Design for Learning

Instructor: Emily Trucks

Lesson Title: Unit Lesson 2
Curriculum Area: Science

Grade Level: 3rd Grade

Date: May 12, 2016
Estimated Time: 2 Hours

Standards Connection:
7.) Describe the life cycle of plants, including seed, seed germination, growth, and reproduction.
Describing the role of plants in a food chain
Identifying plant and animal cells
Describing how plants occupy space and use light, nutrients, water, and air
Classifying plants according to their features
Examples: evergreen or deciduous, flowering or nonflowering
Identifying helpful and harmful effects of plants
Examples:
helpfulprovide food, control erosion;
harmfulcause allergic reactions, produce poisons
Identifying how bees pollinate flowers
Identifying photosynthesis as the method used by plants to produce food
Learning Objective:
Given three images of different types of soils, students will label each with the correct name,
choosing from clay, sandy, and loam, and then state which type of soil (loam) is most conducive
to plant growth and why.
Learning Objective Stated in Kid-Friendly Language:
Today, boys and girls, we will be talking about the different types of soil and how they give plants
the water and nutrients that they need to grow! By the end of the day today, you will have made a
prediction as to which type of soil is the best for a plant. In a couple of weeks, you will find out if
your prediction is correct!
Evaluation of Learning Objective:
Students will be given an assessment page with three circles on it. Each circle will be filled with a
colored, detailed image of one of the three types of soil discussed in the days lesson. The
students will be required to fill in the box below each circle with the type of soil in the image
above it. The students will then be required to state the type of soil (loam) that is most conducive
to plant growth and write why that is the case on lines at the bottom of the page. Proficient
students will complete the assessment without error. Students in need of more practice will label
one of three diagrams correctly, providing an underdeveloped explanation for why loam is the
best type of soil for plant growth. Students in need of re-teaching will complete the assessment
labeling none of the types of soil correctly and providing no explanation at the bottom of the
page.
Engagement:
The teacher stands at the front of the room. Students are quietly finishing morning work at their
seats. The Venn diagram from the previous plant lesson is on the board behind her, filled in with
information regarding organism needs. Next to the Venn diagram is a laminated graph entitled
Our Soil Predictions. The x-axis is labeled Type of Soil That Will Grow Plant Best. Three

columns are labeled Clay, Sandy, and Loam. The y-axis is labeled Number of Friends Who Think
So. The y-axis is labeled with numbers one through twenty. The teacher holds a stack of student
experiment pages in her hand. Alright, my friends, when I call your table number, I would like for
you to come have a seat, crisscross applesauce, in your spots at the carpet. Please bring your
clipboards and pencils with you. The teacher calls all table numbers and waits for students to
have a seat quietly before having a seat in her rocking chair in front of them. She pulls a rolling
cart over that holds three clear pots. One contains sandy soil; one contains clay; and one contains
loam. Each pot is labeled with the type of soil it contains. On the platform at the bottom of the
cart is a full watering can, a shovel, and a bag of seeds. We are going to be working on a bit of an
experiment today, my friends. Im going to pass around your experiment pages. Take one from the
stack and clip it down to get ready to write. Write your name at the top of the page before we get
started. The teacher passes the stack of pages around and allows all students the opportunity to
get situated. I want you to take a minute to think back to our talk yesterday about the things that
both humans and plants need to survive. We used a new word to talk about humans and plants?
Show me a thumb if you can remind us of what that word is Student A? Yes, Student A, our new
word is organism. What is an organism, everyone? A living thing, right! We decided that humans
and plants, or organisms, have five needs in common. They each need five things in order to
survive on Earth. Lets read our list of needs together. The teacher takes her pointer and points to
the list made on the Venn diagram, one word at a time. Food. Water. Air. Sunlight. Reproduction.
We decided, in doing our word sort, that plants need food and water to survive, and also that
plants get water from soil. They also get something else called nutrients. The teacher takes an
EXPO marker and writes nutrients on the whiteboard. Say that word with me: nutrients. Nutrients
feed plants until they can do what? The teacher takes the pointer and points to make their own
food in the Plants portion of the Venn diagram. Make their own food, yes. One of the three soils I
have on our cart (the teacher motions to the cart) is the best giver of water and nutrients. Because
it gives a plant plenty of water and nutrients, plants grow better in one of these soils than in the
other two. Can we work together to answer our experiment question and find out which type of
soil is best for a plant? Yes, we can! Lets get started, my sweet scientists!
Learning Design:
I.

