Essentials of Environmental Science: The Importance of Soil
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Provided by: Hot Mess|Published on: April 27, 2021
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Scientist Reviewed This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Synopsis
- This video from Hot Mess is about how soil formation, different types of soil, human activity's effect on soil, and soil's role in addressing climate change.
- Students will come away with an appreciation for soil and an understanding of its composition and importance for Earth's systems.
Subjects: Chemistry, Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
Authors: Hot Mess, PBS
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- It is broken into chapters at the bottom of the video, so teachers can skip around to the sections relevant to their lessons.
- The images, diagrams, and charts help the viewer better understand potentially unfamiliar topics.
Prerequisites
- Students should know what abiotic and biotic factors are.
- There is an ad before the video.
Differentiation & Implementation
- Students can use the information in the video to analyze soil in their schools or homes.
- Students in ELA classes can compare and contrast the terms soil and dirt, describing the different connotations of the words.
- Other resources on this topic include Lab 5: Soil and the Carbon Cycle, NASA's Earth Minute: Dishing the Dirt, and Sunlight Stored in Soil (In the Greenhouse #7).
This resource is a 12-minute video that presents an overview of soil science. The composition of soils and the processes that produce healthy, fertile soil are discussed, as well as what is needed for plant growth and sustainable agriculture. Finally, some examples of the ecosystem services performed by soil, including acting as a carbon sink, are discussed. This resource does not shy away from jargon but does an excellent job explaining terminology and making the topic approachable. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
Scientist Reviewed
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Our review process ensures that every resource in our library reflects the current state of climate science.
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