Science and Elementary Technology

In the area where your home is located, places where you go and at your school, there are different physical features. Among them include soil. You may be asking yourself whether all soils are the same, what might be its importance, and what may damage soil or cause it to lose its value and what one can do prevent it from being damaged or lose its value. The essential questions to be answered after this unit are:

 • What are the types and uses of soil? 

• What can destroy soil and how to prevent them.

Activity 1

 • Look at the pictures a, b, and c below; 

• What are the pupils doing? 

 • Compare the amount of water got from soil in each picture. 

 • Explain why water got in the bottles in each picture is not equal.

                    What have you discovered from the pictures?

I have discovered that 

There are three (3) types of soil: 

1. Clay soil is a type of soil with very small particles which cannot allow water to pass through easily; 

2. Sand soil is a type of soil with big particles which allows water to pass through easily. 

3. Loam soil is a type of soil with small particles that holds water or allows very little water to pass through.

Activity 2 

1. Look at the pictures a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h. 

2. What are the people in the pictures a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h doing?

                  What have you discovered from the pictures?

 I have discovered that

 • Loam soil is a type of soil that is the best for farming /growing of crops;

 • Sand soil is a type of soil used to make building materials like blocks, roofing tiles, plastering houses; 

• Clay soil is a type of soil used for modeling different

Activity 3

 1. Look at the pictures a, b, c and d; 

2. What do you see in the pictures a, b, c and d?

 3. Point to the picture which shows that soil has faced some problems? Identify the problems. What caused them? Explain. 4. What can you do to prevent things that destroy soil?

                      What have you discovered from the pictures?

I have discovered that

 Soil can be destroyed by the following: 

• Rainfall (running water),

 • Strong wind

 • Fire (Bush burning), 

• Things which do not rot [decay] or non-degradable wastes dumped in open places like plastics, polythene bags. 

• Over grazing

Activity 4 

1. Look at the pictures a, b, c and d; 

2. Which picture shows the importance of water in soil? 

3. Which picture shows where water damaged soil?

                       What have you discovered from the pictures?

I have discovered that

 1. The importance of water on soil are: 

• Water softens the or moisturizes soil which enables farmers to grow crops. 

• Water helps the plants to grow well. 

2. The dangers of water on soil are: 

• Water causes soil erosion; 

• Water causes the landslides;

Activity 5

 1. Look at the pictures a and b;

 2. What can you do to prevent soil damage? 

                  What have you discovered from the pictures?

I have discovered that

 We prevent soil damage by:

 • Planting trees;

 • Practicing terracing;

 • Avoiding bush burning; 

• Avoiding dumping materials which do not rot on the soil surface.

End of Unit Assessment 5

1. a) Give the types of soil? 

 b) What are the characteristics of each type of soil? 

 2. Write true or false.: 

a) When modeling decorations clay soil is mixed with fine sand. 

 b) When we want to identify the type of soil we are guided by its smell. 

c) When modeling pots, clay soil is used, mixed with water, dried under sunshine and then burnt to harden it. 

3. Answer Yes or No where necessary: 

a) Loam soil is used to model decorations, bricks and pots. 

b) Sand soil is /good for plant growth c) Soil erosion is caused by running water.

 4. Why is that all soils cannot be for constructing houses? 

5. Apart from water, give any other thing that destroys soil. 

 6. Identify the importance of water in soil.