Teaching:
We are going to plant three seeds today: one in each pot. Here we have sandy soil, clay,
and loam. The teacher points to each labeled pot. Say these words with me. Sandy. Clay.
Loam. Take a good look at each type of soil. Think about what it is supposed to give a
seed: water and nutrients. Make a prediction as to which type of soil is going to allow a
seed to grow best. When you have made up your mind, write your prediction in the My
Prediction box on your experiment page. The teacher allows students time to make
predictions. Lets record our predictions on the predictions chart to come back to when
the plants have grown. Raise your hand if you think that sandy soil will grow a plant best.
I see five hands. Student A, you have your hand raised. Will you tell us why you think that
sandy is the type of soil that will grow a plant best? The teacher turns and takes a red
EXPO marker and colors in five squares in the Sandy column on the Soil Predictions
graph while Student A is speaking. Alright, Student A thinks that sandy soil will provide a
plant with plenty of water and nutrients because it looks like the sand found at the beach,
where palm trees grow. Good thinking, Student A. Raise your hand if you predict that
clay will be the best provider of water and nutrients. I see three hands. The teacher takes
a green EXPO marker and fills in three squares in the Clay column on the graph. Student
B, you predict that clay will be the best soil for seed growth. Can you tell us why you
think so? Student B thinks that clay will be good for the seed because it looks like the soil
in the desert, which grows cacti. Good thinking, Student B! Lets see whos left. Raise

your hand if you predict that loam will be the best for seed growth. I see twelve hands.
Student C, will you tell us why you think that loam will provide the seed with a good
amount of water and nutrients? The teacher takes a blue EXPO marker and fills in twelve
squares in the Loam column on the graph while Student C is speaking. Student C says
that loam looks most like the soil we use for gardening, and so it will provide the best
amount of water and nutrients to a seed. Good thinking, Student C! Lets look back at our
graph. We have five friends who predict that sandy soil will be the best for plant growth;
three who think that clay will; and twelve who are predicting loam. Lets plant a seed in
each and wait to see which of our predictions comes true. The teacher takes three seeds
from the bag at the bottom of the cart and takes the shovel, digging a hole in each pot of
soil. She places one seed in each pot before covering it with the soil removed from the
pot to make the hole. She puts the shovel back at the bottom of the cart and picks up the
watering can, pouring a bit of water in each pot. We are going to come back to our pots in
a few days to see how much progress each seed has made and finish out our experiment.
Could two volunteers roll our cart over in front of the window, to ensure that our plants
get the sunlight they need? Thank you, Student D and Student E. The teacher waits for
Student D and Student E to make their way back from cart transportation and have a seat
back in their spots. The teacher travels to retrieve another cart containing materials for
student work: four trays each holding three small plastic cups, one holding each type of
soil discussed previously: one is labeled Sandy, one is labeled Clay, and one is labeled
Loam; a small watering can; and five magnifying glasses. She has a seat in her chair next
to the new cart. Now that we have made predictions as to what type of soil will grow a
plant best, lets take a closer look at the three types of soil we have here. If you can see on
your experiment pages, you have a bit of work to do at your table with the three types of
soil. When you go back to your seats, you will have one cup of sandy soil, one cup of
clay, and one cup of loam to share with your table members. The teacher holds a cup of
each in the air for the students to see, one by one, before placing each back on the tray.
You will keep the cups on the tray, but can take a little soil out of each cup as needed. You
will have a watering can to share with your table members. The teacher holds up a
watering can for the students to see and places it back on the tray. You will also have your
own magnifying glass. The teacher holds up a magnifying glass for students to see, and
then places it down on the tray. You are going to do a bit of investigating. The teacher
clips her own experiment page to the board with a magnet and points to each portion as
she explains it. There are three circles here under the label Our Investigation: one for
sandy soil, one for clay, and one for loam. You are going to draw in a sample of each
type of soil. This will be a close-up shot, so you will need to draw, in color, what the soil
looks like under your magnifying glass. You will need to answer the two questions
beneath each circle about the type of soil you have drawn. Number one: does it contain,
or have, nutrients? You will find this out by looking at the soil under the magnifying
glass. See if you can find anything in the soil that looks like it could feed a plant until it
can make food on its own. Number two: does it hold water? This, you will find out
through pouring a little bit of water from the watering can into the cup of soil. Watch
very closely to see if it disappears, or stays put, after it is poured. Take some time to sift
through each type of soil with your hands to see how it feels, how it breaks apart, et
cetera. Are there any questions about this investigation? The teacher sees all students
shaking their heads. It looks like we are ready to get started. We will be wearing our
aprons, goggles, and gloves for this experiment so that the soil does not get on our
clothes or in our eyes. When I call your table number, I would like for this weeks
materials collector to come retrieve your tray, and put it on your table. Another table
friend will need to help the materials collector with their clipboard and pencil. All table
members can then get their goggles, aprons, and gloves from the back of the room and

