Soil "Trifle"

I am constantly trying to come up with ways to make lessons more memorable to students. This is one that students from 3 years ago still talk about. In fact, the day I did this lesson, I had an eighth grade student visiting in my room and he still asks about it too!

This lesson was to teach about the different types of soil - sandy soil, loam soil and clay soil.  We then made edible "soil layers trifle." Which, of course, they got to eat when done (the best part!) Just be aware of any allergies your students may have. Some have uncommon allergies that you might not think of - it's not just peanuts anymore!


The ingredients I used:

loam soil - crumbled chocolate cake - you can also use crushed chocolate cookies)
sandy soil - crushed Nilla wafers (or graham crackers)
clay soil - crumbled red velvet cake
silt - marshmallows (or whipped cream)
animal fossil - gummy worm
plant fossil - mint leaf

The students were given their materials in plastic bags, already portioned out and labeled, a plastic spoon for "digging", a clear plastic cup, and an observation sheet. I gave them enough to do 2 trifles - so they could eat one on the spot and take one home to show their parents (and eat after dinner!)

There are also many ways to do this lesson with non-edible items. If your school has rules about using food items for lessons, find materials that are non-edible, but try to keep the colors as close as possible to try to represent the real thing. Here are some suggestions:

loam soil - dirt

sandy soil - sand

clay soil - red/maroon crayons (crushed - easy to do with a sharp knife)

silt - salt

animal fossil - plastic animal figure (easy to find at the Dollar Store)

plant fossil - plastic plant (also easy to find at the Dollar Store - look for packs of little dinosaurs, they have the animals and plants in the same pack)

When we finish science lessons - I always pass out a "self-assessment form." This is an opportunity for students to grade themselves. They are given a rubric with points from 0-4. I find that the students are always harder on themselves than I would ever be on them! 

The scale:

    0 = no attempt was made

    1 = I didn't really try very hard and I need to work harder on this next time

    2 = I tried, but I had a hard time and will keep trying

    3 = I tried and got most of the work done right

    4 - I worked hard and followed all directions

   

1. Did I follow all directions as given?    

2. Did I work well with my partner? Did I give him/her a chance to speak and did I listen to him/her?

3. Did I pay attention and stay on task?

4. Did my product turn out the way I wanted it to?