Explore

Earth

EXPERTISE

STEP 1: Become an expert on soil and the important role it plays in our environment; or consult an expert to find answers to your questions. CHOOSE ONE WAY to increase your knowledge of soil quality.

Click here and CHOOSE ONE of the ways to gain Expertise

The Role of soil in the Carbon Cycle and Climate Change

Find out how important healthy soil is to the world around us, by watching these documentaries on the importance of soil to our planet. This video investigates how soil could be used to take carbon dioxide out of the earths atmosphere. This video will teach you how closely soil is linked to climate change.

Consult an Expert

The best way to become an expert on an area of soil quality is to learn from another expert! There are online resources to contact a variety of different professionals, here are just a few:

EMPATHY

STEP 2: Imagine seeing the world through the eyes of an organism directly affected by your location's soil quality problem(s). CHOOSE ONE WAY to learn more about how soil quality affects organisms that live in the surrounding area.

Click here and CHOOSE ONE of the ways to gain Empathy

Complete this page (also in Portfolio) to complete ONE Empathy activities listed below.

Empathize with a Micro-Organism

Most of the creatures that live in healthy soil are much too small for you to see! But can you still empathize with them. Find out more about the micro-organisms living in your soil here.

Compost Worms

These long, slimy invertebrates are important to keep your soil and garden healthy. Spending most of their time underground, they break up the biological matter in the soil, making nutrients available to plants and other organisms. What can you find out about these mysterious organisms?

ENGINEER

STEP 3: To understand more about soil quality, first decide which of these topics is most relevant to the area you tested: hydroponics, soil conservation, or irrigation. CHOOSE ONE WAY to investigate soil quality by making a model to provide observable information.

Click here and CHOOSE ONE engineering design challenge

Desktop Hydroponics System

Hydroponics provide an alternative way of delivering nutrients to a plant, making this an alternative use for soil. It allows greater control over what the plant receives, and can be used to maximize plant growth and output. Find out how to build your own hydroponics system here.

Soil Conservation Strategy

Most crops require nutrient rich, healthy soil to grow effectively. However, many farming techniques can damage soil over time, best exemplified by the Dust Bowl Storms in the 1930s. Find out what can be done to conserve soil, and design a soil conservation strategy of your own. Turn to the engineering challenge of "5-The-Dust-Bowl-and-the-Depression-in-the-Dirty-Thirties".

Soil Irrigation System

Design an irrigation system that evenly distributes a quantity of water into two directions. Irrigating soil is vital to replenish the soils nutrients, as well as keeping the plants growing in the soil watered.

EXAMINE

STEP 4: Examine soil quality further by completing a Jigsaw Activity

Click here to open the case study

Jigsaw Activity

Divide into evenly numbered groups of around 6 - 8 members. Each member of the group is assigned a section with the corresponding articles. Members of different groups who have been assigned the same section then read and discuss the article together. Finally, each person reports back to their original group about the article they read, and what they learned from it.

Topic
Team Soil Nutrients
Team Soil Conservation Strategies
Team Soil and Climate
Team Soil Organisms
Team Decomposition

EXPERIMENT

STEP 5: Implement the scientific method to carry out an experiment

Click here to open information on the experiment

Deliverable: Explore an aspect of local soil quality

I gained Expertise in one aspect of soil quality.
I gained Empathy for an organism or people affected by soil quality.
I designed and prototyped an Engineering solution to a soil quality problem.
I completed the jigsaw activity to find out more about the soil.
I completed an experiment to answer a question about soil quality.

TO REASON

To ACT

Earth

EXPLORE

Portfolio

Observe

Gather

Reason