "recipe" for what they think is "the best soil" (students take their soil samples back to school so that the "recipes" can be compared, "tested" as a growing materials, etc.)
students are then introduced to how soils are named (i.e. by the amount of silt, clay or sand they contain) and the characteristics of three common types of soil: clay soil (more clay than silt or sand); loam (a balance of silt, sand and clay); sandy soil (more sand than silt or clay)

students are re-introduced to the different types of soil (clay soil, loam soil, sandy soil) from Station A and use their powers of observation and a graphic organizer to compare the leaves, stems and roots of plants that thrive in each type of soil
to apply their understanding, students examine a "mystery plant" of their choice then record the "soil recipe" they think the mystery plant prefers

students are introduced to the difference between plants growing naturally and growing plants for food (gardeners recipe for soil requires extra organic matter)
to deepen their understanding of how to keep soil healthy by adding extra organic matter for a "gardener’s soil", students explore three types of composting (green bin, backyard composter, vermicomposter) and complete a comparison chart highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each method
students then make a personal decision about which method/methods of composting work best for them
students are then challenged to apply their knowledge about soil to make a recipe for "the best" soil for a school garden and suggest what they could do to create that soil

students use their knowledge about the ingredients of soil (from Station A) to consider the challenges of bringing "outdoor soil" indoors (i.e. the living creatures found in soil do best outside, humans have to provide water, there are no nutrients being added to the soil through a natural cycle) and explore a sample of "indoor soil" (or "model loam") to consider which ingredients in indoor soil match earth materials (i.e. vermiculite and perlite) and organic matter (i.e. peat moss)
based on their exploration, students record a "recipe" for indoor soil and pot up a plant (to foster the connections between plants and food, students plant "easy to grow" culinary herbs such as parsley, basil, oregano, etc.)
plants are cared for in the TUSC greenhouse until established and then delivered to your school