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Investigation Question 4:
How can you tell what chemicals are in soil?

Preparation

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What to do

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Assessment

Preparation

Teaching and Learning Focus

You can help your students investigate some of the chemicals in soil that affect plant growth.

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Materials Need

For each group of four students:

  • 3 soil samples in baggies, labeled A, B and C
  • soil test kits from gardening supply store that test for pH, phosphates, nitrates and potassium
  • two seed packets per group
  • safety goggles for everyone
  • distilled water supply
  • spoons for transferring soil
  • eye dropper
  • paper towels for cleaning up
  • bag of commercial potting soil
materials for soil investigation

© USGS

Materials to test soil

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Safety

This investigation is considered generally safe to do with students, but they all must wear goggles and wash their hands when they finish. As always, please review the investigation for your specific setting, materials, students, and conventional safety precautions.

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At Utah's Vermillion Cliffs a siltstone butte of the Carmel Formation erodes and forms unusual shapes. © Michael Collier Image courtesy of the Earth Science World Image Bank, photo ID: ixvt1a

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Last updated: November 16, 2009


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