"The Soil Around Us" project introduces collaborative reading, writing and groupwork processes, such as brainstorming, labeling, mapping and storyboarding. Computer-based activities emphasize multimedia skills, such as creating and editing drawings, photos and text, and introduce basic Internet navigation skills. Click below to see the lesson plan for each of the eight sessions.

"The Soil Around Us" is an inquiry-based project. Children will formulate questions to which they want to find answers. The adult facilitators will help the children figure out how to find the answers, do the investigations and document what they have learned.

The project can be adapted to a variety of interests and ways of working. It can be done in sequence or out of sequence, in parts or as one continuous, connected project. Because many out-of-school programs follow an academic calendar of winter, spring and summer terms, an 8-week project is suggested. Assuming a typical term of 12 to 13 weeks, this schedule allows extra time for field trips; preparatory activities, such as group introductions; closure activities, such as family nights; and extension activities.

Overview

"The Soil Around Us" is designed for 9- to 11-year-olds. The environment, environmental protection, animal and plant life, natural systems and life cycles make up common themes in children's schoolwork, in the literature and media they are exposed to and in their personal lives. The project can be adapted for other age groups by selecting age-appropriate reading material, group activities, Web sites and software.

Formulating questions

The adult facilitators will help the children identify questions that they want to investigate for the project. Questions could be broad, such as:

• Where can we find dirt?
• What is dirt made of?
• What things live in dirt?
• Are there different kinds of dirt?
• What things need dirt to grow?
• What grows in dirt?
• How can we use dirt?
• Is dirt different in different places in the world?
• Where does dirt come from?

Or questions could be specific to a particular topic, such as:

• Why do worms come out of the dirt when it rains?
• What do ants do in an anthill?
• What happens during the winter to moles and other animals that live underground?

Outcomes

Groups doing this project will have the option to make one or more of the following products:

• Multimedia presentations
• A Web site
• Short videos
• Community maps
• A worm-based recycling bin
• A terrarium

Participants will also create the following individual products:

• Journals
• Field trip journals

Goals

Children doing this project will achieve the following goals:

• Increased vocabulary as they describe and come to understand terms and concepts related to soil and underground life
• Increased ability to perform such social skills as sharing, listening, taking turns and assisting others
• New factual and qualitative information about soil and underground life
• Increased ability to present information in multimedia formats
• Increased skill in using multimedia authoring software and the Internet

Components

• Reading: Children will read and be read to during every session.
• Writing: Children will practice writing during every session.
• Oral presentation: Children will practice speaking in front of a group and listening to others while they are speaking.
• Presentation of mathematical data: Children will have the option to collect, analyze and organize numeric information during one or more sessions.
• Organizing information: Children will sort and categorize information on maps and charts.
• Visual communication: Children will take and edit photos, draw by hand, and draw using software tools.

Preparation

Children who participate in "The Soil Around Us" should be organized into groups with no more than a three-year age span. The activities are not recommended for 5-year-olds (or for any children who have not yet enrolled in, or completed, first grade) because the activities require beginning reading skills, the ability to work independently for short periods of time and the ability to work in a group and with a partner. Because levels of skill and maturity vary, adult facilitators should exercise their best judgment when placing children into groups.

A reference book on teaching and child development will help adult facilitators make decisions about how to customize the project activities for their groups. Check out Yardsticks: Children in the Classroom Ages 4-14: A Resource for Parents and Teachers, by Chip Wood (Northeast Foundation for Children, 1997), or a similar resource.

Children enrolled in a group should be expected to participate consistently throughout the whole project. The group should meet to work on project activities on regularly scheduled days and times, and children should start and end the activities as a group.

If the project is started with a group of children who have never worked together, it is highly recommended that the group spend the first few sessions doing community building activities to help children get to know each other and the adult facilitator. Community builders are also important for groups of children who know each other but who are new to working on a project together.

Children should be organized into groups with an adult facilitator-to-child ratio no greater than 1 to 20 and no less than 1 to 8. Ratios should be determined according to the comfort level of the adult facilitator and the needs and comfort level of the children.

The group will need a comfortable space in which to conduct project activities. Preferably, this space should have at least one large table and several chairs for writing, drawing and other sit-down activities. The group will need secure space to store project supplies and to hang materials such as drawings and maps.

