Name Date Class

How Soil Forms

Inquiry Warm-Up, What is Soil? In the Inquiry Warm-Up, you investigated the components that make up soil. Using what you learned from that activity, answer the questions below.

1. EXPLAIN Explain why the soil sample has a mix of different types of rock particles instead of just one type of rock particle.

2. CLASSIFY What size are the particles in the soil sample?

3. INFER What types of plants might grow in the sample soil used in the activity?

4. COMPARE AND CONTRAST How would a sand sample differ from the soil samples used in the activity?

Name Date Class

How Soil Forms

What Is Soil?

1a. LIST What are three characteristics used to describe soil?

b. COMPARE AND CONTRAST How are the A, B, and C horizons different?

I get it! Now I know that soil forms from

I need extra help with

How Do Living Things Affect Soil?

2a. IDENTIFY Organisms contribute to soil formation by

______and ______.

b. DESCRIBE List two types of decomposers.

c. ANSWER What processes break down rock? Include the processes of soil formation in your answer.

I get it! Now I know that living things affect soil by

I need extra help with

Name Date Class

How Soil Forms

On a separate sheet of paper, describe how organisms impact soil composition.