Virginia SOL 3.6.a

Science3rd GradeEarth and Space Systems

The Standard

soil, with its different components, is important to organisms

Virginia Standards of Learning for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify soil components such as rock particles, humus, water, and air. They explain how these components provide food, water, air, and shelter for organisms.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can examine a soil sample and name several components. They can connect each component to a plant, worm, insect, or other soil organism.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think soil is only crushed rock or that humus means the food dip. They may also think all soils are alike and soil matters only to plants.
How to Assess It: Show a diagram of soil containing roots, rocks, water, air spaces, humus, and a worm. Ask students to label four components and explain two ways the soil supports life.

Lesson moves

Give pairs soil samples, hand lenses, trays, and craft sticks to separate and record visible components.
Ask students to write: How would removing humus, water, or air from soil affect a worm or plant?
Play a card match game pairing soil components with their roles, such as air spaces with root respiration.
Collect soil from a school garden and sidewalk edge, then compare which sample could support more organisms and why.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 3.6.a, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Keep exploring

Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.