Science Lesson: How Soil Works
Lesson Plan
1 hour 40 minutesGrades6, 7, 8Science
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Written by Yen-Yen Chiu
About this lesson
Students explore how soil supports life and cycles nutrients through plants and decomposers, then connect these ideas to real-world issues by analyzing local soil and considering access to healthy soil.
Inquire: Students explore why soil matters for growing food.
Investigate: Students learn how matter cycles through soil and create a model that shows how organisms recycle nutrients.
Inspire: Students analyze soil samples, make evidence-based predictions about soil health, and connect their findings to real-world social and environmental justice issues.
Preview the lesson plan
Better on a bigger screen? Open it in its own tab.View Lesson Plan
Everything you need to teach it
How to edit these materials (video)Teaching tips
Suggestions
- As a pre-lesson to this unit, students can be introduced to or review the basics of climate science as a foundation for this unit’s skills.
- We've Ignored Climate Change for More Than a Century is a short history and intro of climate science (4:30)
- Climate Change: How Does It Really Work? is a short overview focusing on a simple explanation of greenhouse gas emissions.
- The Investigate and Inspire sections can be completed over two days.
- To fully address the NGSS MS-LS2-3 standard, students should watch The Nitrogen Cycle listed in the Investigate section or any other resource focusing on the nitrogen cycle.
- Throughout the unit, the class can create a running list of key words or phrases and their definitions as a classroom anchor chart. The accompanying vocabulary deck for the unit is divided by lesson and could be adjusted for each classroom context.
- Local farmers can be invited as guest speakers to explain how soil is important for their work and how weather affects soil health.
- Throughout the unit and to support the understanding of climate change, students can read the graphic novel, A Kid's Guide to Climate Change, about a younger person in Colorado who learns about what climate change is, the causes, and possible solutions.
- For a creative ELA connection, students can write a short narrative from the “perspective” of a soil particle, plant, or decomposer describing its role in the ecosystem.
- For a social studies connection, students can read and discuss the article linked in the Soil Quest resource of the Inspire section, “Decolonizing Regenerative Agriculture.”
Prerequisites
- This is lesson 1 of 6 in our 6th-8th grade Science Unit: Soil Solutions in Invention & Design.
- This lesson and full unit intentionally integrate NGSS Crosscutting Concepts, with students applying these concepts as thinking tools throughout the design process.
- Each student will need their own Invention Journal for all six lessons of the unit. This can be a standard composition notebook, classroom journal, or regular binder with paper. Because the invention process includes sketching and cycles of feedback and iteration, a paper version is preferred. Students should be encouraged to document all of their notes and ideas without deleting or erasing, since this is all part of the process.
- Teachers should decide which short video is most appropriate for their class in the Investigate section: How Dirt Works, Soil Organic Carbon: The Treasure Beneath Our Feet, or The Nitrogen Cycle. Students can watch the other videos as an extension, for homework, or at the start of the Inspire section if taught on a subsequent day.
- In the Inquire section, students will need access to or samples of soil from several places around school grounds. Teachers can collect these prior to the lesson and aim for 4-6 samples from a wide variety. Examples include soil from garden beds, decorative outdoor planters, playgrounds, trash areas, and various locations around the school building. If there are not enough locations, there could be more than one sample from each place, but there should be at least two different locations so students can make comparisons.
- For the overnight experiment, teachers will need:
- Mason jars or plastic containers with lids, one for each soil sample
- Dish soap (preferably powdered, but liquid also works). Tip: Powdered dish soap creates fewer bubbles, which improves visibility, but use whatever you have on hand!
- Painter’s tape and a marker to create labels
- Note: Teachers can preview this video as an overview.
Differentiation
- For more foundational information on regenerative farming, students can read Regenerative Farming Facts for Kids.
- As an extension, students can continue monitoring soil samples over several weeks or throughout the unit, observing changes and relating them to weather, plant growth, or decomposer activity. Students can take daily notes in their Invention Journals.
- Students can research local gardens, farms, or agriculture projects and compare soil health challenges in different settings.
- Students can learn about sustainable agriculture and select specific topics to explore.
- Students can create a short narrative or one-pager explaining soil processes to a younger audience.
From the scientist review
This unit guides students in designing a sustainable solution to a local environmental issue, with a focus on Indigenous practices. A key strength is that the interdependence of soil health, ecosystems, human food systems, and the climate is stressed throughout this entire resource. The engineering design process is presented step-wise with a focus on sustainability at each step. Most importantly, design is presented in the context of working within constraints, iterating, and communicating a final design that achieves the design criteria without creating unintended effects. This unit details how climate change shapes decisions at every step of the design process and is recommended for teaching.
Want this to fit your class?
Add your location for local examples, questions, and action ideas.
About the teacher writer
Yen-Yen Chiu
Director of Education
Yen-Yen Chiu, Ed.D., is SubjectToClimate's Director of Education. She holds a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix and a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of San Diego, and taught public school for 22 years specializing in English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Music for grades 6–12, including Advanced Placement. She is credentialed in English, Mathematics, and Introductory Music, with extensive experience designing interdisciplinary curricula that foster student choice, meaningful assessment, and authentic learning.
