Soil Tent Teacher Guide
General Overview:
Purpose: Encourage the sciences in elementary schools and integration with the arts through an interactive traveling Soil Tent.
Overview: Students will engage in research about soils, soil layers and profiles, and soils in different habitats and then (optional) work with an artist or their art teacher to create soil-inspired art.
Grade Level: K-4
NGSS Standards Addressed: See the Soil Tent Activities and Implementation Guide
Contact: Beth Young [email protected]
How to Get Started:
1. Look over our Soil Tent Activities and Implementation Guide, and lesson plans, and background information below to get ideas for your particular educational setting.
2. Review our Overview flyer for administrators and educators- share with colleagues what you're trying to bring to your school/organization.
3. Contact Beth Young [email protected] to inquire about the Soil Tent availability and help in how it could work in your educational setting.
Ideas for Classroom or Community Implementation:
Pre-Visit Activities
Soil Exploration
Hands-on Soil Learning Activities
Soil Tent lesson plans for preK - 4th graders- see how NH educator Sarah Wisecarver uses the Soil Tent in her school
Soil Tent Activity Flow Chart- need a visual? See the full sequence of available activities here!
After the Tent visit, students can go further:
Extension Activities
Creating Soil Murals and Soil Art
Background Information for Teacher:
GLOBE The Scoop on Soils- in the back of the book, check out the "Teachers Notes"
Elementary GLOBE Soils lesson plans
GLOBE Soils Introduction- more extensive soils content
NH State Soil is the “Marlow”
Why are NH and VT soils so different?
NH Fish and Game soil resource for kids
Using a Science Notebook (from UNH Cooperative Extension).
Materials Provided in the Soil Tent Kit:
- Soil Tent: pop-up tent with soil mural panels to simulate going underground into the soil
- Soil samples of sand, silt, and clay
- Soil Auger
- Soil Corer
- Small Shovel
- Glad containers for soil samples
- GLOBE soil color books (5)
- Screens with three mesh sizes (6 sets)
- Rulers and magnifying lenses
- Carpet tape
- “Dirt on Soil” binder – extra soil activities and content resources
Information on Tent Set-up and Care can be found here.
More information about:
Elementary GLOBE Soils Website: www.globe.gov/web/elementary-globe/overview/soils
Optional: Become a GLOBE Trained Teacher: GLOBE Pedosphere (Soil) Protocol eTraining (recommended: Soil Characterization)
NOTE: This Site contains links to other Web sites that do not belong to the Earth Around Us: Soil Tent Program ("third-party sites"). Any third-party site is outside the domain and not under the control of the Earth Around Us. These links are provided only as a convenience. This program is not responsible for the content or use of any third-party site or any linked site contained within the third-party site, or any changes or updates thereto.