Lesson Plan

Subject: Science Grade 4

Competency: Participate in a guided investigation to identify the effect of different types of soil on the growth of plants.

Objectives:

Cognitive: Students will understand how different types of soil affect plant growth.
Affective: Students will develop an appreciation for the importance of soil quality in agriculture and gardening.
Psychomotor: Students will engage in hands-on activities to investigate and analyze the growth of plants in different types of soil.

Materials:

Samples of sandy, clay, silt, and loam soil

Small pots or containers
Seeds (e.g., beans, radish, or other fast-growing plants)
Watering cans or spray bottles
Rulers
Chart paper, markers, and other craft supplies
Handouts with information on soil types and plant growth

Example Local Initiative: School Garden Growth Investigation

Parts of the Lesson Plan Description Teacher and Student Interaction Script
A. Drill Quick warm-up activity to engage students Teacher: "Good morning, class! Let's start with a quick
and prepare them for the lesson. question: What do you think plants need to
grow?"<br>Students: "Water, sunlight, soil, etc."
B. Reviewing previous lesson/ Briefly review last week's lesson on soil Teacher: "Last week we learned about different types
presenting the new lesson types. Introduce today's lesson: of soil. Today, we will investigate how different types
Investigating the effect of different types of of soil affect the growth of plants." <br> Students:
soil on plant growth. (Listen attentively)
C. Presenting examples/instances of Present information on the characteristics Teacher: "Sandy soil has large particles and drains
the new lesson of sandy, clay, silt, and loam soils. Explain quickly. Clay soil has small particles and holds water
how these characteristics can affect plant well. Silt soil has medium-sized particles and retains
growth. moisture. Loam soil is a balanced mix of sand, silt, and
clay, and is good for growing plants." <br> [Show
samples of each soil type]

D. Discussing new concept and Discuss the setup of the experiment to Teacher: "We will plant seeds in different types of soil
practicing new skills #1 compare plant growth in different soils. and observe how they grow. We need to keep
Explain the importance of keeping other everything else the same, like the amount of water
variables (like sunlight and water) constant. and sunlight each plant gets. This way, we can see how
the soil affects the growth." <br>Students: "So we will
only change the type of soil."

E. Discussing new concept and Conduct the experiment: Plant seeds in Teacher: "Let's plant our seeds in the different soil
practicing new skills #2 small pots with different types of soil. Water types. Make sure to label each pot with the type of
them equally and place them in the same soil. We will water them equally and place them where
environment. Measure and record the they get the same amount of sunlight." <br>Students:
growth of the plants over time. (Plant seeds and set up the experiment)

F. Developing mastery (Leads to Group activity: Students create a chart to Teacher: "In your groups, create a chart to record the
formative assessment) record the growth of the plants in different growth of your plants. Measure the height of the
soils over several weeks. Measure the plants every few days and write down any other
height of the plants regularly and note any observations." <br>Students: (Work in groups to
other observations. create charts and record data)
G. Making generalizations and Reflect on the results of the experiment and Teacher: "What did we learn about how different soils
abstractions about the lesson discuss why different soils had different affect plant growth? Why is it important to know
(ELABORATE) effects on plant growth. Discuss the about soil quality for growing plants?" <br>Students:
practical applications of understanding soil "We learned that loam soil is the best for growth. It's
quality for gardening and agriculture. important for gardeners and farmers to know so they
can grow healthy plants."

H. Finding practical/application of Discuss how students can use what they Teacher: "How can you use what you learned today in
concepts and skills in daily living learned about soil types and plant growth in your own gardening projects? What can you do to
their own gardening projects at home or improve soil quality for your plants?" <br>Students:
school. Encourage them to think about how "We can use compost to make the soil better and
they can improve soil quality for better choose the right type of soil for our plants."
plant growth.

I. Evaluating Learning Have students present their charts and Teacher: "Let's see what you've discovered. Each
explain their findings. Provide feedback and group will present their chart and explain their
ask questions to assess understanding. findings." <br>Students: (Present their work and
answer questions)
J. Additional activities for application Assign homework: Students write a short Teacher: "For homework, write a short essay on what
or remediation essay on their findings from the experiment. you learned from our soil experiment. Think about
Encourage them to think about other other factors that could affect plant growth and how
factors that could affect plant growth and you could test them in future experiments."
how they could test these factors in future <br>Students: "Okay!"
experiments.

Examples of Soil Types and Their Properties

Soil Type Characteristics Effect on Plant Growth

Sandy Large particles, drains quickly Low water retention, poor for most plants
Clay Very small particles, holds water well High water retention, can be too dense for roots
Silt Medium-sized particles, retains moisture Good water retention, better than sandy but not as
good as loam
Loam Mixture of sand, silt, and clay, good for Balanced water retention, ideal for most plants
growing plants

Activities:

1. Soil Type Demonstration:

Instructions: Use samples of sandy, clay, silt, and loam soils to demonstrate their characteristics.
Teacher: "Sandy soil has large particles and drains quickly. Clay soil has very small particles and holds water well. Silt soil has medium-sized
particles and retains moisture. Loam soil is a balanced mix of sand, silt, and clay, and is good for growing plants."
Students: "Sandy soil feels rough, clay soil feels smooth and sticky, silt soil feels powdery, and loam soil feels rich and crumbly."

2. Experiment Setup:

Instructions: Set up an experiment to compare the growth of plants in different soil types.
Teacher: "We will plant seeds in different types of soil and observe how they grow. We need to keep everything else the same, like the
amount of water and sunlight each plant gets. This way, we can see how the soil affects the growth."
Students: "So we will only change the type of soil."

3. Conducting the Experiment:

Instructions: Plant seeds in small pots with different types of soil. Water them equally and place them in the same environment. Measure and
record the growth of the plants over time.
 Teacher: "Let's plant our seeds
in the different soil types. Make
sure to label each pot with the
type of soil. We will water them
equally and place them where
they get the same amount of
sunlight."

Students: (Plant seeds and set up the experiment)