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Soil Science PAC Objectives Activity 1 1-1. Test your pre-existing knowledge of the course material. 1-2. Begin thinking a sketch you must make of your yard or another area of land from which you can take soil samples. 1-3. Review the Soil Society of America website and review it to get a good idea of what the society does. 1-4. Analyze and write about why you think it is important, or not, for experts in the field of soil science to get together and discuss new technologies and information and if you think being involved in organizations like the Soil Science Society of America is important to the advancement of agriscience. Activity 2 2-1. Categorize between plant- and mineral-based growing media for plants. 2-2. Differentiate between soil preparation and care as it relates to annual and perennial crops. 2-3. Explore both agricultural and nonagricultural uses of land. 2-4. Explore the career of a soil scientist. 2-5. Analyze which use of soil, agricultural or nonagricultural, is more interesting to you. Activity 3 3-1. Describe what happens to the rate of chemical reactions in soil when temperatures increase. 3-2. Define and identify the importance of microbes as it relates to soil. 3-3. Identify how soils are deposited. 3-4. Distinguish between physical and chemical weathering. 3-5. Investigate and draw a diagram of soil horizons. 3-6. Describe why (or why not) you’d be interested in participating in the FFA land judging contest. Activity 4 4-1. Identify the ratio of solids to air and water in well-balanced soil. 4-2. Calculate the surface area of marbles and BBs to simulate different sized particles in soil. 4-3. Differentiate the characteristics between macropores and micropores. 4-4. Match the soil particle to its ability to retain water. 4-5. Recognize the characteristics of soil texture. 4-6. Conduct a soil texture test by using the “feel” method. 4-7. Asses your thoughts you had while conducting the soil “feel” test and whether you think such a test is very accurate or important. Activity 5 5-1. Identify how plants use water. 5-2. Define the types of water stress in plants. 5-3. Investigate the properties of water. 5-4. Describe your reactions to the cohesion and adhesion experiments you performed. Activity 6 6-1. Identify the characteristics and types of drainage. 6-2. Recognize ways to artificially drain soil. 6-3. Distinguish ways land can be irrigated to increase crop production. 6-4. Explore the process of determining land slope, erosion, and drainage. 6-5. Assess a location in your area where there are drainage issues and consider how it could be alleviated. Activity 7 7-1. Define leaching. 7-2. Create a soil testing plan. 7-3. Identify factors of plant growth including the names and number of nutrients and ways to adjust pH. 7-4. Describe what fact has surprised you most about the care and maintenance of soil and why and analyze how this knowledge has given you a different opinion of those who deal with soil on a regular basis. Activity 8 8-1. Define fertilizer and identify its ingredients. 8-2. Identify various methods fertilizer is applied. 8-3. Calculate primary nutrient quantities, given the fertilizer grade. 8-4. Examine the environmental problems you think fertilizer runoff can create and what ways it can be reduced. Activity 9 9-1. Measure the pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content on your soil sample. 9-2. Use the pH, N, P, and K values and calculate the amount of amendments compounds needed to adjust levels in the soil sample. 9-3. Explore the careers of landscapers and groundskeepers. 9-4. Analyze why you think you use the soil solution rather than putting the soil in the tester like you do with the pH test. Activity 10 10-1. Understand how erosion determines land capability classes. 10-2. Pick three different land capability classes and identify three areas in your hometown that might be classified as such, explaining why you believe that area’s characteristics would be classified the way you do. Activity 11 11-1. Begin challenges to meet several high-level problem-solving objectives. 11-2. Evaluate why you chose the challenge you did. Activity 12 12-1. Continue working on challenges to meet several high-level problem-solving objectives 12-2. Describe if soil is more or less interesting to you now that you’ve been through most of this course. Activity 13 13-1. Continue working on challenges to meet several high-level problem-solving objectives 13-2. Explain which information about soil you think would be most beneficial to a person working in a garden. Activity 14 14-1. Continue working on challenges to meet several high-level problem-solving objectives 14-2. Summarize how the information you gained from your challenge would be beneficial to a soil scientist. Activity 15 15-1. Select appropriate vocabulary terms based on the definitions provided. 15-2. Test your comprehension of concepts gained during this course. 15-3. State and explain your opinion of the Soil Science PAC. The objectives for the challenges in Activity 11 through Activity 15 of this PAC include: Challenge 1 You will conduct research on a career of your choice in the soil science field. You will share your findings in a presentation. Challenge 2 You will determine the actual percent slope of several fields, and then you will practice recognizing percent slope by sight (without measurements) by observing the slopes of the fields that you have chosen. Challenge 3 You will determine soil texture of a soil sample using mechanical analysis. Challenge 4 You will judge a soil pit based on an FFA Judging Sheet. Challenge 5 You will research soil related topics on the Internet to see what resources are available. |
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