Hello everyone, this is Mr. James.

And I'm happy to be here and I hope that you are feeling curious because we are about to do some, you guess, which subject? Some? That's right, we're going to do some science.

Our lesson is from the unit Rocks and soils.

And the title of our lesson today is What soils are made from.

Well, I'm sure you may already have some ideas of your own and that's a really good thing.

I hope by the end of the lesson you'll be able to explain to someone else what soil is and what soils are made from.

So how do we go about doing that? How do we explain what soil is and what it's made from? What steps do we need to take? It might be best to think first, what soil is, and then what is it made from.

Perhaps we'll need to do something practical to help us find out.

But don't worry, I'm gonna be there all along the way to help you.

So when we're learning something new, it's a really good idea to start out by thinking of things that you might already know.

And I'd like you to do that now.

I'd like you to try and think of three things.

Three things.

You can use your fingers to count those three things.

And I'd like you to think of three things you already know or have noticed about the soil.

Maybe you've done some learning in school that's in which the soil has been used like planting things.

Perhaps you've come across the soil when you've been doing your outdoor learning experiences.

Or maybe you've been lucky enough to have some experiences at home that have helped you learn something about the soil.

Anyway, I'm gonna pause the video and I want you to think, using your fingers to help you count, just three things that you could share with a partner that you already know about the soil.

I hope that helped to jog your memory.

In our learning today, we're going to be using some key words.

So I'm going to say them and I'd like you to repeat them.

My turn, your turn.

Let's start with the first one.

Soil.

Now your turn.

Next one, prediction.

Your turn.

My turn, observation.

Your turn.

My turn, silt.

Your turn.

My turn, organic matter.

Your turn.

Well done.

Soil is the loose surface material that covers most land on Earth.

A prediction is a statement.

It's a statement that says what you think will happen.

We make an observation when we look closely at something and use other senses too.

Silt is made from broken grains of rock, with particles that are larger than clay but smaller than sand.

Organic matter comes from plants and from animals that are alive or were once alive.

So the first step in today's lesson is to think about soil, all about soil.

So here goes.

Here are two children who've been talking about soil.

Aisha says, I think soil is the same as dirt.

It's anything that's found on the ground.

Andeep says, I think soil is found only in gardens and in plant pots because it's used for growing plants.

What do you think? I'm gonna ask you to pause the video now and talk to the person next to you and tell them what you think.

Share your thoughts.

Here you go.

Soil is the loose surface material that covers a lot of land on the Earth.

Soil provides a place for plants to grow.

It holds water in place for their roots and it contains nutrients needed for their growth.

Soil also provides a home for many animals.

I am gonna read you some statements now about soil.

And I want you to think about which one you think might be true.

A, soil is found only where plants grow.

B, soil is found covering a lot of land.

C, soil is found only in muddy fields.

You can pause the video now if you like.

I wonder what your answers were.

Shall I show you the correct answer? There you are.

Soil is found covering a lot of land.

The two children have some more ideas about soil.

Aisha, I think soil was made when Earth was formed, so it's very old.

Andeep, I think new soil is being made all the time and it takes a few years for this to happen.

What do you think? Again, I'm gonna ask you to pause the video and have a chat with somebody next to you.

Tell them what you think and why.

I bet you had some interesting ideas.

It's thought that soils first began to form about 2,000 million years ago.

The creation of soil, it's a long slow process over many, many years.

It's estimated that one centimetre of new soil, one centimetre, can take up to 500 years to form.

And here we see the layers of soil formed over different years.

Can you see how the soil is different in the different layers? Can you see there are numbers.

The layers of soil have been numbered from zero at the ground level right down to number five which is the oldest.

Show the answer using the fingers on one hand.

The children have been thinking some more.

Aisha, I do not know how soils are formed and what they're made from, do you? Andeep, I'm not sure, but I think that soils are made by plants and animals, so I predict that soils are made from leaves, roots, and animal parts.

Andeep has made a prediction to share his scientific ideas.

He does not know if he is right or wrong, but he's making a good guess based on what he thinks about soils.

Andeep's older brother suggests how Andeep can find out what soils are made from so he can see how accurate he is with his prediction.

If you add a sample of soil to water and leave it for a few hours, whatever is in the soil will separate out into layers so you can see what it's made from.

Thank you, I will try that.

Ready for a true or false question? Here we go.

It takes just a few years for new soil to be made.

True or false? You can make a T sign with your fingers to say true or an X to say false.

What do you think? That's right, it's false.

It takes a lot more than a few years for new soil to be made.

Next question.

Soil was there when Earth was created.

True or false? Or soil takes many, many years to form.

True or false? What do you think? That's right.

It takes many, many years for soil to form.

So we talked about Andeep making a prediction.

Which of these statements is true? Which of these statements describes what it is to make a prediction? Is it, A, a prediction is what you think will happen, B, a prediction is what you know will happen, or C, a prediction is what you observe has happened.

Give me a wave if you think the answer is C.

B.

A.

That's right.

The answer is A, a prediction is what you think will happen.