head back to their seats. Materials collectors and helpers, you may get your safety
equipment once your tray is on your table. Everyone, be sure to complete the drawings of
each type of soil as you see it under your magnifying glass first, then move on to test your
two questions. You may get started once all of your table members are situated. Table 1
The teacher calls all table numbers and waits for students to arrive safely at their seats
and begin working. She then travels around the room, answering questions, and asking
questions herself. She comes to Table 1. Alright my friends, what have you found out so
far? I like the drawings that I see. Student F, what can you tell me about what yall have
found in the sandy soil? You dont see anything that could serve as nutrients, but sandy
soil held water for a good while? I like the way youve tested those things and thought
about your work! I am looking forward to seeing what you find out about the other two
soils. The teacher walks to Table 2. Table 2 friends, I like your soil drawings! They are
very detailed! You have worked through sandy soil and have moved on to clay. What have
you noticed about clay so far? It does not look like it has nutrients, and it does not hold
water for very long? I see. What do you think that means for a seed, then? Could a seed
grow well in clay without water and nutrients? I dont think so either. Test loam for me
and see what you find out about it! The teacher comes to Table 3. I like the drawings I
see here! It looks like yall have tested sandy soil, clay, and loam. Which did you find
would be the best for a seed? Student G, can you tell me? Loam? Why do you say that?
Because it contains what look to be nutrients and can hold water for a good amount of
time? It looks like all of you have done some great investigating! Play around with each
type a little bit more and see what else you can find out. The teacher comes to Table 4. I
see that all of you have done some good, detailed drawings, have tested each type of soil,
and are doing some further investigations. Student H, what has your table decided to test
next? All of you are breaking apart the soil in your hands to see how sturdy it is? Why is
that? Because you know that the seed planted in the soil will grow roots to hold it in the
ground and the soil needs to be sturdy enough for the roots to settle in? Great thinking!
Keep working and see what you find out. The teacher allows the students ten minutes
after official experimenting is done to play around with each soil type to see what they
can discover on their own. She places a laminated semantic feature analysis labeled
Types of Soil on the board with magnets. The chart has three columns: one labeled Soil
Type, one labeled Contains Nutrients, and one labeled Holds Water. The three types of
soil: Sandy, Clay, and Loam are filled in beneath the label Soil Type in each of three rows.
The teacher ensures this is secure before calling students to attention. My friends, it
seems to me that we are done looking at each type of soil. Show me a thumb in the air if
your table has drawn each soil type and answered the two questions beneath each
drawing. The teacher sees all thumbs in the air. Wonderful! Lets make our way back to
the carpet to talk about this. But first, I need the materials collector to gather all soil
cups on your tables tray and toss them into the trashcan. You may clean off the tray with
a wipe from my table, and put the trays in a stack on top of the table. One table member
can collect magnifying glasses and put them in their drawer in the science cabinet. One
member can empty the tables watering can in the sink and set it on my table. The two
friends left at each table can get wipes and wipe their tables clean. When you have done
your job, you may put your goggles, aprons, and gloves back where they belong and
bring your experiment pages back to the carpet, sitting crisscross applesauce in your
spot. The teacher allows all tables the opportunity to clean up, helping where she is
needed. She allows all students to get situated on the carpet before having a seat in her
chair, presenting the new chart to the class. How did you feel about that experiment?
Show me a thumb up if you felt good, a thumb in the middle if youre not so sure, and a
thumb down if you did not like it at all. I see all thumbs up! Great! That investigation was
supposed to help us in making sure we have made a good prediction as to which type of

soil will grow a plant the best. Lets record the results of our investigation on this chart.
The teacher uses her pointer to point to each portion as it is mentioned. Say the three
types of soil with me. Sandy. Clay. Loam. Read the two things we were looking for in
each type of soil. Contains nutrients. Holds water. Lets fill in this chart together to see if
we can better the predictions we made earlier. Show me a thumb if you would like to tell
me what your table found out about our first type of soil: sandy. Student I, what did you
and Table 1 find out about this type of soil? Does it contain nutrients? The teacher grabs
a green EXPO marker from the chalk tray. Student I and Table 1 found that sandy soil
does not contain nutrients. Are all tables in agreement? Yes! We will not put anything in
the Contains Nutrients box because sandy soil does not have nutrients in it. Student I, did
you and your table members find that sandy soil holds water? Yes, it does! Are all tables
in agreement? I see that we are. We can put a checkmark in that box to show that sandy
soil, while it does not contain nutrients, does hold water pretty well. The teacher places a
checkmark in the appropriate box with the green EXPO marker. Good investigating,
Table 1! Show me a thumb if you can tell me what your table found out about our next
type of soil: clay. Student J, what did you find out? Student J and Table 2 have found that
clay does not contain nutrients, and does not hold water for very long. Are all tables in
agreement? I think that we all agree with you, Table 2! We will not give clay any
checkmarks on our chart. Show me a thumb if you would like to tell us what your table
found out about our last type of soil: loam. Student K, what did you and your table find
out about loam? Did it contain nutrients? You say yes, it did. Could you tell us what
about the soil makes you say that? Alright, lets see if all tables agree. Did all other
tables find different colors when looking at loam? Do those colors, especially the white
balls, look like they could provide food for a plant? They sure do, and they do provide
nutrients for a plant. So, we can put a checkmark in our first column to show that loam
does contain nutrients. The teacher places a checkmark in the appropriate column with
the EXPO marker. Student K, did your table find that loam holds water pretty well? You
say that it does. Are all tables in agreement? I agree with you, too! The teacher places a
checkmark in the appropriate column to show that loam holds water. Now, we have
predicted; and we have done some investigating. What two things do plants need to get
from soil? Water and nutrients. Which type of soil, according to our chart, is the only
type of soil that does both things? Loam. Do you think, then, that the seed planted in
sandy soil, clay, or loam on our flower cart is going to grow the best? I think loam just
might be the best type of soil for a plant, but you never know! We will just have to wait
and see which of our seeds does the growing! How would you feel about playing a bit of
a game with what we have just learned? It seems like youre excited, so we will do just
that! Student L, please take up all of our experiment pages and put them in a stack on my
table.
II.

Opportunity for Practice:

The teacher travels to her table to retrieve a bag of laminated Soil Scott notecards and a
stack of game pages while Student L collects experiment work. She then returns to her
chair in front of the students, making sure Student L is situated before moving on. We are
going to play a game called Soil Scoot! In just a minute, you will go back to your seats
with one of these game pages. The teacher holds up the stack of game pages for the
students to see. You will write your name at the top of the page, and then wait for my
signal to begin. On each of your desks, there will be a card. The teacher removes one
card from the bag and holds it up to show the students, pointing to each portion as it is
mentioned. Most cards will have a number at the top, just like this one. Each card will
have a sentence on it, too. Your job is to read the card and write the word for the object
that the sentence is describing in the box with the same number on your game page. If I

