Editors: Brian A. Jerome Ph.D. Stephanie Zak Jerome

Assistant Editors:Louise MarrierJosh Hummel

Graphics: Fred Thodal

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teacher’s guide

soil and rocks

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use and copyrightThe purchase of this video program entitles the user the right to reproduce or duplicate, in whole or in part, this teacher’s guide and the black line master handouts for the purpose of teaching in conjunction with this video, soils and rocks. The right is restricted only for use with this video program. Any reproduction or duplication, in whole or in part, of this guide and student masters for any purpose other than for use with this video program is prohibited.

The video and this teacher’s guide are the exclusive property of the copyright holder. Copying, transmitting, or reproducing in any form, or by any means, without prior written permission from the copyright holder is prohibited (Title 17, U.S. Code Sections 501 and 506).

Copyright © 2012

ISBN 1-59234-774-2

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a message from our company

viewing clearances

use and copyright

student learning objectives

assessment

introducing the program

program viewing suggestions

literature connections

key vocabulary

video script

answer key to student assessments

answer key to student activities

what do you know now?

what have you learned?

video review

video quiz

soil samples

soil layers

different soils

index

teacher’s guide

student activities

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assessmentwhat do you know now? (p. 10):This preliminary assessment is an assessment tool designed to gain an understanding of students’ preexisting knowledge. It can also be used as a benchmark upon which to assess student progress based on the objectives stated on the previous pages.

what have you learned? (p. 11):This post assessment can be utilized as an assessment tool following student completion of the program and student activities. The results of this assessment can be compared against the results of the preliminary assessment to assess student progress.

video review (p. 12):The video review can be used as an assessment tool or as a student activity. There are two sections. The first part contains questions displayed during the program. The second part consists of a five-question video quiz to be answered at the end of the video.

student learning objectivesUpon viewing the video and completing the enclosed student activities, students will be able to do the following:

1 Know that soils cover the land portion of Earth, and are found just about everywhere.

2 Explain that soil is made up of small particles of rocks, sand, clay, silt, and once-living things.

3 Understand that soil also contains air, water, and living things.4 Briefly explain how soil is formed.5 Identify the following layers: topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock.6 Define humus as the part of the soil made from the dead remains of plants

and animals. 7 Understand that there are different types of soil.8 Explain that soil type is determined by various types of materials found in

soil such as clay, sand, minerals, and humus.

student learning ob

jectives | assessment

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program viewing suggestionsThe student master “video review” is provided (p. 12) for distribution to students. You may choose to have your students complete this master while viewing the program or do so upon its conclusion.

The program is approximately 10 to 12 minutes in length and includes a five-question video quiz. Answers are not provided to the video quiz in the video, but are included in this guide on page 9. You may choose to grade student quizzes as an assessment tool or to review the answers in class.

The video is content-rich with numerous vocabulary words. For this reason you may want to periodically stop the video to review and discuss new terminology and concepts.

introducing the programBefore showing the video to students ask them if they have ever dug a hole in the ground. If they have not dug a hole, maybe they have seen construction equipment digging in the Earth, or a farmer plowing a field. Ask them to describe what they saw.

Explain that soil is the material that covers the surface of Earth. Soil is very important for many reasons. Ask students why soil is important. Write their answers on the board. Explain to students that soil is fascinating because it is made up of many different things. Tell students to pay close attention to the video to learn more about the fascinating features of soil.

introducing the p

rogram | p

rogram view

ing suggestions | literature connections

French, Vivian. Yucky Worms. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2010.

literature connections

Johnston, Tony. We Love the Dirt. New York: Cartwheel Books, 1997.

Pfeffer, Wendy. Wiggling Worms at Work. New York: Collins, 2003.

Rosinsky, Natalie M. Dirt: The Scoop on Soil. Minneapolis: Picture Window Books, 2007.

Schuh, Mari. Soil Basics (Pebble Plus: Science Builders). Minneapolis: Capstone Press, 2011.

