ABOUT THE PACK

This pack contains a book, Waldorf the Worm, relating the story of a family of

worms, together with supporting activities and worksheets. The story format

allows the material to be used as part of Literacy Hour, the Numeracy hour is

also covered with supporting activities and worksheets. The same themes can

then be developed further in Science and Geography - in particular, relating to "materials and

properties" and "environmental change" and the QCA unit 3D Rocks and Soils.

It is suggested that the Literacy and Numeracy Hour work be done in parallel with the Science

activities which may also be linked to work in Geography on rivers.

The Book - Waldorf the Worm ------------1 The pages are intentionally monochrome to permit

easy photocopying. In particular they can be

enlarged, if appropriate, from their present A5 page

size. Copies can then be circulated for use in small

groups or used by the teacher in front of the whole

class as the story develops. For ease of use some text

is reproduced as part of the worksheets.

Background Information for Teachers ----------\

This includes information for teachers relating to types

of soil, how they are formed and their properties.

Activities and Worksheets ---------------\

The Science worksheets cover separation,

permeability, porosity and erosion. The Literacy Hour

ones cover comprehension, sequencing, and

grammar (word and sentence work) and the Numeracy ones problems relating to money, weight,

volume, graphs and distance and direction.

Suggestions for how to use the worksheets are

included plus details of their curriculum relevance.

Introduction

Soil covers much of the world's land surface. It can vary from a thin layer of wind-scoured

mountains to deep, rich layers in flood plains. It is essential for growing plants and therefore

to herbivores and carnivores. It is the starting point for all food chains.

Soil is messy! Thus most children will love getting their hands into it. However, the first

consideration when using soil with children is health and safety. If you dig up a sample of soil

it may contain harmful bacteria or toxic substances. Anyone who handles soil should use

protective gloves and wash hands well afterwards. Sterilising soil can make handling safer.

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BACKGROUND BRIEFING FOR TEACHERS

ABOUT SOIL

Soils consist of five main components - weathered rock fragments, organic materials (humus),

living organisms, water and air. When weathering breaks a rock down mineral are released into

the soil, some of them remain unchanged but others dissolve over a long period of time to

change mineral nutrients into the soil water. The variations in the amount of each component

gives soils their characteristic texture and colour.

• Rock Fragments - these are fragments which have been broken off the "parent" rock (rock

that the soil originates from) by weathering. ego by freeze-thaw, acid rain and plant roots.

• Organic Materials - dead and decaying plants, animals and animal waste products.

• Living Organisms - micro-organisms and mini beasts.

• Water - contains dissolved mineral nutrients and fills some of the spaces between the soil

particles (pore spaces). The amount of water in a soil depends largely on its soil type.

• Air - fills those spaces between soil particles that are not filled with water. If soil is packed

down it contains less air.

Water is an important part of the soil-forming processes and tends to cause the layering which

develops into the soil profile - which can take many years.

A typical soil will be formed of three layers called "horizons," - A (top), B (middle) and C (lower).

The A horizon contains a high percentage of humus and is usually

darker in colour nearer the surface.

The B horizon contains some fragments of the parent rock and is

often rusty-coloured or brown.

The C horizon consists largely of fragments of the parent rock.

Not all soils fit this example as some may have one or more missing due to their locality or horizons may have been mixed due to cultivation or climatic differences.

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TYPES OF SOIL

Identifying the Broad Group That a Soil Comes From.

Soils are mixtures of different size particles - sand, silt and clay. The three main groups of soil

are sandy soil, clayey soil and loam. Loams are mixtures of sand, silt and clay. To tell the

difference between these take a handful of soil and try to press it into a ball or sausage. The

behaviour of the soil helps you to place it in one of the broad groups.

Behaviour

• Clays - cling together and readily form a ball or a sausage without breaking up

• Loams - form a ball but tend to break up

• Sands - do not stick together at all

Properties

• Clay - minute particles, small amount of pore space, hold water, often waterlogged, absorb

and retain water

• Loam - mixed sizes of particles, medium pore space, holds some water, allows some water

to pass through

• Sand - coarse particles, larger pore space, water passes through, often dryer soils.

Most soils will not fit exactly into one of these groups, as they will be between two different types

eg: a sandy loam, a loamy clay.

You may be able to obtain a variety of soils in your own area, depending on the locality. However

if you only have one type locally it is a good idea to collect samples of various types of soil, if

possible, when you travel to different parts of the country. Remember to record where your

samples come from.

A second alternative is to buy samples from an Educational Supplier.

