Purpose: This activity will allow students to get up close with soil and explore some of its components. It will also help to generate questions students have about soil and bring to light knowledge or misconceptions students have about soil.

Materials:
​For each student or group: Pencil, clipboard, trowel, Activity Sheet, bug boxes (optional).

Soil Microbes Lab

Objective
To understand that millions of microorganisms live in a handful of soil and these microorganisms, some too small to see with the naked eye, eat organic matter such as grass clippings, fallen plant leaves, and algae. In doing so, they reduce dead organic matter on Earth's surface and release nutrients from the decomposing organic matter for living plants to use.

Time 15-30 minutes to perform initial activity steps. Then 30 minutes, once each week for four weeks, to observe changes, make comparisons, and write down observations.

Materials and Tools

• 2 Handfuls of grass clippings
  
• 1 cup of potting soil
  
• 2 zip-closing plastic bags
  
• A sharp pencil
  
• ​A teaspoon 
  

Preparation
Conduct a discussion about microbes, their composition, what they do, and where they are found in the natural environment. Discuss the decomposition of dead organic matter, toxins and pesticides. Discuss their relationship with plants, the importance of microorganisms, and what would occur if they were not present in the food chain.

Background
The existence of soil is a primary component in the decomposition of dead organic matter. Soil needs to be at a minimum temperature and moisture level for active decomposition to occur. Air must be available for microorganisms to respire and decompose the dead organic matter. Over time, dead organic matter is reduced in size and volume, continually keeping Earth's surface clear of dead debris.

Composting is the process through which microbes in soil transform dead organic material, such as dead plants and animals, into humus. Humus is an important source of soil nutrients. Gardeners make compost piles by placing layers of kitchen scraps and dead plants in between layers of garden soil. The soil provides a place for soil microbes to live and to decompose dead organic matter. Earthworms contribute by helping to digest the dead organic matter and excreting it as casts which are also rich in nutrients.

Procedure

1. Place one handful of grass clippings in each of two plastic bags.
2. In one bag, add a cup of fresh potting soil and mix well. In the other, leave the clippings as they are. Seal both bags.
3. With a pencil, carefully poke 5-10 air holes in each side of each plastic bag. Be careful not to poke yourself.
4. Place the bags in a dark place. Once each week, open the bags and add a teaspoon of water.
5. After one week open the bags and look inside. Look closely at the grass. Aside from being dirty in the soil bag, does the grass in either bag look like it has changed from when you placed it in the bag initially? Write down your observations. Close the bags and put them back into a dark place.
6. After one more week, open the bags and look closely again at the grass in each bag. Compare what you see. Write down your observations. Close the bags and put them back into a dark place.
7. Continue to observe the bags for the next few weeks. Write down your observations and explain what you think is happening to the grass, and what is going on in the soil.

Conclusion

1. What has happened to the grass that was initially placed in the soil? What happened to the grass without soil?
2. Over time, what is occurring to the grass in the soil? What is occurring to grass that has no soil?
3. What role do air, water, and temperature play in the decomposition process? If the air, water, and temperature levels are low what do you think will happen or won’t happen to the grass, soil, and microorganisms living in the soil?

Soil Microbes Lab (PDF)

​Discover some of the wide variety of organisms living in the soil by using two techniques to extract large and small arthropods from the soil. Students may identify the organisms, estimate numbers, or compare populations in different places.

Observing Soil Macroinvertebrates (PDF)

Welcome to the Underground Adventure Web site, a unique set of online soil education and biodiversity activities that invites students to develop and test a hypothesis about soil ecosystems in their neighborhood.

Through the activities on this Web site, students will decide on a research question, propose a hypothesis, establish a study site at their school, conduct field research, take notes on their findings in a scientific journal, and modify their hypothesis based on what they find. More importantly, they will interact with the world around them in new and exciting ways.

Each activity provided on this site is designed as a stand-alone learning opportunity that can fit in with your existing curriculum and lesson plans—or you can combine multiple activities into a cohesive curriculum unit on the physical properties and biodiversity of soil. This program was developed as a fifth-grade environmental science curriculum. However, the activities are interdisciplinary and are appropriate for grades 3-8.