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you describe

key vocabulary |vid

eo script

video script01 introduction02 When you were younger you may have played in a sandbox or in a dirt pile.03 At some point you may have planted seeds in a garden,...04 ... or seen a farmer plowing a field.05 All these things involve soil.06 What exactly is soil?07 How is it formed?08 And, why is soil important?09 During the next few minutes we’re going to answer these questions as we

investigate soils.

10 what is soil?11 Quite often soil is hard to see because it’s covered with grass, trees, roads, or

buildings.12 Beneath these things is an incredible amount of soil that we sometimes call

dirt.

13 Describe how this handful of soil looks.14 It looks like a lot of small, loose pieces. We call these small pieces particles.15 The particles that make up soil are made up of different things.16 Soil particles consist of tiny pieces of rocks, sand, and minerals. Soil also

contains the dead remains of plants and animals.17 You may be surprised that living things make their home in soil.18 For example, while digging in soil you may have discovered earthworms, or

small grubs.19 If you look at soil through a microscope, you’d see other tiny living things such

as bacteria.20 This teaspoon of soil for example, contains millions of microscopic bacteria.21 Soil also holds lots of air, as well as water.22 The water in soil is important to plants that absorb it through their roots.

key vocabulary

soilparticlestopsoil

humussubsoilbedrock

clayloam

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video scrip

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23 how is soil made?24 This layer of solid rock was formed a few years ago...25 ... when a volcano erupted. Lava from the volcano flowed across the surface.

Over time the liquid lava cooled into solid rock.26 Very little soil exists here now.27 But, over time the rock will be broken into smaller and smaller pieces by rain,

wind, and ice.28 New soil will form. Even now plants are beginning to return.

29 soil layers30 If you were to dig a hole, you might notice different layers of soil.

31 How many layers of soil do you see?32 There are two main layers of soil. This is quite common in many places.33 The dark top layer is called topsoil.34 Topsoil usually contains a lot of humus. Humus is the part of soil made of the

dead remains of plants and animals.35 The decaying plants and animals in humus contain lots of nutrients. Nutrients

are chemicals that are very important to growing plants.36 The layer of topsoil varies in depth from a few centimeters to several meters.37 Below the layer of topsoil is another layer called subsoil.38 Subsoil is usually lighter in color.39 It generally lacks humus.40 Beneath the layer of subsoil is a layer of solid rock, sometimes called

bedrock.

41 soil differences42 If you’ve ever visited the desert, you may have noticed a lot of sand on the

ground.43 And, if you’ve ever seen soil in a lush forest, you know that it is dark and full

of humus.44 These examples point to the fact that not all soils are the same.45 In fact, there are many different kinds of soil.46 Different soils are made up of different types of minerals, rocks, and various

amounts of humus.47 For example, sandy soil like that in deserts contains lots of sand and little

humus.48 Some soils have lots of clay. Clay consists of very fine, small particles.49 Clay soils sometimes have a red or grey color.

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video scrip

t 50 Another type of soil, called loam, is a mixture of sand, humus, silt, and clay.51 These are just a few examples of the many different kinds of soil.

52 video review53 During the past few minutes we explored the fascinating features of soil.54 We began by seeing that soil is made of tiny particles of rocks, sand,

minerals, and the remains of dead plants and animals.55 Next, we explored how soil is formed when rocks are broken into smaller

pieces, and living things die.56 The different layers of soil were highlighted including topsoil and subsoil.57 Last, we took a look at some of the various types of soil.58 This rounded out our fascinating exploration of soils.

59 video quiz60 Fill in the correct word to complete the sentence.61 1. Soil is made of many small ___.62 2. Soil contains ____ things like earthworms.63 3. This dark, top layer of soil is called ______.64 4. ______ is the soil part made from dead things.65 5. Deserts often have _____ soils.

