Grade by Grade
E. Earth and Space Systems · Soils in the Environment

Why Soil Matters

E1.1 A3.1 A3.3About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can explain how soil is important for the environment.
  • I can explain how soil is important for people and communities.
  • I can trace a food back to the soil.
  • I can share different perspectives about caring for the land.

Words to know

environment
Everything around us: land, water, air, plants and animals.
society
People living together in communities.
nutrients
Things that plants and animals need to grow and stay healthy. Soil gives plants nutrients.
habitat
The place where an animal or plant lives and finds what it needs.
filter
To clean something by letting it pass through and catching the dirty bits.
assess
To decide how important or how good something is, using evidence.

A world without soil?

Close your eyes. Imagine the whole world with no soil, only bare rock. What would be missing?

No grass for soccer. No maple trees to give syrup. No gardens. No farms, so no apples, no bread, no corn on the cob... Soil is so ordinary that we walk on it every day without thinking. But life on land needs soil! Today you will assess (decide, with evidence) how important soil is.

Soil is important for the environment

  • Plants grow in it. Soil holds plants in place and gives them water, air and nutrients. Plants make the oxygen we breathe and are food for animals.
  • It is a habitat. Worms, insects, fungi, bacteria, moles, groundhogs and chipmunks live in it.
  • It holds water like a sponge. After rain or snowmelt, healthy soil soaks up water and stores it for plants. This also means less flooding.
  • It cleans water. As rain soaks down through soil, the soil filters out some dirt and germs before the water reaches groundwater (water underground that can fill wells).
  • It recycles. Decomposers in soil turn dead plants and animals into nutrients for new plants. Nothing is wasted!
  • It stores carbon. Soil holds carbon from dead plants deep inside. Keeping that carbon in healthy soil helps slow down climate change.
A block of lawn dug out with a shovel, showing grass on top, dark soil full of roots and an earthworm.
Under the grass, soil holds roots in place, gives them water and nutrients, and is home to animals like this earthworm. AI-generated image
rain soaks insoil traps somedirt and germswater keeps movingdowncleaner groundwater(can fill wells)
Soil is a filter. As rain soaks down, soil traps some dirt and germs, so the groundwater underneath is cleaner.

Soil is important for people (society)

  • Food. Almost all of our food comes from soil, either directly (fruits, vegetables, grains) or from animals that eat plants (milk, eggs, meat).
  • Jobs. Farmers, gardeners, foresters and landscapers all work with soil.
  • Building. Clay is made into bricks, pottery and dishes. Sand and gravel are used to make concrete and roads.
  • Clothes and paper. Cotton plants grow in soil. Trees grow in soil and give us wood and paper.
  • Medicine. Some important medicines that fight germs were first found in tiny living things from soil.
  • Fun and beauty. Parks, sports fields, gardens and forests all need soil.
Soil gives us...Example
foodapples, wheat for bread, potatoes
building materialsclay bricks, pottery, sand for concrete
materials for clothes and papercotton T-shirts, paper from trees
clean waterrain filtered by soil before it reaches groundwater
homes for living thingsearthworms, ants, chipmunk burrows
How soil helps people and the environment
Worked example

Let's trace a pizza back to the soil

Is pizza from the soil? Let's check every part.

  1. Crust: made from flour. Flour is made from wheat, which grows in soil.
  2. Tomato sauce: made from tomatoes, which grow in soil.
  3. Cheese: made from milk. Cows give milk. Cows eat grass and hay, which grow in soil.
  4. Peppers and mushrooms on top: peppers grow in soil. Mushrooms are fungi that grow in soil or compost.

Yes! Every part of the pizza comes from soil, either directly or through animals that eat plants.

CRUSTflour from wheatSAUCEtomatoesCHEESEmilk from cows thateat grass and hayMUSHROOMSfungi that growin soil or compostALL FROM SOIL
Trace a pizza back to the soil: every part grew in soil, or came from an animal that ate plants grown in soil.

Different perspectives on the land

Different people see soil and land in different ways.

  • A farmer might say: "Soil is how I grow food for people and earn a living."
  • A builder might say: "Clay and sand from the ground make bricks and concrete for homes."
  • A gardener might say: "Healthy soil makes my flowers and vegetables grow."