A reference book on drawing techniques will help adult facilitators coach participants through activities that involve drawing and graphics. Check out Drawing for Older Children and Teens: A Creative Method That Works for Adult Beginners, Too, by Mona Brookes (J P Tarcher, 1996), or a similar resource.

Books

The following children's books are listed in the session plans as recommended reading:

• Filet of Soil, by Barry Rudner
  This is a rhyming story about the characteristics and virtues of soil. Includes a glossary of soil-related words.
  
  
• A Handful of Dirt, by Raymond Bial
  Explains how soil is created through natural decomposition processes and describes the living organisms in soil. Features great color photographs of different kinds of soil, plants, insects and animals that live in soil, and microorganisms.
  
  
• Sand, by Ellen Prager
  Explains how different types of sand are created, where sand can be found and how it gets there. The pictures combine drawings with color photographs. Includes instructions on how to make sand.
  
  
• One Small Square Backyard, by Donald Silver
  A guidebook on outdoor education activities that can be conducted in a backyard. Features great illustrations and detailed descriptions of the insects, plants and animals that can be found in a typical backyard. Includes suggestions for simple science exploration activities such as making leaf rubbings and growing mold.
  
  
• Our Endangered Planet: Soil, by Suzanne Winckler
  Discusses how different types of soil have been endangered through farming, mining and grazing. Includes a glossary and color photographs.
  

Books with similar themes can be added or substituted. It is recommended that the reading materials feature characters and settings that reflect the culture and ethnicity of the children doing the project. Click here for other recommended books.

Materials

Specific supplies needed for each project activity are listed in the session plans. It is helpful to have the following items on hand:

• Scissors (child and adult size)
• Clipboards
• Glue sticks
• Post-it pads
• Masking tape
• Scotch tape
• Index cards
• Loose white copy paper
• Colored construction paper
• Thin felt-tip colored markers
• Thick colored markers
• Pencils
• Pens
• Single hole-punch
• Ball of string
• Rulers
• Manila folders
• Poster board
• Newsprint pads or flip chart paper
• Composition books or spiral notebooks (Composition books are preferable because they are more durable than spiral notebooks.)

It is helpful to have a children's dictionary; a standard adult dictionary; a thesaurus; and a map of the world, a globe or an atlas. Children should be encouraged to use online dictionaries, encyclopedias and map sites. It is also helpful to have a cassette recorder to record sounds and play tapes. A hand-held recorder can be used during field trips and in the classroom to record interviews, music or interesting sounds.

Technical needs

Check our recommendations for computer software for project-based learning and the suggested software listed in each session's plan. Regardless of the specific application, it is recommended that the following types of software programs be made available:

• A program that young children can use to draw freehand and manipulate clip art (KidPix or a similar application)
• A program that children can use to make multimedia presentations (KidPix, HyperStudio, PowerPoint or a similar application)
• A program that children can use to edit digital photos (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Photodeluxe, Microsoft PhotoEditor or a similar application)
• A word processor that can import drawings and photos (Microsoft Word, Broderbund Print Shop or a similar application)
• A program that young children can use to make graphs and charts. The Graph Club by Tom Synder Productions is specifically designed for children from kindergarten through fourth grade. A business application that makes graphs and charts, such as Microsoft Excel or ClarisWorks, could also be used.
• A WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) Web publishing program (Netscape Composer, Dreamweaver or a similar application)

You'll need a PC of at least Pentium I speed or an equivalent Macintosh (an iMac or Power Mac). It is helpful to have computers that are outfitted with sound cards (most computers that can run multimedia software and the Internet have these cards.) It is also helpful to have at least one microphone that can be plugged into a computer to record sound.

These lessons do not require one computer per participant. For many activities, it is recommended that participants share computers with a partner to benefit from peer coaching. Participants can rotate between computer and noncomputer activities during a project session.

Activities that require access to the Internet (email and the Web) can be done with just one Internet connection, if necessary. If computers, certain software or the Internet is not available, other activities can be substituted.

For prices and recommendations on digital cameras, check vendor sites or go to CNet. The Sony Digital Mavica MVC FD81 series camera is an excellent choice because it stores pictures on removable floppy disks. Cameras with floppy disk recording capabilities are more expensive but easier to use than cameras that must be hooked up to a computer to download the pictures. The Sony Digital Mavica FD81 can also record short video clips (up to 60 seconds) with sound. Check vendor sites for prices.

If a digital camera is not available, a Polaroid camera (classic or iZone) makes a good substitute.