Formation of soil

Formation of soil

3.7A

Student Expectation

The student is expected to explore and record how soils are formed by weathering of rock and the decomposition of plant and animal remains.

Students you will allowed to use your yellow science book: STEMscopedia

Background & Parent Connection

Multiple Choice

Rocks near the ocean get broken into smaller pieces. What causes this change to these rocks?

• Leaves falling from trees

• Clouds forming in the sky

• Water crashing against the rocks

• Salt dissolving in the water

Multiple Choice

Which of the following processes will most likely contribute to the development of soil?

• Volcanic eruptions

• Building up of snow in very cold areas

• Migration of animals to warmer climates

• Breaking down of rock by wind, water, and ice

Multiple Choice

Which of the following locations would most likely produce soil with the greatest amount of organic matter?

• A desert with very high temperatures

• A prairie with lots of grasses and flowers

• A mountain with extremely cold winds

• A river with quickly moving water

Multiple Choice

Soil is composed of all of these natural materials EXCEPT-

• weathered rock

• plant matter

• plastic substances

• animal remains

Multiple Choice

Rock is broken into smaller and smaller pieces over time by all of the following forces EXCEPT-

• Flowing water

• Blowing wind

• Cooling sand

• Moving ice

Multiple Choice

One component of soil is decayed plant and animal remains, but the major component of soil is

• Fossil fuels

• Weathered rocks

• Iron ore

• Salt water

Multiple Choice

All of the following are plant remains EXCEPT-

• Dead leaves

• Dried twigs

• Sand particles

• Seed covers

Multiple Choice

Plants and animals become part of soil when they

• Die and decay

• Produce offspring

• Grow and develop

• Take in nutrients

Multiple Choice

The weathering of rocks into small pieces forms what natural resource?

• Minerals

• Water

• Coal

• Soil

Multiple Choice

How would the soil be different in an area that gets very little rainfall? The soil would contain

• much smaller pieces of rock

• many insects and worms

• a greater variety of plants

• less water and organic matter

Multiple Choice

How do plants contribute to the formation of soil? Plants

• cover the soil and shade it from sunlight.

• die, decompose and become part of the soil.

• use soil to grow and develop over time.

• support the animal life in the soil.

Multiple Choice

A student made a mixture of sand, tiny rocks, small twigs, and some leaves. This student has modeled

• how rocks change over time.

• life cycle of plants.

• the formation of soil.

• how landforms are created.

Multiple Select

Is dirt all the same?

• no

• yes

Fill in the Blanks

The process of breaking down Earth's rocks into smaller and smaller pieces is called

Multiple Select

Weathering can happen in different ways. It can happen by physical and chemical changes.

• True

• False

Fill in the Blanks

When animals and plants

, they help return nutrients to the soil.

Multiple Select

Rock is weathered into different size soil particles.

• False

• True

Multiple Select

Soil types are the same in all areas.

• False

• True

Fill in the Blanks

Different soils have different ______ and ______ and they are made up different minerals.