So many of the ‘things’ we use every day are provided by the
Earth. We call these ‘things’ resources. We are celebrating this year’s Earth
Science Week theme “Earth Materials in Our Lives” by looking at what some of
those materials are and how we use them now and in the future.
Earth Materials
Materials that are provided to us by the planet Earth are
also named resources so we will use this terminology throughout this blog. Resources
are anything that is useful and they can be classed as either essential (something
living things cannot exist without) or non-essential. Resources that the Earth
provides to us include water, soil, rocks, minerals, geothermal energy and air.
Students are asked to consider the essential and non-essential
resources that different living things need in the PALMS activity, Essential
Resources. The teacher notes to accompany this activity can be found here and the
student worksheet can be found here.
Let’s consider how we use just two of the vital resources
that Earth provides, water and soil.
Water
Water is essential for most living things and we find it above
ground in rain, rivers, lakes and oceans. We can also find it stored
underground in aquifers. The most useful water resource for humans is fresh
water as we need it to drink. We may also use salty ocean water as a resource
to generate electricity (tidal or wave movement) and to farm fish and other seafood.
There is a finite amount of water on Earth and it is
constantly recycled in a natural process called the water cycle.
Simple water cycle (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
There are lots of fun activities to do with the resource of
water found in the PALMS Earth’s Resources package:
Students examine Above Ground Water Sources with activities
found in the teacher notes here and the accompanying
student worksheet found here.
Likewise, there are teacher notes
and a student worksheet for activities examining Underground Water.
You can have fun trying to move water yourself in the
Transfer of Water to Point of Use activities. The supporting teacher notes can
be found here
and the student worksheet here.
A series of activities look at methods to obtain clean
water, firstly using Small Scale Water Treatment (teacher notes found here and
student worksheet here), then
Large Scale Water Treatment (teacher notes found here). There
is also a video demonstrating some water treatment techniques and a blog post
with further information.
Students can learn how vital water is through the historical
perspective of the 1900’s gold rush in Western Australia. The Precious Water
teacher notes can be found here and the
student worksheet here.
The importance of using water sustainably is highlighted in
the Saving School Water activity found here and the
Water Saving at Home activity found here.
Some historical facts about how Aboriginal people have
sourced and managed water resources can be found in the Aboriginal Perspective
on Water activity. The teacher notes for this activity can be found here and the student
worksheet here.
Soil
Students may not consider soil as a resource, but it is
essential for life. It helps provide the food we eat, helps the trees that
provide our oxygen grow and filters and stores water to name just a few of its
functions. Soil is formed from weathered parent rocks and organic material that
is decomposed by microorganisms, to recycle nutrients that help plants grow. There
are so many different types of soil depending on the parent rock they are
formed from and the environmental conditions of their location.
Some examples of soil from different locations in WA (Image from PALMS 2)
This series of hands-on activities from the PALMS Earth’s
Resources package will assist students in learning more about soil:
In the Introduction to Soils activity, students learn some
interesting soil facts, combine materials to make their own soil, practice
using their senses to observe soil and brainstorm what soil is used for. The
teacher notes for this activity can be found here and the
student worksheet here.
The Humus in Soils activity gets students to determine how
much humus (the organic component of soil) is in some soil samples and what
mulch and compost are used for. The teacher notes for this activity can be
found here
and the student worksheet here.
Worms are often part of the living component of soil and
students learn how worms help soil through a story in the Soils and Worms
activity. There is also the option to create a worm farm. The teacher notes for
this activity can be found here and the
student worksheet here.
Students can demonstrate their awareness of soil as an
important resource by creating a Save Our Soil Poster. The teacher notes for
this activity can be found here and the
student worksheet here.
To consolidate their new knowledge about soil, students can
complete a Fishbone diagram all about soil. The teacher notes for this activity
can be found here
and the student worksheet here.
An activity that students may like to try at home is Good
Soil and Bad Soil where they can determine which soil is better at growing seeds
and using their classroom learning to determine why. The student worksheet for
this activity can be found here.
More information
- To celebrate this year’s Earth Science Week theme of ‘Earth Materials in Our Lives’, please visit the Earth Science Week website for more activities and resources.
- Activities on other resources that Earth provides can be found in the PALMS Earth Resources package.
- Further activities and resources about soils can also be found in the PALMS Earth’s Surface package.
- It is possible for schools in Western Australia to borrow Crystals and Minerals kits designed to complement your Earth Science teaching. Some kits are available in regional areas across the state as part of local loan pools as well as in the metropolitan area. Find out more information about these kits and how to borrow them here.