5E’s- EXPLAIN (1 lesson)

 To support students to develop explanations for experiences and make representations of developing conceptual understandings
 Formative assessment

WEEK/ AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM SPECIFIC LESSON ASSESSMENT TEACHING & LEARNING KEY RESOURCES
LESSON
LINKS OBJECTIVE (what & how) EXPERIENCES QUESTIONS
(include learner diversity)
Science Science as Science
Understand a Human Inquiry
ing Endeavour Skills
ACSS ACSH ACSI Student will be able to: FORMATIVE Introduction
3
U032 E022 S025 - Describe what Observations in 1) Introduce to the students why soil is so full with
humus is why it is conclusion nutrients and can house a seedling and make it Why do you
think the soil
ACSI important in soil. discussion grow with water.
needs to be
S029 - Seeds need nutrients or organic material in the soil
filled with
- Identify the Filling out the to effectively grow. Organic materials in soil
nutrients?
different layers that worksheet provides seedlings to grow easily through the soil
can be found in because it makes the soil softer so roots can spread Why is it
soil. out. Using organic material can aid in retaining important to
water in the soil, because the material acts like a have rich soil for

small sponge. planting

2) Introduce to the students the concept of humus in PALMS Teacher

Resource for
soils and it qualities and what its made of.
experiment of
- Humus is made up of living materials broken down
Humus in Soils
such as worms, insects, fungi and bacterial. Humus
in soil provides the chemical conditions which
allows important elements such as nitrogen,
magnesium and potassium to provide the soils
minerals to the plants and seedlings.

Body Garden soil,

container, water,
3) Divide the class include groups and do an scrap paper,

experiment on what the different materials inside pencil

soil are.
4) Show the class that dark humus (dead and living
component) will float to the surface of the water and
lighter coloured by heavier matter of broken rocks
Additional PALMS
will sink to the bottom. student worksheet
5) Students will complete the worksheet- on what they
found in their test tube and the different layers of
soil they see.

Conclusion
6) Bring the students back to their tables for
explanation.
The richer the soil, the higher proportion of soil will Why what

be humus. If you are looking at the soil you can also exactly is humus
and why does it
see pieces of rock. Broken down rock minerals in
need to be in
soil feed the plants and animals on land. These
our soils?
rocks are broken down into small pieces of gravel,
sand and clay initially by weathering and by
mosses. They are further digested and chemically
altered by microscopic bacteria and fungi.