Lesson Plan of Effects of Moving Water on Different Types of Soils General Science Grade V

Lesson Plan of Effects of Moving Water on Different Types of Soils

General Science Grade V

Students ’Learning Outcomes

·         Compare the absorption of water by different soils.

·         Observe the effects of moving water on different soils.

·         Investigate and describe how living things affects and are affected by soils.

Information for Teachers

·         Different type of soils absorb different amount of water on the basis of their particle size.

·         Different soils flow with different speed with flow of water.

·         De composers convert dead plants and animals into chemical nutrients, such as  carbon dioxide  and nitrogen, which are released back into the soil, air and water. De composer include earthworms, insects, bacteria and rodents.

·         Soil organisms break down nutrients in the soil making them available to plant life. They also provide food to higher forms of life such as small animals like mouse, rat, squirrel and earthworms, which in turn, are beneficial for the fertility of soil.

Material / Resources

Plastic tray, water, sandy soil, silty soil and clay soil, plastic cup, transparent, common pins, rubber, tissue paper, cotton cloth, silk cloth, textbook.

Worm up Activity

Ask the students the following questions:

·         Name different types of soils?

(Expected response: sandy soil, silty soil and clay soil)

·         What are different components of soil?

(Expected response: Weathered rock fragments, plants and animals and animals waste.

·         Spread a piece of cotton cloth, a piece of silk cloth and a tissue paper on a table. Ask a student to sprinkle a few drops of water on all the three pieces.

·         Ask the students the following questions:

1.       Which piece has the maximum ability to absorb water?

(Expected Response: Tissue paper has the maximum ability to absorb water)

2.       Which piece has the minimum ability to water?

(Expected response: The piece of silk cloth has the minimum ability to absorb water)

·         Inform the students that just like things different soils have different ability to absorb water.

Development

Activity 1

·         Divide students in small groups. Give them the required material:

Activity 2

·         Call a group of students; Give them plastic cups.

·         Make a small hole in the base of the plastic cups with the help of common pins.

·         Fill the cups separately with sand, silt and clay up to the height of 2 cm and add equal amount of water in all the cups. Collect the water coming out from the holes in three separate containers.

·         Record your observations in a table.

·         Make a table on the board and ask student to copy.

Soil	Sandy Soil	Silty Soil	Clay Soil
Amount of water collected	Large	Small	Very Small

·         Tell the students that water runs quickly through sandy soil, silt soil holds water, so water doesn’t run down as quickly as in sand. Clay readily becomes water logged, so it allows least amount of water to drain.

Activity 2

·         Divide students in small groups and ask them to put a handful of sandy soil, silty soil and clay soil on three plastic trays.

·         Ask them to hold the trays just like an inclined plane.

·         Ask them to let water flow over all the soils slowly in each tray.

·         Inform the students that under the influence of flowing water, sandy soil will travel the most distance while clay soil will travel the least distance. The distance travelled by silty soil is in between the above two distances.

·         Ask the students to record their observations in the following table.

Soils	Distance Travelled
Sandy Soils
Silty Soils
Clay Soils

Activity 3

Ask the students following questions:

·         Have you ever seen any insect coming out of your garden in the rainy season?

(Expected response: Yes, we have seen insects moving slowly in water on the floor)

·         How many students are seen earth worms? Raise your hand.

·         Do you know the role of earth worms and many other insects in the soil?

(Expected response: No. we don’t know)

·         Take a plastic bottle and add soil into it. Place three to four earth worms in it and cap the bottle after making few holes in the cap.

·         Ask them to observe the soil before adding earth worms and then observe it again after two days.

·         After two days record the observations in your notebook.

·         Conclude that due presences soil will not only become more airy but will be able to hold more water.

Sum up / Conclusion

·         Different soils have different ability to absorb water depending upon their particles size.

·         Under the influence of flowing water, different soils have different ability to travel. Sandy soil travel the most distance while clay soil travels the least distance.

·         Many organisms live in soil and are responsible to make soil more fertile.

Assessment

Ask students the following questions:

·         What effect rain will cause on sandy soil and clay soil?

(Expected response: Sandy soil will quickly absorb rain water while clay will not absorb much rain water)

·         Which soil, in your opinion, is the most fertile for growing plants?

(Expected response: Silty soil is the most fertile to grow plants)

 

                                              Follow up

·         What is added in the soil to make it more fertile?( Manure is added in the soil to make a more fertile)

·         Prepare a sample of soil best suited  to grow vegetables at home.