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In a Speck of Soil

Published May 11, 2015 | By Carol Malnor
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There’s lots going in the school garden! Connect your students’ garden experiences with science—soil science!

Soil is like a thin living layer of skin covering the land. Everything we come into contact with on a daily basis can be traced back to soil. Soil is capable of supporting plant life and is vital to life on earth.

MACG_COVERLESSON PLAN: In a Speck of Soil

Read aloud the book Jo MacDonald Had a Garden. Youngsters learn about garden ecosystems and stewardship through this playful adaptation of “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”

Then have them examine garden soil through observation and using scientific tools. Soils are complex mixtures of minerals, water, air, organic matter, and countless organisms that are the decaying remains of once-living things.

Suggested Grade Level: K-2

Directions
Complete directions, as well as extension activities, are provided in a PDF of “In a Speck of Soil” created by author Mary Quattlebaum. Your students will become “scientists” as they investigate the soil.

Common Core Standards (ELA K-2)
Reading Literature: Craft and Structure (K.5, 1.4, 2.4)

Next Generation Science Standards (DCI K-2)
LS-1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structure and Processes
LS-2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
PS-1: Matter and Its Interactions

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Posted in Nature Books Blog, Uncategorized
subscribe     Blog by Carol Malnor I love making connections: kids and nature, science and reading, fun and learning. I discovered the joy of connecting Dawn Publications' books with kids when I was a classroom teacher. Dawn's books were easy to incorporate into my lessons and the kids loved them. I used picture books with students of all ages, from primary school all the way up through 9th grade. Over the years, my relationship with Dawn changed and developed, and I authored Dawn’s Teacher’s Guides as well as writing books for children 4-14 years old. ARTICLE How to Use Creative Nonfiction Picture Books in Support of Common Core and Science ACTIVITIES Dawn Publications STANDARDS Common Core State Standards Next Generation Science Standards National Science Teachers Association Picture Perfect Science   OTHER FAVORITES Dawn Publications Children and Nature Network
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