Welcome to the Soil4Youth Teaching Activities and Lesson Plans Resource page – a compilation of soil science activities for high school students. The overriding objective of all of these soil activities is to introduce youth to the complexities of soil management, and foster an appreciation for soil as a valuable resource.
The activities are outlined in very general lesson plan, and the majority of these activities can be altered to suit any particular grade.
Incorporation of these activities into the classroom can help teachers to meet the BC Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLOs) for the following courses:
Soil texture is a soil property that can tell us a lot about the nutrient supply capability and water management needs for a given soil. This lesson introduces students to a very useful technique that is commonly used by soil scientists and other land managers in the field – hand texturing.Prescribed learning outcomes (PLO) are content standards for the provincial education system; they are the prescribed curriculum. The “Soil Hand Texturing” lesson plan will help students to achieve the following BC PLOs:Science 8, 9, 10 – Processes of Science (A1-A6)
Earth Science 11 – Surface Processes and the Hydrosphere (F3)
Geology 12 – Surface Processes and the Hydrosphere (F1, F2)
Chemistry 11 – The Nature of Matter (B3-B5)
Learning Objectives:
Soil maps for British Columbia and other parts of Canada are available both in print and online, and can help to inform land-use decisions. This lesson challenges students to first learn how to use an online map system, and to then make conclusions about land-use suitability based on that map.Prescribed learning outcomes (PLO) are content standards for the provincial education system; they are the prescribed curriculum. The “Find Your Soil” lesson plan will help students to achieve the following BC PLOs:Earth Science 11 – Surface Processes and the Hydrosphere (F3)
Geology 12 – Surface Processes and the Hydrosphere (F1, F2)
Sustainable Resources 11 – Agriculture (A1, A3, A6); Forestry (C1, C3, C6)
Sustainable Resources 12 – Agriculture (D4); Forestry (A3, B3, B4, C5, E4)
Science & Technology 11 – Natural Resources and the Environment (E4)
Geography 12 – Biomes (E2-E4); Resources and Environmental Sustainability (F2)
Learning Objectives:
Although many people are familiar with earthworms, people are not typically as familiar with the important roles played by earthworms in the soil. Having an earthworm farm is a fun way to bring in an educational, temporary (and non-conventional) classroom pet.Prescribed learning outcomes (PLO) are content standards for the provincial education system; they are the prescribed curriculum. The “Earthworm Farm” lesson plan will help students to achieve the following BC PLOs:
Learning Objectives:
Soil is a non-renewable resource that is crucial for the world’s food production, making high levels of erosion around the world very concerning. This lesson plan consists of two main activities: (1) the “Apple Talk”, demonstrating the limited amount of topsoil in the world, and (2) a demonstration of erosion under different soil conditions.Prescribed learning outcomes (PLO) are content standards for the provincial education system; they are the prescribed curriculum. The “Protecting Our Soils” lesson plan will help students to achieve the following BC PLOs:
Learning Objectives:
Students often do not think of soil as an important resource in the world because they are unaware of what the functions of soil are. Use this lesson to open the eyes of students to the many important ecosystem services that the soil provides us.Prescribed learning outcomes (PLO) are content standards for the provincial education system; they are the prescribed curriculum. The “Six Ecosystem Functions of Soil” lesson plan will help students to achieve the following BC PLOs:
Learning Objectives:
There are many different types of soils in Canada, all with their own unique characteristics. In this lesson, students learn about the different types of soil found all over Canada by selecting one type of soil to learn about, and sharing that information with the class in the style of a competition for “Canada’s Best Soil”.Prescribed learning outcomes (PLO) are content standards for the provincial education system; they are the prescribed curriculum. The “Soil Order Competition” lesson plan will help students to achieve the following BC PLOs:
Learning Objectives:
There is a lot of life below our feet – a single teaspoon of soil can hold over one billion microbes! In this lesson, students use hands-on methods to learn about species richness and diversity in a habitat not commonly explored – the belowground ecosystem.Prescribed learning outcomes (PLO) are content standards for the provincial education system; they are the prescribed curriculum. The “Macro- and Meso-Fauna Extraction” lesson plan will help students to achieve the following BC PLOs:
Learning Objectives:
Soil monoliths represent a cross-section of a soil pit. Students can make their own miniature soil monoliths to understand how and why the soil changes with depth.Prescribed learning outcomes (PLO) are content standards for the provincial education system; they are the prescribed curriculum. The “Mini Soil Monoliths” lesson plan will help students to achieve the following BC PLOs:
Learning Objectives:
Movies about soil can present facts from experts around the world and provide great material for further discussion about other environmental topics.Prescribed learning outcomes (PLO) are content standards for the provincial education system; they are the prescribed curriculum. The “Cinematic Soils” lesson plan will help students to achieve the following BC PLOs:
Learning Objectives:
In this lab, students are shown that organic matter is made up of three different types of compounds, each with varying levels of resistance to decomposition. This has an impact on nutrient availability for plants. This is a more advanced soil science lab that involves a greater level of detail in soil chemistry. Due to the complexity and detail, it may not be suited for many high school science classroom settings; however, it may provide an interesting chemistry lab for an advanced science course!Prescribed learning outcomes (PLO) are content standards for the provincial education system; they are the prescribed curriculum. The “Organic Acid Leaching Demo” lesson plan will help students to achieve the following BC PLOs:
Learning Objectives: