Recommended time
Minimum 60 minutes, maximum 90 minutes

Important: Prior to this session, review the Chicago Field Museum's Underground Network site. The site includes three soil experiment activities, on soil structure, scientific variables and organisms. Be sure to review the teacher's guide for suggestions on how to introduce and manage each activity.

It is strongly suggested that the field trip your group will take at the next session (Session 5) be aligned to the activities described in the Underground Network project. This "field trip" can be conducted in a patch of healthy grass or soil anywhere you can find it: right outside your building, in a backyard or at a neighborhood park.

To navigate through the Underground Network site, first click on and read "field site" and then "journal". Then you'll have access to the soil experiment activities, which are divided into the following three sections.

1. Soil structure

• Compaction test
• Percolation test
• Texture test
• Mudshake

2. Scientific variables

• Measure air temperature
• Measure soil temperature
• Measure cloud cover

3. Organisms

• Identify, count, draw and write about insects and worms found in the soil

The soil experiment activities can be done in one session or broken up into two or three sessions.

If your group has ideas for other field trips (e.g., a visit to a natural museum, park, beach or community garden), that's terrific!

For general suggestions on preparing for a field trip, check out the summary article on field trips.

Goals for the session

• Review books and Web materials for field trip
• Review roles and worksheets for field trip

Materials and equipment

• A computer with Internet and email access
• Digital camera(s)
• A copy of One Small Square Backyard by Donald Silver
• Copies of the Underground Network field trip journal worksheets
• Colored markers
• Composition books
• Pens
• Copies of daily newsletter templates

Part 1: Community Builders

What is it?
Check out the article on community builders for suggestions. Also see Session 1.

Part 2: Book Intro

What is it?
Use this time to introduce books that can be used as reference books for the field trip session and the field trip follow-up activities. One Small Square Backyard by Donald Silver, is highly recommended. Click here for other recommended books.

One Small Square is a guidebook on outdoor education activities that can be conducted in a backyard. It features great illustrations and detailed descriptions of the insects, plants and animals that can be found in a typical backyard. It also includes suggestions for simple science exploration activities such as making leaf rubbings and growing mold.

One Small Square is not good for reading aloud: It is written to provide instructions for and background information on outdoor education activities and is very detailed. Give a quick overview (no more than 2 to 3 minutes) of the book to the participants. Show them some of the pages, highlight particularly interesting parts and pass it around.

Part 3: Field Trip Journal Worksheet Review

What is it?
Explain how the worksheets for the soil experiment activities will be used.

How to
Make copies of the Underground Network Field Trip Journal Worksheets and pass out a complete set to each participant. Give an overview of each item on the sheets. It is helpful to have the soil experiment activity descriptions printed out as a reference.

Part 4: Web Review of Underground Network

What is it?
Review the Chicago Field Museum Underground Network Web site to build excitement and collect information about the field trip. The purpose of the trip will be to conduct soil experiments. Participants can review the Web site individually or in pairs. Afterward, bring the group back together to discuss what they have seen. How did the use of video clips, sound and photos enhance the content of the site? What communication tools (e.g., still camera, video camera or tape recorder) does the group want to use to document the soil experiments? Could the soil experiments be documented using graphs and charts? Drawings? Interviews with someone who knows a lot about soil or underground life? Record the students' ideas on a whiteboard or paper.

Other Web resources
Check out the tour, which includes videos, at the Micro Soil Lab Tour site. You'll also want to have the children click on the videos that demonstrate how to do the soil experiment activities.

Part 6: Journals

What is it?
Do a journal exercise that relates to preparing for a trip.

Sample exercises

• Imagine that you are a scientist going on a week-long trip to explore a cave deep underground. In words and drawings, show what you would bring for the trip.
• Imagine that you are an archeologist going on a week-long trip to uncover an ancient city buried in the desert. In words and drawings, show what you would bring for the trip.

Part 7: Daily Newsletter

What is it?
Do the daily newsletter exercise, as described in Session 1, Part 5.