We've Got the Dirt!

Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling

• Explain that the groups will be observing the 3 soil samples for particle size, texture, and how it holds water.
• Demonstrate using the hand lens, model observing particle size of a given sample.
• Explain the difference between clumps and particles, and model breaking a clump down into particles.
• Demonstrate rubbing a small amount of soil between your thumb and forefinger and describe what the students might feel using vocabulary from the worksheet.
• Demonstrate dropping one small drop of water into the soil sample and observe with the hand lens.
• Describe the changes to the soil and how quickly the water absorbs, runs off, or dries.

Guided Practice

• Give each group a paper plate and have one of the students divide it into thirds and number each section.
• Give each group a dropper, water and a hand lens.
• Give each group a cup with the first kind of soil, sand, in it. Do not tell them what type of soil is in the cup.
• Have each student examine the sample with the hand lens, breaking up clumps with the tooth pick.
• Discuss the students' observations and record them on the chart.
• Have the students rub the soil between their fingers and record their observations on the chart.
• Have the students drop one drop of water onto the sample and observe it with the hand lens.
• Record their observations on the chart.
• Repeat this procedure with the other 2 samples.

Independent working time

• Have the students put their materials away or to the side.
• Ask each group to participate in a conversation to discuss the observations recorded on the chart and to compare them to the information in the worksheet.
• Have the groups decide which type of soil is in each numbered cup.
• During their conversation, encourage students to build on each other's comments or link their comments. Provide some of the following sentence frames:
  • "I agree with ____ because..."
  • "I disagree with ____ because..."
  • "What you said made me think about...."
• Model using the sentence frames in each group during their conversations as you circulate the room.
• Allow each group member to share their ideas.
• Ask a spokesperson or volunteer from each group to tell the class the name of each sample and to explain how the group came to that conclusion.