were playing now, I would read my card. This card says number one: This gives a plant
the water and nutrients that it needs. I would think of the word for the object that the
sentence is describing. What would that word be? Soil, yes! So, I would write the word
soil in the box labeled number one on my game page. Then, I would be ready to move on
to the next statement. I would wait for the signal to move, and then go on to find card
number two. Card number two will be at the seat next to card number one. Does that
make sense to everybody? The teacher sees all students nodding their heads. Not
everyone is going to start on card number one. You might start on card number thirteen.
Which station would you move to after that? Fourteen, yes! And which numbered card
will be your very last station? Twelve, right! Every table has five cards on it. If you
cannot find the next number following your card at your table, move on to the next table.
There will be some cards that look like this (the teacher removes a Take a Break card
from the bag) and tell you to take a break. If you are at a station with one of these cards,
you will look over your writing and make sure that it is neat, and that all of your answers
are in the right place. When you hear the move signal at one of these stations, you will be
ready to move to the next numbered card. If you start with a Take a Break card, you will
move to the station to your left when it is time to switch. Are there any questions before I
send you back to your seats? I dont see any hands, so we must be ready to move forward.
You may make your way quietly back to your seats and get ready to get started. I will
come around with game pages and cards. The teacher stands, walking around to each
seat, giving students a game page, and laying game cards, facedown, in order, at each
spot. Put your name on your game page, but do not turn over your card until I give you
the signal! The teacher ensures all students are situated before traveling back to her desk.
When you hear this sound (the teacher taps a bell) it is time to turn over your cards.
When you hear it again, it is time to switch spots. Leave the cards face-up for the whole
game once you have turned them over. Are we ready to begin? The teacher taps the bell,
allowing students ten seconds at their first station before tapping the bell again for them
to move on to the next. The teacher continues this pattern until all students have visited
each of the twenty stations and have arrived back at their own seats. Alright, everyone,
we have made our way back to our seats! Take out a red pen and lets check our practice
together! The teacher pulls up her own game page on the ELMO, for all students to see.
She takes a pen from her cup of writing utensils. She writes her name at the top of the
page before moving on. When I call your name, I would like for you to read the sentence
on the card at your seat and tell us the word you wrote in the numbered blank on your
game page. Student A, you had card number one! Read the sentence aloud for us and tell
us the word you felt it was describing. Student A had the sentence This gives a plant the
water and nutrients it needs. Student A wrote soil in the first box on their game page. Do
we agree with Student A? We sure do! The teacher writes soil in the appropriate box on
her game page. Thank you, Student A! Student B, you started with card number two.
Please read us your card and share your answer with us. Student B had the sentence
These provide a plant with food until it can make its own. Student B wrote nutrients in
the second box on their game page. Do we agree with Student B? Yes, we sure do! The
teacher writes nutrients in the appropriate box on her game page. Thank you, Student B!
Student C, you had card three. Read us the sentence and tell us your word. Student C had
the sentence This plant part grows down into the soil to keep a plant steady. Student C
chose the word roots to put in the third box on her game page. Do we agree with Student
C? We sure do! The teacher writes the word roots in the appropriate box on her game
page. Good thinking, Student C! Student D, did you have a numbered card? Nope!
Student D was told to take a break at their first station. Good for you, Student D! Student
E, what card did you have? Read us your sentence and share your word, please. Student
E had the sentence Name this type of soil. Raise your card up in the air for everyone to

see the picture, Student E. This type of soil is dark, with a few other colors mixed into it.
Student E, which word did you choose to put on your game page for this card? Student E
picked the word loam to go in this blank. Do we agree with Student E? Yes we do! The
teacher writes loam in the appropriate box on her game page. Great observations, Student
E! Student F must have had card number six. Student F, read us your sentence and the
word you chose. Student F had the sentence Name this type of soil. Hold your card in the
air so that everyone can see the picture on it, Student F. This type of soil is red and
cracked. What word did you use for that type of soil, Student F? Student F has said clay.
Do we agree with Student F? Yes, we do! The teacher writes the word clay in the
appropriate box on her game page. Good observations, Student F! Student G, did you
have card number six? Share that sentence with us. Student G also had the sentence
Name this type of soil. Raise your card up so that we can see the picture on it, Student G.
This type of soil is tan and made up of very small crystals. What word did you use to
name it, Student G? Student G has chosen the word sandy to name this type of soil. Do
we agree with them? Yes, we do! The teacher writes the word sandy in the appropriate
blank on her game page. Good observations, Student G! Student H, did you have a
numbered card? No, your seat was a break station, too! Lets move on to Student I, then.
Student I, did you have card number seven? Read us the sentence and the word that you
chose. Student I had the sentence This type of soil holds water, but does not contain
nutrients. They chose the word sandy to place in the box on their game page. Do we
agree with them? Yes, we do! And if you were unsure, all you had to do was look at our
chart we just completed together on the board! The teacher motions to the semantic
feature analysis on the board before writing the word sandy in the appropriate box on her
game page. Thank you, Student I! Student J, you are up next. What did you have on card
number eight? Student J had the sentence This type of soil does not hold water and does
not contain nutrients. Student J has chosen the word clay to fill in the box on their game
page. Did we all put the same thing? Yes, we are in agreement! The teacher writes the
word clay in the appropriate box on her game page. Thank you, Student J! Student K,
what sentence did you have on card number nine? Student K had the sentence This type
of soil holds water and contains nutrients. Student K, which word did you write in the
ninth box on your game page? Student K has written the word loam in the ninth box on
her page. Do we agree with her? We sure do! The teacher writes the word loam in the
appropriate box on her game page. Thank you for reminding us of that discovery, Student
K! Student L, did you have a numbered card? Nope! Student Ls desk was another break
zone for all of you! Student M, was card number ten at your seat? Read us the sentence
and share the word you chose. Student M had the sentence This is a word that means
living thing. They wrote the word organism in box number ten on their game page.
Did everyone else write that, too? Of course you did! The teacher writes the word
organism in the appropriate box on her game page. Good work with that new word,
everybody! Student N, lets hear your sentence and word. Student N had the sentence
This is the number of needs humans and plants have in common. This one might have
taken a little bit of thinking back to yesterdays lesson. What word, or number, did you
choose for this box, Student N? Student N chose the word, or number, five. Is that how
many needs humans and plants have in common? It sure is! Remind us of the five needs
that humans and plants have in common, Student N. The teacher writes the word five in
the appropriate blank on her game page while Student N speaks. Youve got it, Student N!
Thank you! Student O, its your turn to share with us! Student O has the sentence This is
one of two plant needs that are met by soil at their seat. Student O could have had a
couple of different answers for this one, but they chose the word water. Is that one of a
plants needs that is met by the soil? Yes, it is! The teacher writes the word water in the
appropriate box on her game page. Good work, Student O. Student P, did you have a

numbered card? No, your seat was a place to take a break! Student Q, read us the
sentence that was placed at your seat; and then share the word you chose to put in the
box. Student Q had card number thirteen at their seat. It had another sentence just like
the one on Student Os card: This is one of two plant needs that are met by soil. Student
Q wrote the word water in box number twelve, so they wrote food in box number thirteen.
Is that another plant need that is met by soil? Of course it is! The teacher writes the word
food in the appropriate blank on her game page. Thank you, Student Q! Do not mark your
answer wrong if you switched water and food. The teacher points to each box on her page
as it is mentioned. You could have put water or food in the first box. You should have
whichever word you did not use in your first box, in the second box. Do count off if you
wrote the same thing in each box! We need to remember that both of these plant needs
are met by the soil. Student R, youre up with card number fourteen! Student R had the
sentence All plants start out as these at their seat. Student R chose the word seeds to go
in that box on their game page. Do we agree with Student R? Yes, we do! The teacher
writes the word seeds in the appropriate box on her game page. Thank you, Student R!
Student S, read us your sentence on card number fifteen; then, share the word you chose
to write down. Student S had the sentence This is the type of soil you predicted would be
the best for plant growth. Student S chose the word sandy to go in their blank because
that is the type of soil they predicted would be best for a plant. The teacher writes the
word sandy in the appropriate box on her game page. That is the correct answer for you,
Student S! Did anyone have a different answer? Student D? Student D chose the word
clay to fill in this box. The teacher writes clay beneath sandy in the appropriate box on
her game page. There is one more answer that could have been here Student H, what
did you put in this box? Student H chose the word loam to fill in this box because that is
the type of soil they predicted would grow a plant best. The teacher writes the word loam
beneath clay in the appropriate box on her game page before setting her pen aside. You
should have had one of these three answers here in this blank. The word you chose
should be the word that names the type of soil you predicted would be the best. Student T,
what sentence do you have on your card? Student T is telling us to Take a Break, and
that is exactly what we are going to do! Put your pencils and red pens away for me
please, and bring me your game page as you line up for the restroom! The teacher
collects all work pages in a neat stack, placing them on her desk before escorting students
down the hall to the restroom.
III.

Assessment:
The teacher stands at the front of the room, two weeks later, with the flower cart beside
her in front of the board. The seed planted in loam has grown significantly, while the
other seeds have not. The Venn diagram, the Our Soil Predictions graph, and the Types of
Soil semantic feature analysis are hung on the board with magnets. She holds student
experiment pages in her hand and watches students finish morning work quietly at their
seats. There is a stack of assessment pages on the chalk tray behind her. Alright, my
friends, when I call your table number, I would like for you to bring your clipboards and
pencils and come sit, crisscross applesauce, in your spot on the carpet. The teacher calls
all table numbers and ensures that all students are situated in their spots before passing
out experiment pages to them. I am bringing around your experiment page from a couple
of weeks ago. Take a minute to read over the progress you have made so far, look at your
predictions, and come to a conclusion as to whether or not your prediction was correct.
The teacher passes out all student work pages before having a seat in her chair in front of
them. If you can remember back to a couple of weeks ago, we planted a seed in each of
the three types of soil on our cart. The teacher motions to the cart. Say these with me. The
teacher points to each labeled pot. Sandy. Clay. Loam. We planted seeds in each of these

types of soil because the soil is supposed to meet some of a plants needs. The teacher
takes her pointer and points to the Organism Needs Venn diagram on the board. Like us,
plants have needs that must be met in order for them to grow. Show me a thumb if you
can tell us what two things soil is supposed to give to a seed. Student A? Yes, soil is
supposed to provide a seed with water and nutrients. Nutrients is a new word that we
have learned. Show me a thumb if you can tell us what nutrients are. Student B? Yes,
nutrients feed a plant until it can make food on its own. We took some time to think about
which of our three types of soil would provide a seed with the best amount of water and
nutrients to allow it to grow. We recorded our predictions on a class graph, and you have
your prediction recorded on your experiment sheet. The teacher points to each portion of
the Our Soil Predictions graph. We had five friends predict that sandy soil would provide
a seed with the best amount of water and nutrients. One of our friends made this
prediction based on their seeing palm trees growing at the beach. We had three friends
predict that clay would be best for seed growth; and one of those friends explained that
they thought so because of the way cacti grow in the desert. We had twelve friends
predict that loam would give a seed the best amount of water and nutrients. One friend
said that they made this prediction because loam looked like the soil they use in their
garden at home. We took a closer look at each type of soil with our tables and found out
that which type of soil is the only one that contains nutrients and holds water? The
teacher points to the semantic feature analysis. Loam! But, like true scientists, we went on
with our experiment to make sure that we could really provide proof for what we found in
our investigations. We can now see that one type of soil clearly was the best for growing
our seed. Which one was that? The teacher motions to the cart. Loam! We can see that
loam allowed our seed to grow very well, while sandy soil and clay did not. What do you
think that this must mean? What is so special about loam that it allowed our seed to
grow, while sandy and clay did not? Show me a thumb if you know Student C? What is
so special about loam? Youve got it, Student C! Loam is the best type of soil for seed
growth because it gives a seed the perfect amount of water and nutrients. The water and
nutrients allow a plant to grow. We can write that in the results portion of our experiment
page: that loam is the best type of soil for plant growth because it holds the perfect
amount of water and nutrients. The teacher takes a green EXPO marker from the chalk
tray and writes this on the board, giving those students who need to copy it time to do so.
Does anyone have any questions about what we have just discovered? The teacher sees
all students shaking their heads. We have successfully completed our experiment! Give
yourselves a great big pat on the back, my sweet scientists! When I call your table
number, I would like for you to turn your experiment pages into the tray on my table and
get settled back at your seats. Put your clipboards away, but keep your pencils out and
ready. Table 1 The teacher calls all table numbers and waits for all students to turn in
experiment pages and make their way back to their seats, putting clipboards away, but
keeping pencils out. When she sees that all students are situated, she moves on, standing
up from her chair and holding the stack of assessment pages up for students to see,
pointing to each portion of the top page as it is mentioned. In just a minute, I am going to
bring you a page that looks like this. You are going to write your name at the top, and
move on to look at each picture on the page. You will label each type of soil shown here
with one of these three words: sandy, clay, or loam. Think back to your drawings of each
type of soil, and your observations of each type to remember what it looks like. Then, you
will move on to answer the question at the bottom of the page, to help me decide which
type of soil I should use in my garden at home! When you are finished, you may bring
your page to me, put your pencil away, and read quietly at your seat until everyone is
done. Are there any questions? I do not see any hands, so we must be ready to go. Please
do not talk until everyone is finished! The teacher passes out all assessment pages and

circulates the room as students work, answering any questions that come up. When she
has received all pages and all students are reading quietly at their seats, she walks back to
the front of the room and calls students to attention.
IV.

