Centre: Teacher
Directed.
Cleanliness of water through soil.
Description –
Experiment of good quality soil, soil
collected from the outdoor garden,
good quality soil with sprouts
growing in it. Students can pour dirty
water through the soil and see which
soil cleans the water.
Science learning –
Chemical and physical changes,
sustainability, objects have
observable properties, living things
have needs.
Resources –
Milk bottles with the centre cut out
(filled with various soils & organic
material), run off catchers (clear, to
show the difference in water quality),
sprouts, soils.
Centre: Investigation.
Sorting and classifying different rock
types.
Description –
Students are provided with rocks of
assorted size, shape, and colour. The
children may be invited to sort and
classify the rocks in any way they
please.
Science learning –
Explicit / Intentional
Teaching:
Mat session: You wouldn’t want to
live without soil by Alvin Silverstein.
Introduction:
Explain objectives i.e. “We really
need to think about why we need
rocks and soil today!”
Key Questions – What would our
gardens be like without rocks and
soil? If we don’t have gardens what
else might we not have?
(Play around with the ideas
surrounding sustainability – if we
don’t have worms the birds won’t
have anything to eat etc.).
Conclusion:
Images of all the flora and fauna that
is reliant on clean and healthy soil.
Ask children to take away the images
that need lots of healthy soil. (Show
that none of these things exist
without healthy soil). Briefly discuss
how we can look after our soil
(putting our rubbish in the right bins,
etc.).
Centre: Guided
Investigation
What do people use soil for?
Description –
Students brainstorm with the
educator how soil is used in “real
life”. Clip art can be used to sort a
classify uses on to a poster.
Science learning –
The skill of sorting and classifying,
making group decisions, objects
have differing uses.
Resources –
Clip art of different rocks and where
different types of soil are used (i.e.
gardens, worm farms, etc.), poster
paper.
Centre: Outdoor.
Soil scavenger hunt.
Description –
This is an assistant guided activity.
After the past emphasis on
descriptive, senses, and textural
language, this activity is aimed to
target responses to descriptive
language (the students can use it,
but do they understand it?). The
 Sorting and classifying skills, educator will describe a certain type
Resources – of soil and students will collect it.
Assorted rocks, small bowls for Science learning –
classification, paper and coloured Responsiveness to textural, senses,
pencils. and descriptive language,
recognition of soil in its natural
“home”, observable features of soil.
Resources –
Outdoor gardens.
Centre: Sensory/fine Objective/s:
motor. Students can articulate why soil and
Soil Sensory investigation. rocks are needed in daily life.
Description –
Children are able to dig through the
worm farm (with the option of
garden gloves and tweezers) to
explore who lives in the soil and the
soil components to a healthy worm
farm.
Science learning –
Living things have needs,
sustainability, observable properties
in nature, questioning and
observation skills.
Resources –
Worm farm, gardening gloves, kid’s
plastic tweezers.
Assessment and recording – The educator is to take anecdotal notes regarding students responses to sustainability and why rocks and soil are needed in
daily life. In particular, focus on the level of their response, any questioning that occurs, and whether children engage in peer discussions.

Highlight one or two outcomes specifically connected to your objective/s.

Outcome One: Children have
a strong sense of identity.
Children feel safe, secure and
supported.
Children develop their
emerging autonomy, inter-
dependence, resilience and
sense of agency.
Children develop
knowledgeable and confident
self-identities.
Children learn to interact in
relation to others with care,
empathy and respect.
Outcome Two:
Children are connected to and
contribute to their world.
Children develop a sense of belonging to
groups and communities and an
understanding of the reciprocal rights
and responsibilities necessary for active
community participation.
Children respond to diversity with
respect.
Children become aware of fairness.
Children become socially responsible and
show respect for the environment.
Outcome Three: Children have
a strong sense of wellbeing.
Children become strong in their
social and emotional wellbeing.
Children take an increasing
responsibility for their own
health and physical wellbeing.
Outcome Four: Children are
confident and involved learners.
Children develop dispositions for
learning such as curiosity,
cooperation, confidence,
creativity, commitment,
enthusiasm, persistence,
imagination and reflexivity.
Children develop a range of skills
and processes such as problem
solving, inquiry, experimentation,
hypothesising, researching and
investigating.
Children transfer and adapt what
they have learned from one
context to another.
Children resource their own
learning through connection with
people, place, technologies, and
natural and processed materials.
Outcome Five: Children are
effective communicators.
Children interact verbally and
non-verbally with others for a
range of purposes.
Children engage with a range of
texts and gain meaning from
these texts.
Children express ideas and make
meaning using a range of media.
Children being to understand how
symbols and pattern systems
work.
Children use information and
communication technologies to
access information, investigate
ideas and represent their thinking.