Time to make a prediction then.

I'd like you to discuss with a partner how you think soils are formed and what they're made from.

And I'd like you to record your ideas using pictures and writing.

Remember it's your prediction, so there's no right or wrong answers at this stage.

Just try to show other people what you think.

So in order to give you time to do that, I'm gonna ask you to pause the video.

I wonder what you and your partner had to say about how soils are formed and what they're made from.

Here are some ideas with pictures and writing.

I think soils are made in the ground by plant roots.

I think soils are made from animal waste, such as from worms. I think soils are made when it rains, and mud goes flatter.

What other ideas did you have? Now it's time for us to get practical.

Let's set up Andeep's brother's activity to help you find out what soils are made from.

To do this, you need to add a few tablespoons, tablespoons of soil to a clear jar.

Add water to the soil until the jar is almost full.

Stir the soil and water.

Then leave the soil to settle out over a few hours until the water starts to clear.

So time to set Andeep's brother's activity to help you find out what soils are made from.

I'll ask you to pause the video now and you can set up the experiment.

So now we come to the second part of our lesson.

What are soils made from? Andeep added a sample of soil to a jar of water and he waited for a few hours.

He made careful observations to answer his questions.

And those questions were, how are soils formed and what are they made from? The first thing Andeep observed he says is that when I added water to the soil, there were tiny bubbles, so I think there's air in soils.

Soil is not as solid as rocks.

It's got many small spaces called pores that hold water and air.

I observed layers of what looks like sand and small pebbles, so I think soils are made from rocks.

Natural forces such as wind, water, and temperature cause weathering and erosion of rocks into tiny pieces of clay, silt, and sand.

Different types of soils contain different mixtures of clay, silt, and sand.

Here's Andeep's jar.

I wonder how it compares to yours.

The smallest pieces of rock to separate at the top of the jar of water will be clay.

The next layer of tiny pieces of rock, well that's called silt.

Sand from rocks is bigger and weighs more so can be observed in a lower layer.

Any small pebbles in the soil can be observed at the bottom of the jar of the water.

Here you can see all the different parts separated in the water.

I observed, Andeep says, what looked like tiny green leaves.

So I think soils are made from living things like plants too.

Soils are made from some living and dead plants, as well as parts formed from dead animals when their bodies decay and mix with the small pieces of rock.

I know, ugh.

These parts of soils are called organic matter.

Another true or false.

Remember, you can make a sign with your fingers to show true a T sign or you can make an X to show false.

Here goes.

An observation is when scientists tell others what they think is going to happen.

True or false? Yes, that's false.

So why do you think that? Do you think that.

A, because scientists make observations to help them answer questions.

Or B, scientists make observations to help them collect equipment they will need.

A or B? Yes, the answer's A.

Scientists make observations to help them answer questions.

Andeep uses his observations to answer his questions.

How are soils formed and what are soils made from? My prediction was partly correct.

Soils are made from a mixture of air and water and from rocks that have been weathered and eroded by natural forces over many years.

And they're made from organic matter, from plants and animals that are alive or were once alive, that have been broken down over many years.

Have a think about these statements.

They're about what is soil made from and which of them do you think could be true? I'll read them to you.

You could do thumbs up for true, thumbs down for false.

Here it goes.

A, soils are made from air.

B, soils are made from small pieces of rock.

C, soils are made from dead plants and animals.

Right, let's have a look and see which ones were true.

A was true.

Soils are made from air.

B was also true.

Soils are made from small pieces of rock.

And C, soils are made from dead plants and animals, well that was true too.

They were all true.

I'd like you now for task B to take a photograph of the soil separated into layers, the experiment that you set up for yourself.

Or if you like, you can use Andeep's photograph.

Label the different things that the soil is made from.

Explain what they are and where they've come from.

I'll give you a few moments to do that.

You need to pause the video now.

Well done.

I'm sure you've done a great job with that.

Next, I'd like you to return to the prediction that you made.

Do you remember in task A? How would you make some improvements now to your scientific ideas? Again, pause the video.

And here's an example.

Labelling the different things that the soil is made from.

Explaining what they are and where they've come from.

I can see organic matter at the top layer.

This is parts of plants that have fallen into the soil.

I can see small pebbles that have broken down from bigger rocks.

I can see tiny pieces of silt and sand that have eroded from rocks over many years.

And when I first added the water, I could see bubbles of air.

And here's an example of task B.

Returning to the prediction that you made for task A and adding some improvements to your scientific ideas.

I think soils are made in the ground by plant roots.

At first I thought that soils are made by plant roots, now know that soils are a combination of different things including rock, organic matter, and air.

I found out that there's water in soils too.

(Mr. James exhales sharply) Take a breath.

That's a lot of learning today.

Well done you.

Time to think.

Can I tell somebody myself without these notes in front of me, what I've learned today about soil, what it is, and what it's made from? Would I be able to explain for myself in my own words, perhaps using some of those key words that we've practised today? Could I be able to explain to them what soil is and what it's made from? I really do hope so.

Thank you.