Soil+and+Water

Water Retention – Modeled by Teacher Teacher Background: The amount of open space between particles or grains has a lot to do with how easily water drains through a soil and how much water the soil will hold. You are going to model for the students how long it takes water to drain through each soil sample. The students will record their observations about the rate of the water draining through the funnel by using vocabulary such as fast, slow, or medium drip. Here are some of the prediction questions that are important to ask before the water is used: 1. What will happen to the water in each soil? 2. Which soil will the water drain through the quickest? slowest? 3. Which soil is most likely to be used for plant growth? Why?

Directions:  1. Fill the funnel with one of the soil samples, and a cup to place under the funnel opening. 2. Pour a specific amount of water into the funnel with the soil. 3. Have the students observe how the water moves through the soil and through the funnel opening. 4. How quickly does the water flow through the soil sample? Was it a fast, slow, or medium drip? Record observations in their chart under "water retention." 5. Repeat steps 1 – 4 with the other soil samples. 6. The longer it takes for the water to appear, the greater the ability for the soil to hold water.