Name of student ________________

Murti

Teachers Name : Sumathi

Class

Y7A2
Lesson No
Date

: 48
:

22-8-2016(Mon)
Time

10.20am-12.40pm
SERI OMEGA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Subject
Topic
Sub-Topic:

: Science
: 9 The Earth
: Soil
More about soil
____________________________________________________________________
Vital soil
1. Soil is vital. It holds plant ..................... in place, and provides plants with
essential ........................... Without soil, there would be few ................
Without plants, there would be few animals.
What is soil?
2. Soil is a .............................. The pie chart shows its main components.

The components of a typical soil

Water; 25; 25%

Humus; 5; 5%
Rock Fragments; 45; 45%

Air; 25; 25%

Y7A2 Science/Chemistry Chapter 9: The Earth

3. A typical soil is made up of the following components:

a) Rock fragments - small pieces of ........................ They come from
rocks that have been broken up by ..........................
b) Air- all plant organs respire, including their roots. They need a good
supply of ....................... When water is removed from soil, air
replaces it.
c) Water-is a vital part of soil. Plants use their roots to absorb water.
Soil nutrients .................. in water, so plant roots can take them in.
d) Humus- is made up of decayed ................. and ...................... It is a
store of nutrients for microbes.
4. Soil is also ........................... to lots of living things, like earthworms,
insects, and other small animals. These help with decay processes and
change soil structure.

Soil types
5. Rock fragments in soil have different sizes. Their sizes help determine the
properties of a soil, and how well plants grow in it.
6. Scientists have classified the size of rock fragments as following:
Name of rock fragment
Small stones
Sand
Silt
Clay

Fragment diameter (mm)

More than .........
0.05-2.00
0.002-0.05
Less than .........

7. The different types of rock fragment can be separated by adding water to

soil in a measuring cylinder, shaking and leaving it to settle.
8. The main types of soils are:
a) Clay soil- At least 40 % of the rock fragments are clay
b) Sandy soil -Most of the rock fragments are sand.
c) Loam-The rock fragments in this soil are 40 % sand, 40 % silt, and
20 % clay.

Y7A2 Science/Chemistry Chapter 9: The Earth

Soil Properties
9. The properties of

a soil determine how well things grow in

it. You can compare several important soil properties in the laboratory- or
outside.
Soil texture
10.

To find out about the texture of a soil, rub it between your thumb and

fingers.
a) Sandy soil feels ..................
b) Dry silty soils feel ...................
c) Clay soils feel .............. when wet and .............. when dry.
Soil drainage
11. Water drains quickly through some soils, and slowly through others.
12. You can use the apparatus below to test soil drainage.

a)

Salama
takes three

soil samples (a, b and c) of the same mass.

b) She pours 100 cm3 water on each sample.
c) She measures the volume of collected water in the beaker after 30
minutes. Her results are in table.
Type of soil
Volume of water collected in 30
clay Chapter 9: The Earth
Y7A2 Science/Chemistry
sand
loam

minutes (cm 3)
19
91
52

13.
14.

The results show that water drains most quickly through sandy soil.
This means that, in sandy soil, water is available to plant roots for just

a short time. Soluble nutrients leave the soil quickly.

Note!

Soil is made up of rock fragments, humus, living things, air and water.
The main types of soil are clay, loam, and sand.
You can test soils for texture and drainage.

Practise
1. Name the four main components of soil.
i)
______________________________________________
ii) ______________________________________________
iii)
______________________________________________
iv)
______________________________________________
2. Describe how to separate soil components.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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___
3. Describe and explain three differences between a sandy soil and a clay
soil.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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___
4. Predict which will drain more quickly- sandy soil or clay soil. Explain why.
___________________________________________________________________________
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Y7A2 Science/Chemistry Chapter 9: The Earth

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5. Draw lines
Rock fragments
humus
water
way
in
air

Plants need this for respiration

Helps to give the soil its structure
Plants need this for photosynthesis
A store of nutrients for
microorganisms

to match each soil

components to one
which it is useful.

More about soil

Soil water content
1. Different types of soil can hold different amounts of water in their (space
between the solid matter). The table below the percentage of soil that is
water for three different soil samples.
Type of
soil
Sand
Loam
Clay

Percentage of soil that is water when the smallest

pores are filled with water and the biggest pores
are filled with air and water
7
18
23

Soil air content

2. The amount of

air in a sample

of soil depends on how wet the soil is. Soil pores can be filled with air or
water.
3. The more water in the soil, the .............. space there is for air.

