Explain: Soil Orders and Biomes

Part A. Gallery Walk

Student teams share their promotional brochure/poster highlighting the features of the soil order from their selected location. This activity can be done as a gallery walk featuring where students are seeking the following information:

• What are the characteristics of each soil type?
• Can you find connections between soil orders and biomes?
• What questions about soil orders emerge when looking at the various "posters"?

Once students have engaged with the relationship between soil orders and biomes, have them examine the following figures and tables from the Know Soil, Know Life book to identify the effects of climate (temperature and precipitation) on biomes and soils.

Use the following for reference:
Table 7-1, Figures 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, and 7-4.
Study them along with Table 5-2 and 5-5, 5-6, 5-7.

Using the information in the resources listed above, answer the questions listed below.

• Which biomes are more affected by temperature?
• Which by precipitation?
• How are the biomes connected to the soils?
• Why do you think there are different soil orders in a single biome?

Part B. Put Soil Orders on a Map

Student groups link soil orders to locations and to their poster/ brochure from the explore activity. Educators will need to prepare for this activity before class.

1. Print the soil taxonomy images (linked below) on card stock.
2. Post a large geographic United States or World Map on the wall.
3. Cut segments of string, twine, or yarn for each student team

Give each student group a segment, have students use a piece of twine to show where (generally) the soils are found. Then have students can link their "poster-brochure" to a geographic location.

Activity Resources

Soil Taxonomy Poster and individual image cards can be accessed here Soil Taxonomy
USA map Includes both large map and smaller, more specialized maps showing soil order by region.
World Soil Maps