The Dirt on Dirt

What natural disaster did the Gerat Plains suffer from in the 1930s that affected their soil?

• tornado

• hurricane

• drought

• earthquake

Look back on page 338.

"Soil helps store and move __________ and __________ through the earth".

• chemicals

• nutrients

• water

• seeds

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.1

What does the text explain as a "necessity"?

• rain

• living things

• water

• healthy soil

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RI.5.4

Look back at the section called "Horizons of Soil".

What allows water to gradually seep into the earth?

• humus

• minerals

• the layers of the soil

• particles of rock

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.1

The text states "These layers allow water to gradually seep into the earth..."

What is a synonym for the word seep?

• stick

• flow

• absorb

• dry up

Tags

CCSS.L.5.4A

CCSS.L.5.5C

CCSS.RI.5.4

Look at the images on page 339.

What is the first layer of soil called?

• topsoil

• subsoil

• sustratum

• bedrock

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.4

GRAMMAR CHECK:

Read the sentence below from the text.

"These dust storms devastated the land, sending farmers and their families elsewhere".

Which word is a possessive pronoun?

• these

• and

• their

• families

On page 339, what substance are people today more aware of conserving?

• water

• animals

• soil

• plants

In the section called "Gaining Ground", the text states that water and soil are sometimes polluted by _________.

• the use of pesticides on crops

• harmful organisms

• soil nutrients

• bedrock

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.1

In "Gaining Ground", what TWO WAYS does the text say farmers help to keep soil healthy?

• by alternating crops so soil nutrients are not used up

• use of pesticides on crops

• governments and industries are working to develop safer chemicals

• plant trees as barriers that will keep the wind from blowing the soil away

Tags

CCSS.RI.5.1

CCSS.RI.5.2