ACTIVITY

Soil Safari – Part 2

Description: Students revisit their Soil Safari findings and compare the results from different investigation methods. They identify patterns, discuss possible explanations, and explore how earthworms contribute to healthy soil and ecosystems.

Intention: Students use their investigation results to draw simple conclusions about earthworms and explain why they are important for healthy soil.

Before:

1

Reconnect with the investigation
Ask students to look at their worksheets from Part 1.

Ask:

  • What did we investigate?
  • How many worms did your group find?
  • Which method did you use?
  • Where did you find them?
  • What surprised you?

Invite a few groups to share their findings.

2

Compare the results
Collect the groups’ results in a simple class overview.

Compare:

  • Number of worms found
  • Search methods
  • Worm size and appearance
  • Where worms were found

Ask:

  • Which group found the most worms?
  • Which found the fewest?
  • Did different methods give different results?
  • Did we find worms in similar places?
  • What could explain the differences?
3

Similarities and Differences
Use the Similarities and Differences method to compare two investigations.

Groups discuss:

  • What was similar?
  • What was different?
  • Which method seemed most effective?
  • Why might the results be different?

Ask each group to share one interesting observation with the class.

4

From worms to healthy soil

Ask:

Why should we care about the worms we found?

Briefly explain that worms help support healthy soil by:

  • Moving through and mixing the soil
  • Creating channels that allow air and water to move through the soil
  • Helping break down and mix organic material
  • Contributing to nutrient cycling
  • Creating conditions that support plant growth

Connect this to the wider soil ecosystem. Explain that worms are one part of a larger community that includes plants, fungi, microorganisms, and other soil organisms.

Ask:

  • What might happen if there were no worms?
  • Why is healthy soil important for plants?
  • Why might gardeners and farmers care about worms?
  • How can we protect organisms living in the soil?
5

Return to the original guesses
Return to the True or False or Guess, Share, and Guess Again statements from Part 1.

Ask students to reconsider their original answers.

Did your answer change? What did you learn that changed your thinking?

Encourage students to support their answers with something they observed, discovered, or learned during the Soil Safari.

Didactic tips:

  • Use the students’ own data as the starting point for the discussion rather than giving them the conclusions.
  • Avoid presenting the number of worms found as a direct measure of soil health. The investigation is a simple field study, and many factors influence the results.
  • Encourage students to use evidence when making claims: “We think this because…”
  • If groups found very different numbers of worms, use this as an opportunity to discuss variables and fair comparisons.
  • Keep the explanation of soil ecology simple. The goal is for students to understand that worms are one important part of a living soil ecosystem, not to memorise scientific terminology.
  • End by connecting the investigation to the students’ surroundings: healthy soil supports plants, animals, food production, and ecosystems.
GreenComp: 3.1 Investigation skills, 2.1 Systems thinking, 1.3 Promoting nature
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InvestigateCreate
THEME:
Nature & biodiversity
TIME: 45 minutes
AGE: 10-12 years, 13-15 years

SUBJECTS:

  • Nature sciences

TOOLS / MATERIALS:

METHODS:

    RESOURCES: