All lessons › Soil secrets › Lesson 1
Australian primary science · Year 3 · Lesson 1 of 3
Feel the soil
Inquiry question: How are soils from different parts of our school yard different?
Check practical materials
Observing
What students learn
Soils are not all the same. We can compare soils by their colour, how they feel, how well they stick together, and what is in them. These properties come from the mix of sand, silt, clay, rotting plant material, water, air and living things.
Success criteria
- I can describe a soil’s colour and how it feels (gritty, smooth or sticky).
- I can do a ribbon test and measure the ribbon.
- I can say which of our soils is sandy, loamy or clayey, using my evidence.
Preparation and materials
Before this lesson: Students know that soil covers much of the ground and that plants grow in it.
- Soil from three spots in the school yard (for example a garden bed, under a tree, and a bare path or the oval edge), about two cups from each — 3 samples
- Scrap paper or paper plates to spread soil on — 39 (3 per pair)
- A cup of water per pair, and a plastic spoon or stick — 13
- Rulers — 13
- Hand lenses (optional, if the school has them) — Up to 13
- Soap and water or wipes for hand washing — 1
Teacher setup
- Before the lesson, dig a couple of cups of soil from three different spots with a trowel or old spoon. Choose spots away from where animals go to the toilet.
- Put each sample in a labelled ice-cream tub or bag (A, B, C).
- Do not use bagged potting mix: it can carry harmful bacteria.
Safety and adaptations
- Wash hands with soap after touching soil; cover any cuts first, or use gloves if you have them.
- Never put soil near your mouth or eyes.
- Use school-yard soil only, not bagged potting mix.
Review your school policies and curriculum requirements before teaching.
How to investigate
The lesson sequence should leave pupils with evidence to interpret, not only an activity to finish.
- Pairs spread a spoonful of each soil on its own labelled paper.
- Look: record the colour, and anything you can see in it (stones, roots, leaf bits, tiny animals).
- Feel a pinch of dry soil between finger and thumb: gritty, smooth or sticky?
- Ribbon test: wet a marble-sized lump until it is like putty, push it out between thumb and finger, and measure the ribbon before it breaks.
- Decide whether each soil is sandy (little or no ribbon), loamy (a short ribbon, up to about 3 cm) or clayey (about 4 cm or longer).
- Compare with another pair: did you get the same results?
Teacher modelling prompt
Take a marble-sized lump of soil A. Think aloud: “I add a few drops of water and work it until it’s like putty. Now I push it out between my thumb and finger to make a ribbon, until it breaks under its own weight. It broke at about 3 centimetres. It felt a bit gritty and a bit smooth. So I think soil A is loamy.” Write the result in the table.
Record and explain evidence
Recording question: How are soils from different parts of our school yard different?
| Soil (where it came from) | Colour | Feel (gritty, smooth or sticky) | Ribbon length (cm) | What we found in it | Sandy, loamy or clayey? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
Example recording headings; record actual observations, including inconclusive results.
Discussion prompt
Which claim is better supported by our measurements?
Check understanding
What should pupils know? Name two properties you can use to compare soils.
Explain with evidence: Soil C made a 6 cm ribbon and felt sticky. Is it sandy, loamy or clayey? How do you know?
Apply the idea: A gardener says her soil falls apart and feels gritty. What kind of soil is it, and what might happen when she waters it? Stretch (older students): what could she add to help it hold water?
Teacher answer guidance and saved classroom work are available through the main lesson experience where supported.