Teaching about the Soil Cycle

 

STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
-Explain concept of soil cycles to younger students.
-Develop communication and teaching skills.

GUIDING QUESTION:  How can we teach others about soil cycles? 

MATERIALS:
- SECRETS of our Forest/Shrub-Steppe Home lesson plan (Lesson 7: Soil Cycle)
Note: In order to coordinate lessons with the high school curriculum, students will teach Lessons 6 and 7 (Cycles) before Lessons 4 and 5 (Adaptations).
- Lesson materials noted in SECRETS of our Forest/Shrub-Steppe Home lesson (Lesson 7: Soil Cycle)

CLASS ACTIVITIES:
Day 1: Organize
1. Lead your students through the lesson activities in the SECRETS Soil Cycle lesson. Point out specific things to be conscious about when teaching.
2. Hand out lesson plan to students. (You may also do this the day before and have students read the lesson plan for homework.)
3. Have students break into groups. Pair up the groups, so that one group (the stewards) teaches the lesson activities to another group (the students). After each activity, the group of "students" should give constructive criticism to the "stewards."
Alternatives:
1. Have students teach younger students about the soil cycle by having them play the nutrient board games. In order to reinforce the concepts of nutrients cycling, at the close of class the younger students should be given an assignment: Write a story from the viewpoint of a nutrient, describing how you cycle through living and non-living parts of the ecosystem. Students can leave the game boards in the classroom for younger students to consult while writing their stories.

Day 2: Share
1. Your students teach the lessons to a classroom of younger students.
2. If time allows, students should critique the experience immediately after teaching. What was most challenging? What was most enjoyable? What can they do to be better teachers in the next lesson?