Mississippi Science E.2.10.5
The Standard
- E.2.10
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of how humans use Earth’s resources.
With teacher guidance, investigate possible solutions to prevent or repair soil erosion.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Earth’s Resources
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students test ways to keep soil from washing downhill. With teacher help, they pour equal amounts of water onto soil trays with different coverings and compare the water that runs off. They suggest how to fill and cover a washed-out spot.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can point to the less muddy runoff and say which covering kept more soil in place. They can suggest filling a washed-out groove with soil and laying sod over it to help hold the repair.
Common Misconceptions
- Some students think soil disappears when rain hits it, rather than moving with the water. Others think scattered grass seeds will hold soil right away, though grass needs roots to do that.
How to Assess It
- Show a muddy cup from a bare soil tray and a clearer cup from a straw-covered tray. Ask: "Which tray lost less soil? How could you repair a groove washed into the bare tray?"
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Fill two sloped trays with soil, cover one with straw, pour the same cup of water over each, and compare the runoff.
Ask partners, "Where did the missing soil go?" Have them point to soil in the catch cups before they explain their answer.
Sort photo cards of bare slopes, grass-covered slopes, and rutted paths, then match the rutted paths with a soil-and-sod repair card.
Show a photo of soil washed onto a sidewalk; have students circle the bare spot and draw where to lay sod.
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Printable E.2.10.5 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- E.K.10.2
With teacher guidance, develop questions to conduct a structured investigation to determine ways to conserve Earth's resources (i.e., reduce, reuse, and recycle...
- E.2.10.4
Use informational text, other media, and first-hand observations to investigate and communicate the process and consequences of soil erosion.
- E.1.9B.3
With teacher guidance, plan and conduct a structured investigation to determine how the movement of water can change the shape of the land on earth.
- E.8.9A.6
Design and conduct investigations to evaluate the chemical and physical processes involved in the formation of soils.
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