Students will predict and test the permeability of Pinelands soil based on their knowledge of its dominant particle, sand.
Click on the following links to take you to the materials needed for this lesson. Please print out and copy any maps or worksheets needed for the lesson. Audio-visual program links will provide you with information on how to acquire the needed film or video. Remember, you may need to use your browser's "BACK" button to return to this page.
Two equal, medium sized glass jars
3 empty soup cans for each group of students-one can for each group should have 3 to 5 holes prepunched in its bottom.
1 drip coffee filter for each group of students
A watch or clock with a seconds hand
A bucket of sandy soil or dry sand
Student worksheet- "Pinelands Soil Percolation"
Suggested answers for Soil Percolation worksheet

Part 1 is recommended as a teacher demonstration with questions and answers.

Part 2 is recommended to be done by small groups of students.

PART 1

Fill two identical size glass jars to the same level-one with sand , the other with water. Slowly pour the water into the container of sand.

Allow the water to soak into the sand until sand is thoroughly wet and can hold no more. Set the water container down next to the wet soil container and decide how much of the water has gone into the soil. Where did it go? (the water has filled the pore spaces (open spaces) between the sand particles.) Did you observe any bubbles coming out of the sand as the water was poured in? (yes.) What did the water do? (the pore spaces were filled with air at first. The water, being heavier than the air, pushed out the air and filled the spaces.)

In the container of sandy soil, how much space was found between the particles? (amounts will vary, but could be as much as one half of the volume of the soil.)

PART 2

Divide students into small groups (3 to 5 students per group). Give students one pre-punched can, two unpunched cans, one coffee filter, and one "Pinelands Soil Percolation" student worksheet.

Instruct the students to:

Place the coffee filter in the bottom of the pre-punched can and fill it three-quaters full of sandy soil. Fill one of the unpunched cans to the three-quater level with water. Hold the sand filled can over an empty can and pour the water into the sand filled can. Allow the water to soak through the sand and drip out of the drainage holes into the empty can. Students should use a watch or clock to measure how long it takes the water to soak through the sand and stop dripping ("stop" is a judgment call-5 to 10 seconds between drips is a good enough ending point-this time that it takes water to move through the soil is called the percolation rate.)

Compare how much water dripped into the third can with how much water was originally added. The "missing" water is still in the soil and is referred to as water of retention. (Pinelands soil, due to the high sand concentration, has low water retention ability. The larger the soil particles, the lower the soils retention ability.)

Students should record their observations onto the "Pinelands Soil Percolation" worksheet.

EVALUATION: Check the student worksheet using the suggested answers provided above.

 

FOLLOW-UP:

1. Discuss with the class the two major types of soil conditions, uplands and wetlands, that exist in the Pinelands. The dry uplands soils are home to pitch pine and white oak forests, while the wetlands soil is home to moisture loving plants like cranberries. Ask the students where they would expect to find wetlands soils. (near bodies of water likes streams or lakes) Many Pinelands communities grew up near bodies of water like streams. Have students try to imagine why communities grew up where they did. (some expected answers would be water for drinking and to power industry, wetlands soil to grow crops like cranberries, nearby uplands to provide lumber for construction, location of existing roads etc.) Have the students, either alone or in groups, plan a make believe Pinelands village, and prepare a map that shows the features needed for their village to thrive. (students should include waterways, roads, upland and wetland locations and explain the importance of all these things to their village)

This lesson will introduce the students to the following vocabulary words:(click on the word to see its definition-use your browser's back button to return to this page)

aquifer, percolation, percolation rate, porous
This lesson covers the following New Jersey Core Curriculum Standards. Clicking on the standard number will take you to the complete text of the standard. You must use your browser's "BACK" button to return to this page from the linked Core Curriculum Standard pages.

Science standards:

5.1-All students will learn to identify systems of interacting components and understand how their interactions combine to produce the overall behavior of the system.

5.2-All students will develop problem solving, decision making, and inquiry skills, reflected by formulating useable questions and hypotheses, planning experiments, conducting systematic observations, interpreting and analyzing data, drawing conclusions, and communicating results.

5.8-All students will gain an understanding of the structure and behavior of matter

5.10-All students will gain an understanding of the structure, dynamics, and geophysical systems of the earth.

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