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answer key to student assessments

answer key to student activitiessoil samples (p. 13)Try to choose several different types of soil for students to sample. After completing the activity have students thoroughly wash their hands. If time permits, also have students make a drawing of their soil sample.

different soils (p. 15)

soil layers (p. 14)

what do you know now?1 soil2 particles3 air4 earthworms5 bigger rocks6 topsoil7 decayed plants and animals8 subsoil9 bedrock

10 sand

what have you learned? (p. 11)1 subsoil2 earthworms3 bedrock4 soil5 decayed plants and animals6 air7 bigger rocks8 sand9 particles

10 topsoil

video review (p. 12)1 The soil looks like a lot of small, loose

pieces.2 There are two main layers of soil.

video quiz (p. 12)1 particles2 living3 topsoil4 humus5 sandy

answer key to stud

ent assessments | answ

er key to student activities

1 topsoil2 subsoil3 bedrock

Desert: Desert soils are dry. Quite often they are sandy and rocky.Forest: Forest soils tend to be moister. They often are rich in humus.

what do you know now?

What we call dirt is:

air water soil ice

Soil is made of small:

icicles particles plastics bricks

Which is not a type of soil particle?

sand minerals rocks air

What living things are in soil?

earthworms sand glass minerals

Where do rock particles in soil come from?

frozen water bigger rocks the sky rain

Select the best answer for each of the following questions.

The dark top layer of soil is called:

subsoil bedrock topsoil understory

What does humus contain?

sand glass clay decayed plants and animals

The layer of soil just under topsoil is called:

humus clay subsoil rock

Under the subsoil layer is a layer of rock called:

bedrock soil topsoil loam

Quite often desert soils have lots of:

grass water sand energy

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visual learning systems10 | soil and rocks

Name:

what have you learned?

The layer of soil just under topsoil is called:

humus clay subsoil rock

What living things are in soil?

earthworms sand glass minerals

Under the subsoil layer is a layer of rock called:

bedrock soil topsoil loam

What we call dirt is:

air water soil ice

What does humus contain?

sand glass clay decayed plants and animals

Select the best answer for each of the following questions.

Which is not a type of soil particle?

sand minerals rocks air

Where do rock particles in soil come from?

frozen water bigger rocks the sky rain

Quite often desert soils have lots of:

grass water sand energy

Soil is made of small:

icicles particles plastics bricks

The dark top layer of soil is called:

subsoil bedrock topsoil understory

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visual learning systems soil and rocks | 11

Name:

you describeDescribe how this handful of soil looks.

you observeHow many layers of soil do you see?

Soil is made of many small __________________.

Soil contains ________________ things like earthworms.

This dark, top layer of soil is called _________________.

________________ is the soil part made from dead things.

Deserts often have ___________________ soils.

video review

video quiz

visual learning systems12 | soil and rocks

Name:

soil samples

Quite often soil is hard to see because it is covered with grass, trees, roads, and buildings. Under these things is a lot of soil. Soil covers most of the land on Earth. In this activity you will take a sample of soil. You will then study it.

Materials:

small shovelplastic bagmagnifying glass

Directions:

1. Get the materials listed from your teacher.2. With your teacher you will go outside.3. Your teacher will tell you where to get your soil sample.4. Carefully dig into the Earth.5. Put a small amount of soil into a plastic bag.6. Take your soil sample back into the classroom.7. Record your soil observations below.

Soil color

Particles: size, color, and shape

Types of living things

visual learning systems soil and rocks | 13

Name:

soil layers

If you were to dig a deep hole, you would notice different layers of soil. The dark top layer is called topsoil. Topsoil contains humus. Humus is made up of the dead remains of plants and animals. Below the layer of topsoil is a layer of subsoil. Subsoil is light in color. It lacks humus. Beneath the subsoil is a layer of solid rock called bedrock.

Directions:

Label the three layers: bedrock, subsoil, and topsoil. Then color in each layer.

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visual learning systems14 | soil and rocks

Name:

different soils

Directions:

Not all soils are the same. There are many different kinds of soils. Different soils are made of different things. Describe the type of soil in the two pictures below of a desert and a forest.

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Desert

Forest

visual learning systems soil and rocks | 15

Name: