Super Soil Project Based Learning

This is a Project Based Learning activity that teaches students about the three different types of soil, soil absorption, shape retention, pH of soil and growing plants. It focuses on collaborative learning through hands-on experiences for students to engage in their learning. Students will plan and create several mini-projects in each content area that combine together to create the final project! Students will be encompassed in learning about soil in every content area- reading, writing, math and science!

Project Based Learning: Super Soil Project

This also includes differentiated activities, math skills, reading, research, writing, vocabulary, problem solving, aligned with Common Core, and extension activities.

This project is based around the idea of students creating a soil mixture to best grow Black-Eyed Susans for a local nursery using many academic skills to create a unique learning opportunity that applies to real-life situations.

Students will be required to use deep and complex thinking to solve problems, learn new vocabulary using Thinking Maps, answer analysis questions, participate in hands-on learning activities, understand Cause & Effect, conduct research, test soil, collect data, write a creative narrative story and organize their products into a presentable final product with their collaborative learning group!

There are several versions of this project to fit higher and lower level learners, while also allowing both to be successful.

Each student can have their own packet and work at their own rate (or they can do this in groups). Packets can be stapled, bound, or even placed inside cardboard paper to create a design booklet.

Super Soil Project focuses on many aspects of common core in math, text features, writing, and even literacy.

p7: Cover Page

p8: Student Recruitment Letter

p9: Soil Brainstorm

p10-11: Soil Vocabulary

p12: Flourishing Flowers

p13: Soil Sort

p14: Compare and Contrast

p15: Jobs

p16-25: Part 1: The Research

p26: Part 2: The Soil

p27: Shape Retention

p28-29: Water Absorption

p30-31: Soil pH

p32-34: Part 3: The Data

p35-43: Part 4: The Worm Diary (4 different levels provided)

p44-49: Rubrics