Alternatively you could make your own samples using your own soil as a base, sand, compost

and peat from a DIY store or Garden Centre, plus clay from your art department. These can be

mixed in appropriate proportions to obtain the different samples you require.

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HOW TO USE THE WORKSHEETS

SCIENCE ACTIVITY SHEETS

These notes are for your guidance and the worksheets are intended for use by the children.

Each worksheet states what they are investigating and what they need, it then guides them

through what they should do. Depending on the age and ability of the children they can be used

in whatever way you deem best from having all the equipment laid out ready and guiding the

children through the activity, with a lot of teacher input to giving the children the sheets and

merely having the equipment available in the classroom. Worksheet 5(a) asks the children to

devise their own experiment, this should be done toward the end of the topic and can be used

for assessment purposes. All of the above experiments can be used to show/emphasise the use

of a fair test. Most can be used to form the basis of an interesting classroom display.

With all the activities the children could work in pairs or small groups. Each group can have all

the samples to work with or just one type per group followed by comparisons of results from all

groups. This will all depend on the resources you have available. Suggestions for grouping etc:

are given for each activity. It is best to use just three main types of soils but use more if you have

them available. The teacher may wish to keep combined class records of all types where

children do not use all the soils, possibly in the form of a class book or leaflet.

Activity 1

Activity 2

Activity 3

Looking at Soil. - Children could work in pairs or small groups.

They could feedback to the class what they have found out about their soil, and

which broad group they think it is. There is a grid for use with younger or less able

children. They could repeat the investigation with a second soil, and compare the

two soils. Alternatively the grid could be used as a class record of results obtained.

You will need sheets 51(a) and 51(b)

Separating Soils by Sieving. - Make sure soil is dry. If you do only have one

sieve set then children could do the activity one group at a time. If you do not

have sieves then you could use kitchen tools such as colanders and flour sieves. Children work in small groups, each with one soil sample, they can then look at

the findings of other groups. Decide beforehand which method of recording you want to use, possibly depending on ability.

You will need sheets 52(a) and 52 (b)

Separating in Water. - (This can also be used for work on Rivers and erosion,

transportation and deposition.) The largest particles will settle first the smallest

last. Some very fine particles may remain in the water and colour it. Organic

material will float. You may need to leave the jars overnight to completely settle.

Children work in small groups, and then feedback the findings as appropriate.

The layers that will settle are (in order of settling) from the bottom, - sand, silt, clay

leaving water and humus (usually floating). You may wish the children to use these

terms when they label their diagram.

You will need sheet 53.

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Activity 4

Activity 5

Porosity - This is the amount of water that is held in the pore spaces in a soil. An

alternative way of doing this experiment is to take samples of wet soil, weigh them,

dry them out then weight them again recording the difference in weight. This is the

weight of the amount of water that was in the soil. These can then be compared.

Children can work in groups on either of these activities.

You will need sheet S4.

Permeability - This is the rate that water drains through a soil, which is different

depending on the type of soil. Those with larger spaces between the particles

allow the water to drain through easily. Those with small spaces between fine

particles will slow the water down. Damp soil is best for this activity. You will need

to cut the bottles ready for the children to use. Children work in small groups.

You will need sheet S5

Activity 5(a) Differences in Permeability - This is a good activity to use for the children to

plan their own experiment particularly if they have previously done the

permeability experiment. This worksheet gives them guidelines to follow. They

might devise either of the ones in 5. They could then discuss their various ideas

and carry out the one they think best as a class activity. This activity can be used

for assessment purposes.

Activity 6

You will need sheet S5a.

Bare soil, unprotected by vegetation is easily removed by running water. Different soils

will react at different rates unless they have a cover of vegetation. This idea can be

demonstrated with just one type of soil, but could be done with more types if wished.

Do as a class demonstration. This is related to work in Geography on Rivers.

You will need sheet S6. -.-o

LITERACY HOUR ACTIVITY SHEETS

Activity 1

Activity 2

Activity 3

Activity 4

This is a family tree of the worm family and can be used to introduce discussions

on relationships and to give a sense of history to the story. It can be used in

conjunction with the map of the journey to help discussion about the story or to

aid with their own story writing.

You will need sheet L 1.

These are differentiated comprehension activities about the story. The first is

based on just the first three pages of the story, with the text and questions on one

worksheet (L2(a)). The second covers a longer part of the story (pages four to

seven) with the text produced on a worksheet (L2(b)) for ease of use. The

questions for this text are on a separate sheet, (L2(c)) which also has the third set

of questions on which relate to the whole of the story.

