Soil Conservation 6th Grade Science

Objectives Students will understand that good health of humans requires: monitoring the lithosphere, maintaining soil quality, and stewardship.

Essential questions How does soil quality affect humans? How do humans affect soil quality?

Warm-up Write the following in your notes-leave at least 4 lines between each term for definitions. Components of Soil (4 lines) Soil Erosion (Leave 5-6 lines) Soil Conservation Crop Rotation Conservation Tillage Terraces Contour plowing Wind Breaks

Warm-up How would you categorize the components of soil? Why is pH important?

How would you categorize the components of soil? Air

Soil Erosion The wearing away of soil Loss of soil Dust bowl video

Gravity (hills, mountains) Ice (glaciers, cold temperatures) In your notebook under soil erosion from yesterday write this… Natural Causes of Soil Erosion: Wind Water (rain) Gravity (hills, mountains) Ice (glaciers, cold temperatures)

Other Causes of Soil Erosion: Farming Mining Construction

Severe weather speeds up soil erosion! Storms Tornados Floods

Soil Conservation: Ways to preserve (or save) the soil

1. Crop Rotation Planting different crops on the same field in different years (wheat/bean example)

2. Conservation Tillage Reducing the number of times and areas fields are tilled, or plowed, in a year

3. Terraces Flat, step-like areas built on a hillside to prevent rainwater from running downhill

4. Contour Plowing Plowing along curves or contours of a slope to prevent water from running straight downhill

5. Wind Breaks Rows of trees between fields to “break” or reduce the force of winds.

Soil Conservation Examples Find a partner. Read the scenario of erosion. With your partner, decide on a solution to the problem. Write your solution next to the scenario and then draw a picture of your solution.

1. A farmer notices that his crops are being destroyed by wind 1. A farmer notices that his crops are being destroyed by wind. They are starting to lean to one side, and the soil is blowing across the field. What can he do to better conserve the soil? Explain & draw a picture. 2. A neighbor of yours is getting ready to plant a garden of flowers in his backyard. He asks you for ideas on how to conserve soil. You notice that his backyard has a lot of hills. What do you suggest? Explain & draw a picture. 3. Your parents decide to put mulch around the trees in your yard. Each time after it rains, you notice the amount of mulch is decreasing. Why is this? What do you tell your parents to prevent this from happening? Explain & draw a picture 4. Your uncle has had a farm for 20 years. Each year he plants potatoes on the left field. This year, half of his potatoes died. What should he do next year? Explain & draw a picture. 5. You live in house that has a long, steep driveway. Your mom plants flowers beside the driveway. However, each time it rains the soil runs down the hill. What should she do? Explain & draw a picture. 6. Your grandfather is a farmer. You hear him complain about how his crops are not doing well. You know that we have the same amount of rainfall as last year. What might he need to do to improve the crops next year? Explain & draw a picture.

Warm-up What are some ways that humans impact (affect) the soil? They can be both negative and positive.

Warm-up Be ready to start class and have a pencil. Pick up a book to share at your table. Pick up the questions for the book on the front table.

Vocabulary warm-up Take a ziplock bag with vocabulary terms and definitions in it and match them all up with your table partner.

Warm-up Explain 2 ways farmers prevent erosion of soil. What other human behaviors cause soil erosion?

They surround fields with natural barriers such as trees.

Warm-up Please put your project on the counter where your class is labeled (if you didn’t bring this morn.). Pick up the soil handout at the front table-homework What does the word fertile mean? What does leaching mean?

Warm-up What does the word fertile mean? What does leaching mean?

Capable of growing and developing refers to the loss of water-soluble plant nutrients from the soil, due to rain and irrigation.

Warm-up If you are not finished with your summative/bar graph complete it now. When you are finished get into groups of 3 for the soil composition lab. Pick up one lab handout per group and assign a writer. Predict what the 4 types of soil you will be looking at are.

Warm-up If you are not finished with your summative/bar graph complete it now. When you are finished get into groups of 3 for the soil composition lab. Pick up one lab handout per group and assign a writer. Predict what the 4 types of soil you will be looking at are, and after I approve add the names to your handout.

Warm-up Be ready to finish the summative assessment. Find your answer sheet and bar graph packet.

Warm-up Make sure that you know: How soil is formed. What are the natural ways soil is harmed? What humans are doing to harm soil? What do humans do to conserve soil? Continue with the lab-today compare a small sample of each on white paper all at the same time.

Warm-up: Write out the answer How does sandy soil form? a. by the accumulation of dead and decayed organic matter b. by the disintegration and weathering of rocks such as limestone, granite, quartz and shale c. by sedimentary deposits after rock is weathered, eroded and transported d. by the suspension of sediment in water column of a body of water

Warm-up Soil found in the arctic climate (cold and dry) would not weather fast. Which would the soil contain… -A lot of humus (organic material) -Many rock fragments -More A horizon than wet humid areas Clear everything from your table except your notebook and pencil

Assessment day Take out all of your notes for rocks and soil, look over the essential questions on the board. Can you answer them? Put everything but notes and a pencil/pen away. After the test get a blank sheet of paper and create a visual representation of one of the soil or soil conservation vocabulary words. Look at the word wall for help and be sure the term is either at the top or bottom of the page. Please do your best to draw a nice, neat picture, I will hang some outside the room.