The Goals of Underground Adventure:

• To combine outdoor education with technology to create a unique learning experience
• To teach the scientific method by investigating soils and underground life
• To create soil education materials that help educators meet existing Illinois state learning standards
• To interest young people in careers in science
• To sow the seeds of environmental literacy and stewardship in a broad range of communities

Why Do Outdoor Soil Studies With Your Students?
Children are innately interested in the natural world in which they live. Seeing a new creature, rock, or constellation for the first time, students are often motivated to turn voluntarily to their textbooks to learn more about their discoveries. The quest for the who, what, and how of the world's mysteries can be an exciting adventure in learning.

There is no more highly stimulating setting than the outdoor classroom. No books can rival the vividness of the real world. Outdoor learning involves all of the senses and changes with the seasons.

By studying nature, students can see themselves as part of the natural world rather than removed or separate from it. Students may then develop a sense of responsibility for the world in which they live and on which they depend for survival. Meaningful outdoor learning experiences may lead to a more environmentally literate society. Who knows? One of your students may grow up to solve some of our most pressing environmental dilemmas.

Scientific Inquiry
The activities in the Underground Adventure Web site guide students through an outdoor field study of soil life and some of the variables that affect soil biodiversity. Through these activities, students will gain experience in scientific skills such as hypothesis, observation, and inference. When done together as a unit of study, the activities are designed to help students answer this research question: What is the relationship between the soil's physical properties, environmental and human factors, and soil biodiversity? However, each activity is written as a stand-alone lesson so that you can focus your study of soil biodiversity on one or more variables as best fits your time and your students' needs. Simply tailor the research question to reflect the activities you will do or choose activities that will help answer research questions posed by students. In addition, this set of activities can serve as a model after which students can design their own inquiry to study a research question that interests them.

Getting Started
Your students will need the following resources as they get ready to conduct soil research through the activities provided below:

• Field Journal
  Students will learn why scientists use field journals, take a peek at some field journals from Field Museum scientists, and start their own field journals. Time: 30 minutes
  • Worksheet: Journal Cover 
  • Worksheet: Field Study 
• Field Site
  Students will learn why a good field site is so important to field work. A Field Museum scientist will share his secret for finding a good field site. Then students will have an opportunity to try finding a good site for a soil study. Time: 30 minutes
  • Worksheet: Field Site Description 
• Setting Up Quadrants
  For several of the activities in their soil exploration, students will need to set up quadrants—50 cm x 50 cm squares in which to test the soil. This activity guides students through setting up a quadrant. Time: 15 minutes
• Field Guide
  The Underground Adventure Field Guide has information about soil types and soil critters students are likely to encounter in their soil explorations.Time: Varies

Activities

• Soil Properties Overview
  This section includes information about soil types and soil compaction, as well as other information students need for testing the physical properties of the soil at their field site. All of the activities in this section use the following worksheets:
  • • Soil Properties Overview 
    • Soil Properties Data 
  • Texture Test
    In this activity, students will determine the composition of the soil by feeling the texture of the soil. They will then use these data to classify the soil as sand, silt, or clay. Time: 30-45 minutes
    • Worksheet: Texture-by-Feel Analysis of Soil 
  • Mud Shake
    In this activity, students will determine the composition of the soil by separating the soil particles into layers. They will then classify the soil as sand, silt, or clay. Time: 15-20 minutes, over two days
  • Soil Temperature
    In this activity, students will measure and record the soil temperature at their field site over time. Time: 15-20 minutes
  • Compaction Test
    In this activity, students will measure and record how far a pencil can be pushed into the soil at their field site. Students will use these data to infer the degree of compaction of the soil.
    Time: 15-20 minutes
    
  • Percolation Test
    In this activity, students will measure and record how long it takes water to soak into the soil at the selected field site. Students will use these data to infer the degree of compaction of the soil. Time: 45-60 minutes
    
• Factors That Affect the Soil Overview
  This section includes an overview of environmental and human factors that can affect the physical properties and biodiversity of soil. These factors are variables—your students can measure and track these variables over time as part of their research on the physical properties and/or biodiversity at their field site. All of the activities in this section use the following worksheet:
  • • Factors That Affect the Soil Overview 
      
  • Air Temperature
    In this activity, students will measure and record the air temperature at their field site over time. Time: 5-10 minutes
    • Worksheet: Environmental Factors 
      
  • Cloud Cover
    In this activity, students will measure and record the percentage of cloud cover at their field site over time. Time: 5-10 minutes
    • Worksheet: Environmental Factors 
      
  • Food Source Habitat
    In this activity, students will research the main food sources for four soil critters and match each critter to the soil habitat type best suited to its food source needs. Time: 60-90 minutes
    • Information Sheet: What Do Your Backyard Critters Eat? 
      
