Soil Retention

Soil Retention

All Soil contains:

• mineral particles

• organic matter (dead and decaying plants and animals)

• water

• air

The organic material in the soil provides nutrients to help plants grow.

Multiple Select

Soil contains (check all that apply):

• air

• organic material

• water

• mineral particles

Multiple Choice

Organic material is made of--

• sand

• live plants

• dead and decaying plants and animals

• rocks

Properties of:

• sand

• loam

• clay

Experiment

Question: Which type of soil will RETAIN the most water?

Poll

Hypothesis: I think _______ will retain the most water because ___________.

• sand

• loam

• clay

Variables

• Only ONE variable changes in an experiment

• Independent variable-the thing we change

• Dependent variable-the results

• Constants-Everything that stays the same (amount of soil, amount of water, time, etc.)

Multiple Choice

What is the independent variable in our experiment?

• water

• time

• type of soil

• amount of water retained

Multiple Choice

What is the dependent variable in our experiment?

• water

• type of soil

• amount of water retained

• time

Materials-For each trial you will need:

• 175 ml of each soil (loam, sand, clay)

• 3-175 ml measuring cups

• 3 coffee filter

• 3 funnels

• 3 large graduated cylinders; 3 medium graduated cylinders

• 300 ml water

• timer

Experiment

• Do the experiment (minimum 3 trials)

• Record the data

• Explain data using graphs/tables

• Explain results

• Conclusion-was your hypothesis right or wrong? Why is this important in the real world?