State Science Education Standards'
Connections With GLOBE Soil Protocols

New Jersey

New Jersey: http://www.state.nj.us/njded/cccs/10sciintro.html

Grades: K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Kindergarten - Fourth:

Location on page:

1. under Framework Standard 10 (Earth Systems)
   
2. under Framework Standard 10 (Earth Systems), under learning activities
   
3. under Framework Standard 8 (Structure and Behavior of Matter), under Indicator 3: Investigate matter by observing material, under learning activities
   

Standards: students must be able to…

1. 1. investigate materials that make up the Earth, including rocks, minerals, soils, and fossils, and how they are formed
   
2. ask the students what makes up soil- encourage them to propose possible components of soil. Then the students collect soil samples outside (alternatively, you can simulate soil by combining commercially available soil mixtures). Students examine their soil samples by spreading their material on a piece of white paper. Using a hand lens and tweezers or a simple probe (such as a toothpick), they separate the soil samples into groups such as:
   -course materials (small stones or large, stony grit)
   -fine materials (fine sand and clay)
   -organic matter (decomposed leaves and twigs)
   
3. Sand and Soil—First, students examine sand in seal-able plastic bags from various places to discover if all the sands are the same. Next, they look at topsoil and subsoil (also in seal-able plastic bags) from the same land location. They try to detect any differences between the two soils. By placing a clear plastic metric ruler next to an object under the handheld scope or magnifier, the students can measure the size of objects.

Fifth - Sixth:

Location on page:

1. under Framework Standard 12 (the Environment), under Indicator 4: Evaluate the impact of personal and societal activities on the local and global environment, under learning activities
   

Standards: students must be able to…

1. Signs of a Healthy Environment. In this activity, students recognize critical “indicators” of a healthy environment. First, discuss indicators such as the following: clean air and water, fertile soil, abundance and diversity of indigenous plants and animals, reproduction of life forms, evidence of the recycling of nutrients. The class splits into field teams. Each team carries out an experiment or exercise in a local outdoor setting where one or more of the above environmental factors are present. Each activity is designed to reveal something about the relative health of the local environment, as suggested by the condition of that factor. For example, soil tests indicating favorable soil nutrients suggest that healthy populations of plants and animals probably live off of that soil. Students can then verify the actual presence of these plants and animals. Afterwards, students discuss the impact (positive or negative) that one or more personal and societal activities may have on the various environmental factors studied in this activity.

Seventh: N/A

Eighth: N/A

Ninth-Twelfth: N/A