Closure:
Alright, my friends, everyone is finished. Please put your books away and put your eyes
on me. The teacher waits until she sees all student eyes. You have done an excellent job of
finishing out our experiment today. Kiss your brains, my sweet scientists! Lets do a little
bit of a review, just to make sure we understand all that we have learned. We know, by
now, that humans and plants are both what? Organisms, yes! And what do all organisms
have that must be met in order for them to survive? Needs, right! And what two needs
does soil meet for a plant? Yes, soil provides a plant with water and nutrients! There are
three types of soil. What are they? Sandy, clay, and loam, yes! And we know, now, that
which type of soil is best for a plant? Loam, yes! Why is it the best? Because it gives a
plant the best amount of water and nutrients. Great job, everybody! It is time to line up at
the door for specials.

Materials and Resources:

Venn Diagram
Our Soil Predictions Graph
Types of Soil Semantic Feature Analysis
Student Experiment Pages
Flower Cart
Experiment Materials
Safety Equipment
Soil Scoot Cards
Soil Scoot Game Pages
Whiteboard and Projector
ELMO
EXPO Markers
Pointer
Teacher Pen
Student Clipboards, Pencils, and Red Pens
Assessment Pages
Differentiation Strategies:
Extension: Allow students to choose a project off of their leveled choice board to complete after
the lesson, or to work on throughout the unit.
Accommodation: Allow students to choose a project off of their leveled choice board to complete
after the lesson, to reinforce the content discussed.

Samford University
Design for Learning

Name ______________

Super Soils!
Our Question
Which type of soil will grow a seed the best: sandy,
clay, or loam?

My Prediction

Our Investigation

Sandy
Does it contain nutrients?

Clay
Does it contain nutrients?

Loam
Does it

contain nutrients?

1.
2.
This gives a These provide
3.
Results
plant the
a plant with
This plant
water and
food until it
part grows
of soil
is theits
best for
plantsinto
because
nutrientsThis
it typecan
make
down
the
needs.
own.
soil to keep a

Take
a
Break

plant steady.

4.
Name this
type of soil.

7.
This type of
soil holds
water, but
does not
contain
nutrients.

5.
Name this
type of soil.

8.
This type of
soil does not
hold water
and does not
contain
nutrients.

11.
This is the
10.
number of
This is a word
needs
that means
humans and
living thing.
plants have in
common.

6.
Name this
type of soil.

Take
a
Break

9.
This type of
soil holds
water and
contains
nutrients.

Take
a
Break

12.
This is one of
two plant
needs that
are met by
soil.

Take
a
Break

13.
This is one of
two plant
needs that
are met by
soil.

14.
All plants
start out as
these.

15.
This is the
type of soil
you predicted
would be the
best for plant
growth.

Take
a
Break

Name ______________
Soil Scoot!
Use the grid to answer the questions as you travel around the
room.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Name ______________

Super Soils!
Label each soil picture with the correct type from the word bank,
then answer the question at the bottom of the page.

Sandy
Clay
Loam

Miss Trucks wants to plant a garden in her

backyard. She wants to know which type of soil
she should use: sandy, clay, or loam.
Which type of soil would you tell Miss Trucks is the
best for plant growth, and why?

Name: Key

Super Soils!
Label each soil picture with the correct type from the word bank,
then answer the question at the bottom of the page.

Sandy
Clay
Loam

Loam

Clay

Sandy

Miss Trucks wants to plant a garden in her

backyard. She wants to know which type of soil
she should use: sandy, clay, or loam.
Which type of soil would you tell Miss Trucks is the
best for plant growth, and why?
Miss Trucks should use loam in her garden
because it provides a
plant with the best amount of water and
nutrients.