You will need sheets L2 (a), (b) and (c).

These are differentiated sequencing sheets. The first two are based on the story

and the third is a set of instructions for making soil.

You will need sheets L3 (a), (b) and (c).

These are suggestions for word and sentence grammar work linked to the text of

the story. The first sheet has suggestions for work on adjectives, nouns, plurals

and verbs, suffixes and apostrophes all linked to the text and with part of the text

reproduced as the second sheet to aid work. There are suggestions for whole

class activities and independent work.

You will need sheets L4 (a) and (b).

NUMERACY HOUR ACTIVITY SHEETS

Activity 1

Activity 2

Activity 3

Activity 4

Activity 5

Money problems related to the components of soils. The problems can easily be

differentiated by using simpler or harder numbers within the questions. They can be

used when focussing on addition or multiplication and have questions with one and

two steps. All the Numeracy sheets could be used at the end of a topic as homework.

You will need sheet N1.

Weight problems again relating to the components of soil which can also be

adapted easily to different levels. They involve kilograms and grams and cover a

variety of concepts.

You will need sheet N2/3.

This is on the same sheet as activity 2 but is problems with volumes related to soil and

water. Again this can be adapted to different levels and involves a variety of concepts.

You will need sheet N2/3.

This covers work with graphs and involves drawing a graph from a tally sheet and

interpreting a pre drawn graph.

You will need sheet N4.

This involves questions to do with distances and directions and uses the map of

Wanglar's Journey. The children will need string to help with some of the

questions. You may want to reduce the map to A4 to make it easier.

You will need sheet N5 and the map from the inside cover.

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TH E ACTIVITI ES

PURPOSE CURRICULUM RELEVANCE

S1 Observing PoS KS2 Science. Sc1. Observing and drawing conclusions.

Materials and their Properties. - 1.d. QCA Unit 3 D Rocks and Soils.

S2 & 3 Separating PoS KS2 Science. Sc1. Obtaining evidence and drawing conclusions.

S4 Porosity and

S5 Permeability

S5a Investigation

S6 Erosion

Materials and their properties. - 3.a. QCA Unit 3 D Rocks and Soils.

PoS KS2 Science. Sc1. Obtaining, presenting and comparing evidence,

drawing conclusions. Materials and their Properties. - 1.d.

PoS KS2 Science. Sc1. Planning. QCA Unit 3 D Rocks and Soils.

PoS KS2 Science. Sc1. Obtaining evidence and drawing conclusions.

KS2 Geography. Knowledge and understanding of processes.

PURPOSE CURRICULUM RELEVANCE

L 1 Family Trees National Literacy Strategy. - Non Fiction. Interpreting other forms of text

L2 Comprehension National Literacy Strategy. - Reading Comprehension Strategies

L3 Sequencing National Literacy Strategy. - Reading Comprehension Strategies

L4 Grammar National Literacy Strategy. - Word and sentence work

PURPOSE CURRICULUM RELEVANCE

N1 Money

Problems

N2Weight Problems

N3Volume Problems

N4 Graphs

N5 Distance

Direction

National Numeracy Strategy. - Choose appropriate number operations

and calculation methods to solve "real life" money problems.

National Numeracy Strategy. - Choose appropriate number operations

and calculation methods to solve "real life" weight problems.

National Numeracy Strategy. - Choose appropriate number operations

and calculation methods to solve "real life" capacity problems.

National Numeracy Strategy. - Handling data - Solve a given problem by

organising and interpreting data in a bar chart.

National Numeracy Strategy. - Measure lines to the nearest whole/half unit.

Recognise and use the four compass directions. Recognise right angle

turns, clockwise and anticlockwise.

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You Need A sample of soil

• A magnifying glass • A tray or large sheet of newspaper • A lollipop stick (or similar)

What To Do Tip the soil onto your tray or newspaper and spread it out.

What can you see? - Remember to use your magnifying glass.

• Are there any small creatures or remains of them? .. Are there any bits of plants? .. Can you see any small stones, if so a lot or just a few?

• What colour is the soil?

What can you feel?

• Is the soil rough or smooth? • Is the soil wet or dry? • Is the soil sticky or soapy?

Does the soil smell of anything? If so what?

Try rolling your soil into a ball or sausage to find out which broad group it is -.. Clays - cling together and easily form a ball or a sausage

without breaking up .. Loams - form a ball but tend to break up

• Sands - do not stick together at all

Now Describe Your Soil. Remember to include all the things you have looked at above. Write a description or fill in the grid overleaf.

My Soil: _____________________________ _

I think my soil is from the broad group: --------------------

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Complete the grid to describe your soil. Use ticks or yes/no in as many as you can, for colour try to describe the nearest colour you can eg: black, brown, reddish brown, light brown, dark brown.

If you have time ask other groups about their soil and fill in the other columns

Creatures

Plants

Small stones

Colour

Rough / gritty

Smooth

Wet

Dry

Sticky

Soapy

Smell

Sticks together easily

and rolls into a ball

Sticks together, but

tends to break up

Does not stick together

This type of soil is a **

* label with soil A, B, C or D

** Use Sand, Loam or Clay

My soil Soil '" Soil '"

Soil '"

Soil '"

-.-o

You Need A sample of dry soil (about lkg) A coarse sieve A fine sieve Scales and 4 identical plastic containers (eg beakers)

Newspaper

What To Do Tip the soil onto a sheet of newspaper. Spread it out and break up any large lumps. If there are any large stones pick them out, count them. Put them in one of your containers. Tip the rest of the soil into the coarse sieve, which is over a 2nd piece if

newspaper and shake well. Put the soil left in this sieve into the 2nd beaker. This is the coarse soil. Tip the soil that is now left on the newspaper into the fine sieve, which is

over a 3rd piece of newspaper and shake well. Put the soil that is left in the sieve into the 3rd beaker. This is the medium size soil. Put the soil that is left on the newspaper into the 4th beaker.

This is the fine soil. You now have 4 different samples to show how much there is of each type of soil. Now you need to make a chart to record them.

Recording Your Results Choose one of these methods. (Samples overleaf) (a) Weigh the contents of each beaker, and record in a chart. (b) Measure the weight or height of soil in each beaker and

record in a bar chart. (c) Place your beakers in a line and record their height pictorially.

Now compare your results with that of other groups who have used different soil. Discuss what you can see, and record this with your results. Make a class record of all the results.

My comparison of the different soils after sieving ------------------------------

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Different ways of recording your results:-

(a) A Table

Stones Coarse Soil Medium Soil

Weight in grams

Number of Stones

(b) A Bar Chart

Stones Coarse Soil Medium Soil Fine Soil

(c) A Picture

Stones Coarse Soil Medium Soil

Fine Soil

Fine Soil

-.-o

You Need A soil sample A plastic jar or bottle with a screw top lid Water. A ruler

What To Do First, read the instructions and think about how you will make this a fair test. Discuss this as a class before you start. Put a sample of your first soil into one jar to about a depth of 4cms. Pour in water until the jar is about 3/4 full and put the lid on tightly. Shake the jar well, then allow to stand where you can watch it Once the soil has had time to settle look carefully at your jar, answering the following questions for each.

Think About? Where are the largest particles? Why are they in this position? Where are the smallest particles? How many different layers can you see? Are the particles in each layer the same colour? Does the sample have more small particles than large ones? Is anything floating in the water? What do you think this is? How long did it take for the water to clear? Measure the thickness of the layers and compare them - which is the most common?

Now record your findings in the diagram below, and report back to the class. Use these labels on your diagram - coarse soil, medium soil, fine soil, humus (plants).

My report for the class.

I think my soil is from the broad group

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You Need

This will show you how much water stays in the soil.

A dry soil sample Water An empty lemonade bottle cut in half to make into a "funnel and beaker" Filter paper or coffee filter or paper towel Beaker to measure water

What To Do Decide as a class how much soil and water to use. Line the funnel with the filter paper then place the soil into the funnel, place the funnel onto the beaker. Pour the water carefully onto the soil and wait until no more water is draining through. Measure the amount of water that has drained through, then calculate how much is left in the soil. Record on your chart below. Compare your results with other groups who have used different soils and record their measurements on your chart.

Discuss what you have found out, why you think this happened, then record this information.

mls of water collected *

My Soil ( **)

Soil **

Soil **

Soil **

* complete with volumes appropriate to your results. ** label with soil A, B, C, D.

What I have found out, why I think this happened.

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You Need

This will show you how fast water drains through a soil.

A soil sample Water Stop clock or timer An empty lemonade bottle cut in half to make into a "funnel and beaker" Filter paper or coffee filter or paper towel Beaker to measure water

What To Do Decide as a class how much soil and water to use, also how long to allow the soils to drain. Line the funnel with the filter paper then place the soil into the funnel. Place the funnel onto the beaker then pour the water onto the soil and start the timer. After the fixed amount of time remove the beaker and measure the amount of water that has drained through. Record on the chart below. Compare with other groups who have been using different soils and record their measurements also on your chart.