First Nations, Métis and Inuit have lived on and cared for these lands for thousands of years. Teachings are different in each Nation and community, but many share the idea that people have a relationship with the land, like family. The land gives people food, medicine and homes, and people have a responsibility to care for it in return. In many communities, people give thanks to the Earth. Many Haudenosaunee teachings ask people to think about how their choices today will affect the generations yet to come.

Thinking this way, soil is not just something to use up. It is something to respect and protect for the future.

Worked example

Let's assess: How important is soil?

Kai says, "Soil is just dirt. It isn't important." Help him assess soil by using evidence.

  1. Make a claim: Soil is very important for people and the environment.
  2. Evidence 1: Almost all of our food comes from soil.
  3. Evidence 2: Soil is a habitat for many living things and holds and cleans water.
  4. Evidence 3: We use soil materials like clay and sand to build homes, and trees for paper grow in soil.
  5. Conclusion: Because soil gives us food, water, homes and materials, it is very important, and we should take care of it.

Kai's idea is not supported. The evidence shows that soil is very important. A good assessment uses a claim and evidence.

Just for fun

Riddle: What do a pizza, a cotton T-shirt and a pencil have in common?

They all started in soil! (Even the "lead" in a pencil is mixed with clay.)

Hands-on activity

Soil in my day

You need: paper, a pencil and a grown-up helper.

  1. Make two columns: "From soil" and "Not from soil".
  2. From breakfast to bedtime, write down things you eat, wear and use.
  3. For each one, ask: "Did this come from the soil, or from a plant or animal that needed soil?" (For example: toast comes from wheat, so it goes under "From soil". Salt comes from rocks or the sea, so it goes under "Not from soil".)
  4. Count each column. Which is bigger?
  5. Bonus: Find 3 things in your home made from clay or sand: a mug, a brick, a flower pot, a glass (glass is made mostly from sand!).
  6. Share with your family: "I think soil is ___ important because ___."

Your turn

1

Name two ways soil helps the environment.

2

Name two ways soil helps people.

3

How does soil help to stop flooding?

4

What is made from clay?

5

Trace milk back to the soil.

6

What does assess mean?

More practice: warm-up

1

True or false: Almost all of our food comes from soil.

2

Name one animal that has its habitat in soil.

3

Do apples come from soil?

4

What do we call water that is underground?

5

Name one job where people work with soil.

More practice: on your own

1

How does soil clean water?

2

Trace a cotton T-shirt back to the soil.

3

Why do we say soil "recycles"?

4

Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit teachings talk about a relationship with the land. What does that mean for how we treat soil?

5

A farmer and a builder look at the same field. What might each one think about the soil?

Challenge

1

Write a claim and two pieces of evidence to show why a city should protect a park's soil.

2

Glass is made mostly from sand. Is a glass cup "from the soil"? Explain your thinking.

3

Why might it matter to think about "generations yet to come" when we use soil?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is a way soil helps the environment?

2.

Bricks and pottery are made from...

3.

How does soil help with flooding?

4.

Cheese comes from soil because...

5.

Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit teachings say people have a ___ to care for the land.

6.

To assess something, you...

For parents and teachers

Big idea (E1.1): Soil matters for the environment (plant growth, habitat, water storage and filtering, nutrient cycling, carbon storage) and for society (food, jobs, building materials, fibre, medicines, recreation). Students practise assessing with a claim and evidence.

Practical applications (A3.1): Tracing everyday foods and items to soil connects science to home and community. Contributions from communities (A3.3): First Nations, Métis and Inuit relationships with land are introduced respectfully as many teachings, not one. If you can, find out whose traditional territory you live on and learn from local Indigenous sources.

How to help: The "Soil in my day" chart is a great dinner-table conversation. Push for reasons: "How do you know that came from soil?"

Common difficulties:

  • Not seeing indirect links (meat, milk, eggs). Ask: "What did the animal eat?"
  • Thinking only plants need soil. Remind them about soil habitats and water filtering.

Accuracy note: Many antibiotics (for example streptomycin) were discovered in soil bacteria. Glass is made mostly of silica sand.