Lesson Plan: Soil Day 3 Anna Smith, Kara Streppa, Sarah Weinstein Grade Level/Subject: 3rd Grade/Introduction to soil

Day 3 Approximate Time: 60 minutes Prerequisite Knowledge Students must have knowledge from day 1 and day 2 of the soil introduction lessons. Students will use their notes and observations from the previous day to determine which three soil types they will use. Students must have some previous knowledge on plants and how they grow. They must understand variables and how students can only have one variable to make an accurate comparison (for example the amount of dirt, sunlight, water, etc have to stay the same because the soil type will be different). Student Objectives/Student Outcomes -Students will observe soils varying properties. -Students will discover that soils have many different functions and uses in the world and nature. -Students will predict how each plant will grow in the different types of soils. -Students will plant seeds in different types of soil and observe the relationship between the soils and the growth of the plant. ELL Standards English language learners can: Formulate hypotheses, make predictions Describe processes, procedures Interpret information or data Summarize information from graphics or notes

Content Standards: 11A. Know and apply the concepts, principles, and processes of scientific inquiry 11.A.1f: Compare observations of individual and group results 11.A.2b: Collect data for investigations using scientific process skills including observing, estimating and measuring Materials/Resources/Technology -1 science journal per person -Three different types of soil per group -3 seeds of all the same plant -3 pots to plant seeds/soil in -Water -Sunlight

Implementation Opening of lesson (10 minutes) - Start the lesson by saying to the whole class, Good scientists go back, reflect on their discoveries and revise their thinking depending on their findings. As scientists, we are going to do this today. We will talk about what we learned over the past few days about soil and apply this to a new investigation. First, I want you to pull out your journals and teach your partner about a few things that you discovered from collecting your soil sample yesterday. Give students 5 minutes to discuss the characteristics found yesterday. Procedures (minutes) -Say to the class, From the soil you observed in your group yesterday, pick three of the different types that you think will be most suitable for plant growth. Today you will be given one seed for each type of soil to plant and observe its growth over the next few weeks. Everyone will receive the same flower seed and we will examine how the type of soil it is planted in affects the growth rate of the plant. After your group has decided on the three soils you will use, write in your journal predictions of which soil the plant will grow the fastest. Be sure to explain your reasoning. Give each group a large chart to record the growth of their plant that looks similar to this: Week 1 Soil type 1 Soil type 2 Soil type 3 Week 2 Week 3 Overall Growth

After passing out the types of soil they requested, the pots, and the three seeds, have a brief discussion with students about how to plant their seeds. Explain to students, To accurately compare the three soils, each pot needs to be the same besides the soil type. This means that the amount of soil needs to be the same, as well as the seed; the amount of water, the amount of sunlight and the pot location needs to be controlled. It is impossible to ensure that all of these variables will be EXACTLY the same, so we will try to be as precise as possible when planting our seeds. Once students have planted their seeds in the soil, watered them and found a spot for all three pots in the classroom, explain to the class that they will be making observations every day and recording significant changes on their chart at least once a week. They should be comparing their three plants with one another each time. Summary/Closing: -To wrap up, have a discussion with the class about the predictions they made. Explain to students, we are observing these soil samples to determine the differences between soils

and their effect on plant growth. Our goal is to find out which type of soil and what characteristics are most suitable for plant growth. At the end will compare our predictions to the actual outcomes. Most good scientists must make predictions before beginning an experiment just like we did. Even though they may be incorrect, it allows them to see how their thinking has changed over time. Assessment: Assess the students both formally and informally. Be constantly walking around the room, making sure students are on task and actively participating with their group. Formally assess groups charts by making sure they recorded their observations each week and were as detailed as possible. -This lesson plan is definitely one that engages students in scientific modeling addressed in class and in the readings. Students are asked to create charts for comparison of the soils and this is a way of scientific modeling. The reading suggest that, a scientific model is a representation of a system that includes important parts of that system (along with rules and relationships of those parts) to help us think about and tests ideas of the phenomena (Kenyon, Schwarz and Hug, 29). Including a chart represents those important parts of soil and its system. It identifies the similarities and differences of different soils in dealing with plant growth. Another scientific model is planting the seeds in the pots of different types of soil. This is a visual model of the differences between soils and how plants grow in them. The lesson plans we have created to introduce soil include scientific modeling.