Years 8 - 9

Soil, and Soil Health

Overview

Soil forms at the surface of rock – it is the ‘skin of the earth’; a complex mixture of inorganic minerals originating from rock, water and air, and organic matter containing countless live organisms, and decaying remains of once-living things. It is an ecosystem; a living environment that supports and feeds life. A focus on Wheatbelt soils has students assessing the nature of different soils.

Outcomes

• rock, and the nature of soil

• the special case of Wheatbelt soils

• how science works, the search for the missing trace element in southern soils

• measure organic matter, moisture content in relation to particle size, salinity, and acidity

• explore micro and macroinvertebrates in soil

• assess health and biodiversity in 2 different soils

Curriculum Links

• Use scientific knowledge and findings from investigations to evaluate claims based on evidence (ACSIS132)

• Identify questions and problems that can be investigated scientifically and make predictions based on scientific knowledge (ACSIS139)

• Measure and control variables, select equipment appropriate to the task and collect data with accuracy (ACSIS141)

• Summarise data, from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, and use scientific understanding to identify relationships and draw conclusions based on evidence (ACSIS145)

• Reflect on scientific investigations including evaluating the quality of the data collected, and identifying improvements (ACSIS146)

• Use scientific knowledge and findings from investigations to evaluate claims based on evidence (ACSIS234)

• Interactions between organisms can be described in terms of food chains and food webs; human activity can affect these interactions (ACSSU112)

• Identify questions and problems that can be investigated scientifically and make predictions based on scientific knowledge (ACSIS124)

• Measure and control variables, select equipment appropriate to the task and collect data with accuracy (ACSIS126)

• Construct and use a range of representations, including graphs, keys and models to represent and analyse patterns or relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS129)

• Summarise data, from students’ own investigations and secondary sources, and use scientific understanding to identify relationships and draw conclusions based on evidence (ACSIS130)