The importance of soil
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain what soil is made of, how it forms, and understand its importance.
Key learning points
- Soil is made up of minerals, dead plants and animals, water and living organisms.
- Soil takes hundreds of years to form.
- There are three main particle sizes in soil, clay, sand and silt.
- Soil is important for farming; infertile soil can make growing crops very difficult.
- Soil is an important carbon store and protecting it can help us reduce global warming.
Keywords
Soil - the loose upper layer of Earth’s surface where plants grow (formed of minerals, organic matter, air and water)
Erosion - the process of Earth’s surface, e.g. rock or soil, being worn away and transported from its original site
Carbon store - something that absorbs and holds carbon
Weathering - the process by which Earth’s surface is worn down due to exposure to the atmosphere
Common misconception
Soil is just dirt.
Soil is a complex and vital resource made of minerals, organic matter, water, and living organisms. It is important for growing food, storing carbon, and maintaining ecosystems. Without healthy soil, agriculture and natural habitats wouldn't survive.
Teacher tip
You could use different types of chocolate to represent different soil: dark chocolate chunks represent rocky soil, white chocolate shavings can represent sandy soil, which is light and crumbly, milk chocolate fudge can represent clay soil, which is sticky and holds moisture well.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is geology the study of?
Q2.Which of the following is a type of rock?
Q3.What is weathering?
Q4.What are the three main types of rock?
Q5.What is the rock cycle?
Q6.What is sedimentary rock made from?
Assessment exit quiz
4 Questions
Q1.What is soil?
Q2.What is erosion?
Q3.What is a carbon store?
Q4.Why is soil important to life on Earth?
To help you plan your 8 geography lesson on: The importance of soil, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 geography lesson on: The importance of soil, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 geography lessons from the Rocks, weathering and soil: Why is geology important? unit, dive into the full secondary geography curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.