Introduction
All soils initially come from rocks, this is termed the ‘parent material’. The Parent Material may be directly below the soil, or great distances away if wind, water or glaciers have transported the soil.
In addition to the soil parent material, soil formation is also dependent upon other prevailing processes affecting soil formation. The soil formation process is termed 'pedogenesis'. Climatic conditions are important factors affecting both the form and rate of physical and chemical weathering of the parent material.
The formation of soils can be seen as a combination of the products of weathering, of structural development of the soil, of differentiation of that structure into horizons or layers, and lastly of its movement or translocation. In fact there are many ways in which soil may be transported away from the location where it was first formed.
Task
In order to know how is our soil, you have to looking for information about each soil's stage to answer these questions:
- Origin and composition.
- Strucutre.
- Characteristics
- Where can you find this soil's stage?
Then, create a wiki which contains all this information.
Process
In groups of 4, you will research our atmosphere:
1) Choose a stage which each member ig going to gather information. Remember that you have to research about:
- Origin and composition.
- Strucutre.
- Characteristics
- Where can you find this soil's stage?
2) After collecting information, all the team members have to share the information gathered
3) Create a wiki which contains all the information developed properly. Be original creating it
Evaluation
| Poor | Good |
Very good |
Outstanding |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
CONTENT |
Students do not present a complete information about our atmosphere and some elements are not presented. |
Students present a poor information about our atmosphere and an element is not presented. |
Students present a complete information required about our atmosphere and all elements are presented. |
Students present a detailed information about our atmosphere, and all elements are presented. |
|
ORGANIZATION |
The information is disorganized. There is no pictures, visual elements, colours. It is not original. |
The information is poorly organized, with one or two pictures. It is little original. |
The information is organized. Some pictures are presented. It is quite original and visual. |
The information is highly organised, including several pictures and organizing elements. It is highly original and visual. |
|
PRESENTATION & ORIGINALITY |
The information provided, the organization and the wiki is not either original or creative. |
The information provided, the organization and the wiki is barely original and creative. |
The information provided, the organization and the wiki is original and creative. |
The information provided, the organization and the wiki is highly original and creative. |
Conclusion
Soils have many important functions. Perhaps the best appreciated is the function to support the growth of agricultural and horticultural crops. Soil is the mainstay of agriculture and horticulture, forming as it does the medium in which growth and ultimately the yield of food producing crops occurs. Farmers and gardeners have worked with their soils over many centuries to produce increasing amounts of food to keep pace with the needs of a burgeoning world population. The soil's natural cycles go a long way in ensuring that the soil can provide an adequate physical, chemical and biological medium for crop growth. The farmer and horticulturalist have also become skilled in managing soils so that these natural cycles can be added to as necessary to facilitate adequate soil support and increasing yield to enhance production.
Although it is difficult to rate the importance of the different soil functions, since all are vital to some extent, this function of supporting world agriculture and horticulture is a key one in the preservation and advancement of human life on this planet.