Y7A2 Science/Chemistry Chapter 9: The Earth

4. Pavan and Badal take soil samples to school. They want to compare the
amounts of air in the two soils. This is what they do:
a) Place 100 cm3 soil in a measuring cylinder
b) Add water to the 200 cm3 mark
c) Stir until there are no more air bubbles leaving the soil.
d) Read the new water level on the measuring cylinder.
e) Calculate the volume of air in the soil. This is: the original water
level(200cm3) new water level after stirring.
The students results are in the table below
Soil
sample

First reading of
water level(cm3)

Final water level

reading (cm3)

Pavan

200

190

Badal

200

170

Volume of air in
soil sample
(cm3)

Soil pH
5. Ayu and Dian are at the same school. Ayus family grow cassava and
sweet potatoes on their farm. They tried growing peanuts, but the crop
was poor. Dians family grow peanuts and soya beans.
6. Ayu and Dian asks a question:
Why do different crops grow well on the two farms?
7. The students wonder if soil pH is the reason. They collect evidence to test
their idea. Ayu and Dian each take sample of soil. They record their soil pH
values
Farm
Soil pH
Ayu
7.5
Dian
6.0
8. Ayu and Dian also collect evidence from secondary sources on the
Internet. They find out the preferred soil pH for four crops.

Y7A2 Science/Chemistry Chapter 9: The Earth

Crop
Cassava
Sweet potatoes
Peanuts
Soya beans

Preferred soil pH
4.5 to 7.5(tolerates 4 to 8)
5.5 to 6.5(tolerates 4.5 to 7.5)
Best is 6.0
Best is 6.0

9. Ayu and Dian write an explanation to answer their question:

Soil pH explains why different crops grow well on our farms. Dians
crops grow well on soil of pH 6.0. Ayus crops grow in soil of higher
pH.
10.
If Ayus family want to grow peanuts and soya beans they will
need to lower their soil pH by adding acid.
Soil Colour
11.

Soil colour provides evidence for the ................ in soil. Red soils

may be rich in ............minerals. Humus-rich soils are .................. or

dark brown.
Note!

You can measure soil air content and pH.

Different crops grow best in soils of different pH.

Practise
1. Name the elements present in red soil minerals.
i)
______________________________________________
ii) ______________________________________________
iii)
______________________________________________
iv)
______________________________________________
2. Describe how to measure the amount of air in a soil sample.

Y7A2 Science/Chemistry Chapter 9: The Earth

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___
3. A third student measured soil air content, like Pavan and Badal. The first
water level reading was 200 cm3. The final water level reading was 180
cm3. Calculate the volume of air in the soil.

4. The steps below describe how to measure the amount of air in the soil
sample. They are in the wrong order.
A. Place 100 cm3 soil in measuring cylinder
B. Do a calculation to work out the volume of air in the original soil
C. Add water to the 200 cm3 mark
D. Read the new water volume on the measuring cylinder
E. Stir until air bubbles stop leaving the soil.
Write the correct order in the boxes below. The first one has been done for
you.
A
5.The students collected soil samples from home. At school, they used the
method described in question 4 to find the volume of air in their samples.
Their results are in table.
Soil sample
from...

First reading of Final reading of Volume of air in

water level
water
soil
3
3
(cm )
level(cm )
sample(cm3)
Hannah
200
186
Ruth
200
164
Rachel
200
190
a) Complete the table by calculating the volume of air in each soil sample.
b) Whose soil has the most air in it?

Y7A2 Science/Chemistry Chapter 9: The Earth

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_
6. Three students measured the pH of the soil on their farms. They also
wrote down the soil pH preferred by different crops.
Soil sample
from..
Chenzira
Maiba
Zuka

Soil pH

Crop

7.0
6.5
8.5

Maize
Spinach
Sweet potato

Preferred soil
pH
5.5 to 7.0
6.0 to 7.0
5.0 to 6.0

a) Suggest two crops that would grow well on Maibas farm.

___________________________________________________________________________
_
b) On whose farm or farms is maize likely to grow well?
___________________________________________________________________________
_
c) Zuka wants to grow spinach on his farm. What type of substance might he
add to the soil? Suggest why.
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__

Y7A2 Science/Chemistry Chapter 9: The Earth