Discuss what you have found out, why you think this happened, then record this.

mls of water collected *

Soil A

Soil B

Soil C

Soil D

* complete with amounts appropriate to the amount of water you are pouring in.

What I have found out, why I think this happened.

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Task. How could you find out which of our three soils water will flow through easiest. That is which is the most permeable.

This is what I will need:-

This is how I will do the experiment.

This is how I will make sure it is a fair test.

This is how I will record my results.

This is how I will know which soil is the most permeable.

This is how I will know which soil is the least permeable.

Prediction - What I think will happen.

-.-

You Need. Two trays of soil Cress seeds Watering can with a sprinkler Water Two bricks or similar to prop the trays

What To Do. Sow the cress seeds in one of the trays and grow as normal until you have a thick bed of cress. Set the trays up so they are tilted using the bricks. Water the trays and observe what happens to the soil in each try.

Think About. What you have observed Why you think this happened Does this test help to explain soil erosion or even landslides.

Now write about what you have seen, and explain why it happened.

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I I I I I I I I

Rocky

The Family Tree Wanglar the Great

I ,-_ .. _-_. ,

Wanglar the Wanderer Wardorf the Watcher I I I I I I

several generations several generations i i I I I I I I I I I I ::: nl I I I I I I I I I

Louis Clarry Sandy Waldorf Winston

Seh Married Wendy

III I Wilson Shanie WaIter Sammy Suzy

oil

Based on the first three pages of the story, printed again below

Waldorf the Worm

One bright sunny day in late Spring Grandpa Waldorf was sitting outside his home looking at the garden. His daughter Wenda and her husband Seb were busy digging underground, trying to refresh and air the soil after a very long winter. The garden they lived in belonged to a family who took very good care of the soil. The worm family always did their best to help look after it by moving, shaking and airing the ground.

Waldorf was keeping an eye on the children who were playing in the shed. He was just beginning to doze in the warm sunshine, when he heard shouts and squeals coming from the shed and the children starting to squabble. Oh dear, he thought, I'd better go and see what is happening before someone gets hurt.

Inside the shed the children had found a box full of old photographs and were arguing about who they were. "Now then," he said "If you really want to know about these photographs, come and sit with me and I'll tell you all about them"

"Oh, yes please Grandpa", said Wilson, the eldest of the boys, "I want to know who this is, dressed in this funny outfit" and he held up a picture of a young worm, dressed for a very wet day. "Yes! Oh yes! Oh yes!" squealed Sammy, one of the youngest, who tended to become very excited about everything.

"Alright," said Waldorf, wondering what he had let himself in for, "So long as you all look after the pictures carefully." "We will," they all said eagerly and followed Waldorf to his seat in front of the house.

Wilson, who was always asking questions and nosing into things, carefully carried the box of photographs, Waiter, looking serious and thoughtful followed him with Sammy wriggling excitedly behind. Shanie, bubbly and clever was making sure that Suzy, the bouncy baby of the family, did not get squashed by her bigger brothers.

Waldorf searched among the pictures. He eventually found the one he wanted and showed it to the children. It was a picture of five worms all dressed differently, "I think we need to start with this," he said, "It's a picture of me, taken many, many years ago, with some of my distant cousins, Rocky, Sandy, Louis and Clarry."

"Why do you all look so different?" asked Waiter, the quietest of the boys. Waldorf began to tell them the story of one of their ancestors.

Questions. Section A. 1. How many grandchildren did Waldorf have? 2. Where were the children playing at the beginning of the story? 3. What woke Waldorf up? 4. What was in the box the children had found? 5. Where was Waldorf sitting?

Section B. 1. Who did Shanie help? 2. What were the names of Waldorfs cousins? 3. What was the weather like on that day? 4. What was the name of Waiter's mother? 5. What did the children have to be careful with?

Section C. 1. On the second page Wilson had a photograph of a worm in a "funny outfit".

What do you think the worm was wearing? 2. Why do you think the photographs were in the shed?

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Based on pages 4 to 7 of the story, printed again below.

Hundreds of years ago, one of your ancestors called Wanglar the Wanderer, decided he would like to see different parts of the country. He set out with four of his sons to travel across this great land of ours.

Now Wanglar had been used to quite an easy life here in our village. The soil was easy to work, was a nice texture and there was plenty of food for all.

After travelling for about a week, they all noticed that the soil had begun to change. The further they went the more stones there were and it became much harder to work their way through it. The stones got larger and the food less, making them all feel bruised, tired and hungry.

