1. Spectacular Soil Written By: Mrs. Shore’s Third Grade Class 2011-2012

2. Table of Contents Chapter 1……………...Why We Need Soil Chapter 2……………...The Layers of Soil Chapter 3……………...Let’s Talk About Clay Chapter 4………………Learn About Loam Chapter 5………………All About Sand Chapter 6…………...A Little About Compost ………………………….About the Authors ………………………….Resources

3. Why We Need Soil Do you know why we need soil? Let’s look at the many reasons why soil is important. Soil is important because it gives nutrients to vegetables, fruits, flowers, and trees that are planted. Without soil, plants and trees would not be able to get off the oxygen that we breathe. Without soil, the vegetables and fruits we eat would not be able to grow. Soil is important to farmers because they need soil so they can sell their crops. Soil is also important because it is a home for some animals like ants, worms, and moles.

4. The Layers of Soil There are three layers of soil - topsoil, subsoil, and bedrock. Topsoil is the top layer of soil. Topsoil has the most humus of any layer. Subsoil is the middle layer of soil. This layer has the largest grains. Bedrock is the last layer of soil. This layer is solid rock.

5. Let’s Talk About Clay Clay is one of the three types of soil. Most clay is a reddish- orange color and feels hard when it is dry. When it is broken apart is can feel crusty and little tiny rocks. Clay has small grains. Because clay has small grains it holds water very well. Sometimes water will sit on top of the clay because the small grains do not let a lot of water pass through. When clay is wet, it feels sticky and mushy but when it dries, it becomes hard again.

6. Learn About Loam Loam is another type of soil. Most loam is a brownish-black color and feels soft. It is dark and contains humus and nutrients needed for plants. Loam has small and large grains. Because loam has small and large grains it holds some water and drains some water. Loam holds just enough water for plants because it has the right combination of small and large grains.

7. All About Sand Sand the third type of soil. Most sand is brown and tan and feels gritty. When it is wet, sand can feel mushy, soft, smooth, and squishy. Sand has large grains. Because sand has large grains water easily drains through. Sand is not good for most plants because it does not have many nutrients.

8. A Little About Compost Compost is made of food scraps, dead insects, and decayed things that were once living. Using compost for plants is a way to help the Earth by recycling scraps. Compost can act as a fertilizer and it is good for farming. We can all help the Earth by composting!

9. I POEM I am a plant’s best friend I wonder what plants would do without me to support them I hear the sound of rain as it pitter patters on top of me I see the roots as a plant grows through me I want to be seen as something other than “dirt” I am a plant’s best friend I understand that I’m important to the Earth I say humans need me more than they know I dream about not being called dirt I try to soak up the right amount of water I hope people will take care of me I am a plant’s best friend

10. ABOUT the AUTHORS We are Mrs. Shore’s Third Grade Class We have a variety of heart wonders We hear the sounds of excitement We see where we want to go We want to be the best We are Mrs. Shore’s Third Grade Class We understand how to work hard We believe in doing our best We dream about going to college We try to impress our teacher We hope we are good enough to meet our goals We are Mrs. Shore’s Third Grade Class

11. RESOURCES Mrs. Shore’s Third Grade Class Harcourt Science, Harcourt School Publishers, 2000 Microsoft ClipArt Pictures from Mrs. Shore’s Camera :) http://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/01093/p roj_env.html - Composthttp://library.thinkquest.org/07aug/01093/p roj_env.html