English National Curriculum Science - Previous Lessons Science

4. Describe what soils are made of

Mission Objectives

Recognise that soils are made from rocks and organic matter

Recall different types of soil

Rocket Words Quiz

See if you know all the meanings of the rocket words

Assessment Quiz

Test your knowledge of this lesson

Word Search Game

Find all the rocket words in the grid

Lesson Resources

Keywords

Words and meanings to learn

peat

A dark, crumbly soil which holds water well.

clay soil

A slightly orange soil which holds its shape when squeezed. Water does not drain through clay soil easily.

chalky soil

A light coloured, dry and rocky soil which does not hold water well.

sandy soil

A slightly yellow soil which feels dry and fine. It does not hold water well.

soil texture

The way a soil feels.

This lesson has been written by

Jonathan Badgery

Jonathan is a leading science writer and presenter. Having attended military school in the UK, Jon attended the University of East Anglia in the UK, where he gained his BSc in Chemical Physics. Following this, Jon completed his PGCE (Post-graduate Certificate of Education), teaching science and leading physics in large city secondary schools in the UK.

Jon is a passionate scientist and specialises in science communication; delivering CPD workshops, science lectures, shows and community science days.

Paul Usher

Paul studied English Literature at Nottingham Trent University and gained his PGCE (Post-graduate Certificate of Education) at the University of East Anglia. Following this, Paul had a successful teaching career, leading English across two large secondary schools and then becoming Vice Principal. He has led several schemes in cross-curricular literacy and has also led teaching and learning in a school, overseeing teacher training and development. Paul has also lectured at universities for graduate teachers.

At Developing Experts, Paul oversees the strategic direction of the curriculum and uses his creativity to structure the teaching and learning strategy. He also edits for accuracy in literacy and liaises with translation services to ensure a high-quality end product.

Mike Linley

Mike studied zoology and botany at Durham University and followed this with 3 years of postgraduate study at Bristol University with the Science Research Council.

Mike uses his vast experience to add knowledge and engagement to Developing Experts, particularly within the disciplines of biology and zoology. He has over 20 years TV production experience, including writing and producing nature programmes for the Disney channel and, for a period of time, was Sir David Attenborough’s scientific advisor.

Heather Bingham

Heather qualified with a first-class honours degree in climate science from the University of East Anglia. Since, she has joined Developing Experts as a writer and presenter, specialising in earth and environmental sciences.

She is also an internationally published science author, having written a series of CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) digital textbooks aimed at improving learners’ understanding of English whilst igniting an interest in science.

Required Resources

Four dry soil samples.

Filter paper

Funnel

Beaker

Water 

Hand washing facilities  

Handout

Handout - Mission to Write! Soil Descriptions

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