They met other worms now and then, who were dressed very differently to them, wearing strong practical clothing and hard hats!

One day they met a chatty fellow, called Rodney, who invited them to rest at his home for the night. His home was very different from the type we know, as the walls were lined with stone. He told them about how hard life was there, describing how the soil was very poor, and full of rocks and stones. This meant that few things were able to live there, and getting around was difficult. Wanglar agreed with this.

Suddenly one of his sons came wriggling in, promptly fell over a large stone, bounced across to the other side of the room and banged his nose on the wall! He looked up, grinned and said, "This is fun -it's much more exciting here than at home, can I stay please?" Reluctantly, Wanglar agreed.

The next day they set off on their journey once more, this time wearing appropriate clothes. The going was still difficult, but after a few days it seemed to get easier, with fewer stones in their way.

They soon found that although the soil around them had fairly large particles it was loose and easy to get through. Even when there was a sudden downpour of rain, it wasn't wet for long because all the water drained away very quickly. However, they wondered if this really was a good thing as there wasn't much food about. Was the reddish brown colour of the soil a clue?

In fact Wanglar began to wonder just what type of place they were coming to. They soon found out. When they reached a village they discovered that the whole area was suffering from a drought.

They talked to some of the local worms, who were complaining about the problems with their sandy soil. The large grains of soil were easy to burrow through and they had no shortage of rainfall. However, the water drained away far too quickly through the sandy soil and few plants would grow. The sandy soil was always too dry and tunnels often collapsed because the soil would not stick together.

One of Wanglar's sons became engrossed with some of the locals, investigating the problems in the tunnels, and discussing irrigation systems. One day he even became trapped in a tunnel he was investigating, when it collapsed and he had to be dug out.

This was when Wanglar decided it was time to move on, before they caused any more problems. He left the next morning, but, there were now only two of his sons with him. Yes, one was still burrowing and nosing about!

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Covering pages 4 to 7.

Questions for Comprehension 2. Section A.

1. How many sons did Wangler take with him? 2. What type of soil did they reach first? 3. How long did it take them to get there? 4. Were the grains of soil large or small in the sandy soil? 5. What sort of clothes did the worms in the rocky area wear?

Section B. 1. Why did Wangler's son want to stay in the area with rocky soil? 2. What colour was the soil in the second area they came to ? (The sandy area) 3. What happened when it rained in the sandy area? 4. Was it easier for the worms to travel in the rocky soil or the sandy soil? 5. Why was this?

Section C.

1. What do you think could be done to help improve the soil in the sandy area? 2. Why do you think that not many plants grow in the sandy area?

Covering the whole story.

Questions for Comprehension 3. Section A.

1. Where were the children playing at the beginning of the story? 2. What type of soil did Waldorf and his sons reach first? 3. How were the worms dressed who lived in the clay soil? 4. How many of his sons came back home again with Waldorf? 5. Which children wrote a poem?

Section B. 1. What were the names of Waldorf's cousins? 2. What colour was the soil in the sandy area?

3. Why did the burrow collapse on Wangler's son trapping him? 4. Why was it a good idea for the worms in the clay soil to wear shiny plastic outfits? 5. Which area had the darkest coloured soil?

Section C.

1. Which type of soil would you have chosen to live in? 2. Why would you chose this type?

3. Would you have wanted to travel and explore new places like Wanglar and his sons? 4. Explain why. 5. Draw a picture of what you think one of the areas looked like.

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Put the following sentences into the correct order - as they happen in the story. This is mostly about the first part of the story. These sentences are events in the story but not the actual text.

Use the boxes to help you work out the order.

The children sat down in front of the house with Waldorf.

The children were playing in the garden shed.

The children took the photographs out of the box and looked at them.

Grandpa Waldorf was dozing in the sunshine.

The children learnt all about worms living in other types of soils.

The children found a box.

Waldorf told the children a story about the photographs.

Waldorf found the children looking at the photographs.

-.-o

Put the following sentences into the correct order - as they happen in the story. This covers the whole of the story. Read the story carefully. The sentences are events from the story but not the actual text.

Use the boxes to help you work out the order.

Another of the young worms liked the easy life in the loamy soil.

Wanglar the Wanderer went travelling with his four sons.

Wanglar came home alone.

One of his sons was trapped in the sandy soil.

The children sat down to listen to Waldorfs story about their ancestors.

One of Wanglar's sons got wedged in a sticky clay burrow.

Two of the children wrote a poem about the different soils.

Someone banged his nose in the rocky soil.

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o V)

Re arrange these instructions into the correct order, so you can make some really good soil.

Use the boxes to help you work out the order.

Mix these four together very well.

You will also need a large tub to mix it in and a container to measure with.

Use the mixture to fill small flowerpots to plant your seeds in.

How To Make A Good Soil To Plant Seeds In.

Take equal amounts of peat, sand, clay and humus and put them in the large tub.

Mix carefully, so as not to harm the worms!

Add a handful of gravel, and a sprinkling of worms.

Ingredients: - peat, sand, clay, humus, gravel, worms.

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Adjectives 1. Class Activity. Underline the adjectives from the first two pages of the story -

reproduced as "Grammar Aid". Do this together as a class, either by copying the text onto an OHP or as worksheets for each child.

2. Independent work. Each child try and improve the story by altering the adjectives and/or adding more. Each child will need a copy of the text.

Nouns 1. Class Activity. Underline the nouns from the first two pages of the story - reproduced

as "Grammar Aid". Do this together as a class, either by copying the text onto an OHP or as worksheets for each child.

2. Independent Work. Use cards with nouns on and cards with adjectives on. Children match them into appropriate pairs.

Plurals and Verbs 1. Independent Work. Following on from work on nouns above.

Alter the singular nouns to plural, check to see if verbs agree - alter if necessary. 2. Extension. Alter plural nouns in the story to singular, check verbs.

Does the story still make sense when you do these exercises?

Suffixes Independent Work. 1. Adding -er, -est. Identify words in the story with the suffixes -er & -est.

Make a chart with the root word and both suffixes.

Root word Adding -er Adding -est

High Higher highest

2. Work out and record the rules for each type of word you have found. 3. Adding -Iy. Identify words in the story with the suffix -Iy.

Make a list of them, and write their root words beside them. 4. Can you add -full or -less to any of these words instead of -Iy?

Record them if you can.

Apostrophes Independent Work. 1. Identify words in the story that are in the contracted form (eg I'll ), and make a list of

them. Write the full form beside each one. 2. Identify words in the story that are in the full form, and make a list of them.

Write the contracted form beside each one.

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Text for use with VVord and Sentence VVork, Group and Independent VVork.

Waldorf the Worm

One bright sunny day in late Spring Grandpa Waldorf was sitting outside his

home looking at the garden. His daughter Wenda and her husband Seb were

busy digging underground, trying to refresh and air the soil after a very long

winter. The garden they lived in belonged to a family who took very good care

of the soil. The worm family always did their best to help look after it by

moving, shaking and airing the ground.

Waldorf was keeping an eye on the children, who were playing in the shed. He

was just beginning to doze in the warm sunshine, when he heard shouts and

squeals coming from the shed and the children starting to squabble. Oh dear,

he thought, I better go and see what is happening before someone gets hurt.

Inside the shed the children had found a box full of old photographs and were

arguing about who they were. "Now then," he said, "If you really want to know

about these photographs, come and sit with me and I'll tell you all about them"

"Oh, yes please Grandpa", said Wilson, the eldest of the boys, "I want to know

who this is, dressed in this funny outfit" and he held up a picture of a young

worm, dressed for a very wet day. "Yes! Oh yes! Oh yes!" squealed Sammy, one

of the youngest, who tended to become very excited about everything.

"Alright," said Waldorf, wondering what he had let himself in for, "So long as

you all look after the pictures carefully."

"We will," they all said eagerly and followed Waldorf to his seat in front of

the house.

The above text can be used for work with:- adjectives, nouns, plurals, apostrophes.

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Look for the words listed below in the word search grid. They can be straight or diagonal and spelt backwards or the correct way.

5 W A W 0 R M B A G F N H I R

U R 5 I E V I N G J A Y E 5 F

Z U T P Q u E R T 0 M P C A 5

Y M M A 5 Z L K F H I D L M 5

P E R M B X I R E E L 0 A M H

0 E N J F E 0 B C R Y 0 Y I A

Q A R Z V D 5 T Y W B H I H N

U D V M L I Z P 0 R 0 U 5 W I

J 0 U A E R J A T I R V A I E

K 0 W M 5 A H W A N I N T L U

M N U B K V B C A X G Z A 5 5

5 D F R G C H L J L K L P 0 0

A I R I N U 0 Y E T T R E N W

N Q G K D E J R A E H E 5 L V

D 5 F J W L Y X W A T E R I E

Words to Look for - hi light them as you find them and tick them off on the list.

soil porous Waldorf Shanie sand permeable Wanglar Sammy clay water WaIter Suzy loam air Wilson family rock sieving worm journey

Now make one up of your own.

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Soil is made of different things, here is your chance to use some of them to see how much it would cost to make your own soil.

Loam Sand Clay

A bag of Loam costs £1.20 A bag of Sand costs 75p A bag of Clay costs 44p

Rocks Gravel

A bag of Rocks costs 62p A can of worms costs 26p A bag of Gravel costs 35p

1. How much do 3 bags of Clay cost? I need an extra bag, how much will this cost me altogether now?

2. How much do 5 bags of sand cost?

3. How much would 2 bags of loam and a can of worms cost altogether?

4. How much do a bag of rocks and 2 bags of clay cost? How much change would I get from £2?

5. I buy 3 bags of gravel, how much will this cost? I have £1.50, do I have enough money to buy a can of worms as well,

if so what change will I get?

---o (J)

.:::t:. t-O

Here are some problems using different types of soils.

Show your working for all of the problems below.

1. I mix 2 kilograms of gravel with 15 kg of clay and 18 kg of sand. How much will this weight altogether?

2. A bag of loam weighs 750 grams and a bag of gravel weighs 450 g. How much heavier is the loam?

3. I fill a flowerpot with 34 g of clay, 46 g of sand and 23 g of worms. How much do I put in the pot altogether?

4. A bag of rocks weighs 15 kg, how much do 4 bags weigh? I buy 2 more bags of rocks, what weight of rocks do I have now?

5. A bag of sand weighs 3 1/2 kg, a bag of rocks weighs 3750 g, which is the heaviest?

Here are some problems using water and soils.

1. A tub of clay soil contains 4 litres of water, one of sandy soil contains 7 I. of water, and one of loam soil contains 9 I. of water. What is the total volume of water in the three tubs?

2. My jug holds 350 millilitres of water. I pour 4 full jugs onto some soil. How much water have I poured altogether?

3. I want to water my pots of seeds. Each pot needs 420 ml. of water. If I have 5 pots how much water will I need?

4. I buy 4 more pots of seeds. How much water will I need altogether now?

5. My watering can holds 2 1/2 I. of water, John's watering can holds 2250 ml. of water. Which one holds the least water?

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o

1. Use the information in the table below to draw a block graph. You will need squared paper.

The Type of Soil I would like to grow my plants in.

Sandy

Clayey ./Ht ./Ht 11/

Loamy

Rocky ./Ht 1/1/

2. Use the graph below to answer the questions.

(a) Which is the most popular type of soil? (b) Which is the least popular type of soil?

(c) How many people altogether think sand and clay are the best?

(d) How many more people like loam than like rock? (e) Which two types of soil are about as popular as each other?

17

13

21

9

60

-.-o

Use the map of The Journey of Wanglar the Wanderer to help you answer these questions about distances and compass directions.

1. In which direction did Wanglar travel when he first left home and went through the Mountains of Mystery?

2. From Sandy Acres Village is Owl Hill north or south?

3. What is to the South West of The Muddy Marshland?

4. In which direction was Wanglar travelling when he journeyed from The Home of Rodney to The Plains of Plenty?

5. In which direction does the River arm flow, North or East?

6. To the nearest half metre how far is it from the home of Rodney to The Sandy Acres Village?

7. How many metres is it from the southern edge of the Mountains of Mystery to the southern edge of the Plains of Plenty? (Hint - use a piece of string to help you).

8. What is the distance from the northern edge of the Muddy Marshland to the southern edge of the Plains of Plenty?

9. How far is it from the north east corner of The Stone Circle to the cactus in Sandy Acres Village?

10.How far did Wanglar travel on his final journey from the Muddy Marshland to his home?

11. Which distance is greater from Sandy Acres Village to the south of the Plains of Plenty or from the north of the Plains of Plenty to the southern edge of the Muddy Marshland? By how much?

12. Which is nearer to Owl Hill The Stone Circle or the Plains of Plenty? How much nearer is it?

13. Would it be nearer to go to The Muddy Marshland through The Plains of Plenty or through Owl Hill? Explain your answer.

14.If it takes Wanglar 1 day to travel 5 metres how long will it take him to get home from The Muddy Marshland?

15.In the Rocky ground the worm family could only travel 2 metres each day. How long did it take them to travel from the northern edge of the Mountains of Mystery to Rodney's home?

Now see if you can make up some questions to ask other people using the map. Remember you will have to work out the answers, so you can check if they get them right.

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o