In this classroom activity, students will show how soil composition affects the amount of water the soil holds. They will test sand and soil independently and then create their own mixture.

This interactive website explores the various soil layers and introduces you to the lifeforms that live in those soil layers.

This engaging site about soil is easy to understand and filled with quick facts. Cartoon graphics and menu tabs highlight topics which include the importance of soil, fast facts, soil critters, food webs, and others.

Students learn about one method used in environmental site assessments. They practice soil sampling by creating soil cores, studying soil profiles and characterizing soil profiles in borehole logs. They use their analysis to make...

Learners learn the basics about soil, including its formation, characteristics and importance. They are also introduced to soil profiles and how engineers conduct site investigations to learn about soil quality for development,...

The following story provides students with an in-depth understanding of the significance of soil. Read about Anita, Simon and Dennis, their search for Scoop and all that ensues to help them understand Earth's processes.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes the different layers of soil.

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Describes the different layers of soil.

In this guided inquiry lab, students will investigate what type of soil let plants/grasses grow the best. Students will answer the question by conducting an experiment using five different soils found in our area, school soil, potting...

By the end of this unit you should be able to: list the seven characteristics used to describe soils, to distinguish one soil from another soil, and to distinguish one soil layer from another soil layer; explain the impact of soil...

Soil is the foundation of conventional on site wastewater treatment.The drainfields used with on site systems work because the soil around the trenches acts as a filter and removes organic matter, some of the nutrients present in...

In this guided inquiry students will specify soil types by using various methods of determining soil textures and analyze them with a soil triangle. This activity is a laboratory investigation where students gather data on soil textures,...

Soils may be formed in place from rock or formed in weathered rock and minerals that have been transported from where the original rock occurred.

In this chemistry field lab, learners will determine the density, pH, and water content of 4 types of soil. Students compare class data and write a lab report describing their results and then analyze their findings to report on the...

In this field investigation, students compare various soil samples taken from specific locations. Students compare samples, record data, create a chart or graph, and keep records in a journal.

Find out about some of the most prevalent materials that make up soil.

Riparian soils occur along the edges of a lake, stream or river. Pictures and diagrams in this fact sheet explain the importance of and composition of riparian soils.

For this activity, students test the percolation rates of water passing through different soil compositions.

The Chicago Field Museum provides a comprehensive soil education project covering topics such as soil structure and organisms living underground. Students can use the site for research or do the full-blown project, where they establish a...

This personal website includes several New England soil profiles. Each of the profiles is presented with its location and a brief description.

This personal website includes several New England soil profiles. Each of the profiles is presented with its location and a brief description.

Through five lessons, students are introduced to all facets of the rock cycle. Topics include rock and mineral types, material stresses and weathering, geologic time and fossil formation, the Earth's crust and tectonic plates, and soil...

In this arts integrated unit, 3rd graders will explore Rocks and Soil. These projects focus on bringing multiple art forms to the Earth Sciences for third graders. Students will focus on comparing and contrasting the 3 types of rocks, as...

Students conduct an experiment to determine how varying the composition of a construction material affects its strength. They make several adobe bricks with differing percentages of sand, soil, fibrous material and water. They test the...