Pinchbeck
From Soil to Sprouts: A Hands-On Exploration of Plant Growth through Student-Driven Soil Testing and Seed Planting
Henrico Learner Profile (HLP) 6C Focus
Grade Level - Third
SOL/Standard - The student will investigate and understand soil that is important to ecosystems. Including soil with its different components, is important to organisms; and soil provides support and nutrients necessary for plant growth.
Learning Experience
Students began by learning about soil. Then they brought in soil from their home, and we collected soil from our school garden. We spent time testing our soil to determine if it needed any nutrients. Students planted seeds in their non-fertilized soil, and then in soil they had added fertilizer to. We did a virtual visit with a farmer in North Carolina. Students got to hear how to grow crops in living soil, and learned about no-till farming.
What did the student(s) learn about this experience:
"I learned there are different layers of soil" - Bradley
"I learned that soil is very important to everything and it can help animals." - Ashlinn
"Soil is one thing most needed in life, but so forgotten." - Anna Lee
What did the teacher enjoy about this experience:
"The way this project connected to real-life situations really excited my students. They learned the science behind why plants grow and how to use that information to grow healthier crops for our school garden." - Kent Dohrman
Additional Pictures, Media & Artifacts
Becoming experts on our soil articles.
Sharing what we learned about soil.
There is a worm in here!
Using magnifying glasses to investigate the soil.
Getting our soil ready to test.
Nitrogen tests!
Our guest speaker, Kara sharing how important soil is to her farm.
Listening to our guest speaker who owns a farm.
Thank you to the innovators who helped make this experience possible:
Kent Dohrman, Third Grade Teacher
Sarah Hardymon, Innovative Learning Coach
