Earth's+Materials

Earth's Materials 5-E 3.11 **Science concepts**. The student knows that the natural world includes earth materials and objects in the sky. The student is expected to: (A) Identify and describe the importance of earth materials including rocks, soil, water, and gases of the atmosphere in the local area and classify them as renewable, nonrenewable, or inexhaustible resources. Including identify and describe the importance of: ·  Renewable resources as those that are naturally replaced in a relatively short period of time. §  Animals and plants §  Wood §  Oxygen and carbon dioxide §  Water ·  Soil is an important resource that is difficult to classify as renewable or nonrenewable. Soil is constantly being formed, making it seem renewable, but because it takes so long to form, it cannot easily be replaced and must be conserved like other nonrenewable resources. Sources of information may contradict each other. Soil is formed from the weathering and erosion of rocks. It takes hundreds of years to form a few centimeters of soil and thousands of years to form soil profiles (topsoil, subsoil, weathered rock, bedrock), but soil can be lost quickly by natural disasters or human mismanagement. However, because soil is formed in much shorter periods of time than other nonrenewable resources such as fossil fuels, some sources will consider it a renewable resource. ·  Non-renewable as resources that take millions of years to form and are not replaced as they are used. §  Fossil fuels ¨  Oil ¨  Natural gas ¨  Coal §  Rocks and Minerals ·  Inexhaustible resources as resources that are in limitless supply, depending on the sun and forces within the earth. They are only inexhaustible as long as the sun provides energy to the earth. §  Solar energy §  Wind energy §  Ocean tides and flowing water Integration: 3.14A write to record ideas and reflections 3.20B record knowledge in various ways 3.4 (A) describe and explain variations in the physical environment including climate, landforms, natural resources, and natural hazards; (C) describe the effects of physical and human processes in shaping the landscape 3.11 **Science concepts**. The student knows that the natural world includes earth materials and objects in the sky. The student is expected to: (B) Identify and record properties of soils such as color, and texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of plants. Including identify and record the following properties of soil: <span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">·  Color <span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">·  Texture <span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">·  Capacity to retain water <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">§  Soil that can retain water is loose and rich in nutrients (loam). <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">§  Soil that doesn't allow water to drain (clay) becomes very hard when dry. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">§  Soil that allows water to drain through it (sand) does not hold enough water for most plants to grow. <span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">·  Ability to support the growth of plants <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">§  Soil that contains nutrients and has water available to the roots is able to support the growth of plants. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">§  Soil is important to plants as a source of nutrients (fertilizer), for water, and for anchoring. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">§  Soil is made of tiny pieces of rock and decaying plants and animals (humus) that provide nutrients. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">§  Plant growth within a habitat depends on the type of soil in the area. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msobidifontsize: 12.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø  Clay does not allow water to drain well and becomes very hard when dry. Land with clay soil can easily flood. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msobidifontsize: 12.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø  Sand is soil that allows water to drain through it quickly and does not hold enough water for most plants to grow. Water runs quickly through sandy soil, thus plants needing a lot of water may not have enough to thrive. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msobidifontsize: 12.0pt; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø  Humus is the product of decomposition that adds nutrients to the soil. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msobidifontsize: 8.0pt; msobidifontweight: bold; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø  Loam has just the right mix of clay, sand, and humus. Plants grow well in loam because it retains water and is loose and rich in nutrients. Integration: 3.4A describe and explain variations in the physical environment including climate, landforms, natural resources, and natural hazards
 * TAKS Tested **
 * Language Arts **
 * Social Studies **
 * Teacher Notes: **
 * Social Studies **