    • Information Sheet: Habitats in Your Backyard 
      
    • Worksheet: Critter Food Source 
      
    • Worksheet: Food Source Habitat 
      
  • Ground Cover
    In this activity, students will practice mapping skills, increase spatial reasoning and estimation, and gain an understanding of the soil environments at their field site. Time: 60-90 minutes
    • Worksheet: Map Your Field Site 
      
    • Worksheet: Ground Cover 
      
    • Information Sheet: Habitats in Your Backyard 
      
• Soil Biodiversity Overview
  This section includes information about soil organisms and other information students need for observing and identifying the soil critters they find at their field site. The activities in this section use the following worksheet:
  • Soil Biodiversity Overview 
    
  • Looking for Life
    In this activity, students will look for, identify and count the organisms found in soil samples from their field site. Time: 45-60 minutes
    • Worksheet: Looking for Life 
      
  • Rock Flip
    In this activity, students will sample the soil critter population at their field site by flipping over a board or rock and counting the different types of critters they find. Time: 30-45 minutes on two days
    • Worksheet: Rock Flip 
      
• Worm Bins
  This resource provides information on starting a worm bin in your classroom.
  

Field Museum Underground Adventure

These lesson plans will help teachers achieve the objectives of this program, which are to help students:

• Understand the basic ecology and functioning of both tropical and temperate rain forests.
• Recognize the value of rain forests, their resiliency, and the challenges they face due to human impacts.
• Be motivated to explore, study, and understand the ecosystems where they live.
• Understand that National Forests are public lands, managed for all, with unique management challenges. 

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Animals - Diversity

​Can It Be Real

• A beetle that drinks fog.
• A flower that smells like rotting meat.
• A fish that "shoots down" its prey.

Are these plans and animals for real? In this activity, your students will discover extraordinary plants and animals and will gain insight on how they are uniquely adapted to environmental conditions. Can It Be Real (PDF)

Charting Diversity
By exploring the amazing diversity of life on Earth, your students will discover how plants and animals are adapted for survival. This activity provides a basis for understanding why there are so many different species and the value of biological diversity. Charting Diversity (PDF)
​
Planet of Plenty
In this activity, students will pretend they are visitors from outer space, viewing life on Earth for the first time. By describing in minute detail all the life they find in a small plot of land, they will become more aware of the diversity of life on Earth and will better understand its importance. Planet of Plenty (PDF)

Teeter-Totter
Students stage a simple puppet show between two spotted sandpipers -- one from Puerto Rico and one from Alaska. Students learn about the temperate and tropical rain forests ecosystems through the dialogue between the characters. Teeter Totter (PDF)

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Animals - Food Web

Forest Food Web
Students introduce themselves as elements of a forest ecosystem and link with the other elements they need to form a forest food web. Forest Food Web (PDF)
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​Tropical Forest Food Chain
Students explore one way that interdependency is seen in tropical forests, using food chains present in the Caribbean National Forest. Tropical Forest Food Chain (PDF)

Web of Life
Students take a close look at one particular ecosystem (a forest) and discover the ways that plans and animals are connected to each other. By substituting the appropriate information, you can use this activity to study other ecosystems, such as oceans, deserts, marshes, or praries. Web of Life (PDF)

What's for Dinner?
Student groups brainstorm and create the longest consumer-consumed food chain possible using either magazine pictures or research materials. What's for Dinner? (PDF)

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Animals - Niche

Forest Scavenger Hunt
Students take part in an outdoor scavenger hunt to identify and review roles of organisms that make up a forest ecosystem. Forest Scavenger Hunt (PDF)
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Animals - Habitat Destruction

I Depend on You. You Depend on Me.
Forests are made up of thousands of organisms and non-living elements that are crucial in maintaining the integrity of a forest. At present, fragmentation is one of the biggest problems facing our forests. In this activity, students will represent some of the forest's elements. Through telling a story, students will perceive how fragmentation affects the quality of live of all living things. I Depend on Your. You Depend on Me. (PDF)
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