LESSON CLASS (SMART PLANT GROWTH) SOIL TESTING

Lesson Plan

Teacher Ramón Guerra

Unit/Topic: Soil Testing (Smart Plant Growth)         Date: July 25^th, 2019

Key Learning Area: Science                                          Year Level: 4º

At the end of the session students will be able to understand that testing soil is a way farmers can ensure growth of healthy crops. 

LESSON STRUCTURE:

Time	Introduction (Set):	Teaching Approaches
5 min.	Activator Questions and answers hunt Students pick cards with either questions or answers. Then, they will take some minutes looking for the person who has the answer for the question or the question for the answer. Finally, each match will say their question and answer to check if this match is correct or not.	Grouping strategies

Time	Main Content: theory	Teaching Approaches
10 min	What is soil? / Layers of the soil / Importance of fertile soil for the ecosystem / Characteristics of healthy soil / Soil testing: organic materials (humus), ph, sediments, texture, type of soil, permeability, moisture, etc.  / Ensuring crops through the method: smart plant growth. General conditions to take into account when planting: weather (precipitation, temperature) type of soil.	Building knowledge
Time 25 min	Main Content: activity Outcomes: which type of soil has more organic material? Which type of soil has less organic material? Comparing amount of nutrients (humus) in soil. Materials: three different soil samples (sand, silt, clay), hydrogen peroxide. Procedure: Add about 5 ml of hydrogen peroxide in each sample of soil. Observe the chemical reactions (take notes using the sheet given), use an stopwatch to estimate how much time the chemical reaction occur. Write conclusions based on observations and be ready to discuss.	Teaching Approaches Science demonstration
Time 10 min.	Discussion and drawing conclusions The whole class will actively comment what they have learned. What soil has much more organic material? How do you know? Which soil has less organic material? How do you know? What plants can grow in this type of soil? List plants per kind of soil	What plants can grow in clay, silt and sand?

Time	Conclusion:	Brainstorming
5 min	How using the Smart Plant Growth technique can contribute in having healthy food for populations? Think more: Pesticides and hormone use for plant care and growth can influence negatively in human health. How can we avoid using them and let plants grow in a healthy way?

 

Resources

(Include equipment required for class and/or for teacher preparation)

Lap top / data show or tv (hdmi adapter) PC / wifi connection Work sheets (Q&A cards, observations sheet, action plan sheet) Cell phones with IQ reader Soil samples (clay, silt, sand) in three containers Hydrogen peroxide Paper tissues Stopwatch

REFLECTION

 

OBSERVATION SHEET

Observe the chemical reactions. Check the correct answer.

Sand

1.        Bubble formations

___ no bubbles at all     ___ few bubbles      ___ a lot of bubbles

2.        How much time did the bubbles last?

___ no bubbles ___ less than 1 min ___ more than 1 min ____ more than 5 min

Silt

1.        Bubble formations

___ no bubbles at all     ___ few bubbles      ___ a lot of bubbles

2.        How much time did the bubbles last?

___ no bubbles ___ less than 1 min ___ more than 1 min ____ more than 5 min

Clay

1.        Bubble formations

___ no bubbles at all     ___ few bubbles      ___ a lot of bubbles

2.        How much time did the bubbles last?

___ no bubbles ___ less than 1 min ___ more than 1 min ____ more than 5 min

Conclusions

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