Soil Organic Carbon - The Treasure Beneath Our Feet

Positives

• This video covers a carbon sink that is not often discussed but can be found in all regions.
• It provides helpful visuals and text throughout to communicate the function and importance of soil organic matter.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with the concept of carbon sequestration and decomposition.
• Students should have a basic understanding of the carbon cycle.

Differentiation

• Before watching this video consider doing a think-pair-share related to the purpose of soil or related to the contents of soil.
• Students could go outside and collect some soil to analyze after they watch the video.
• Social studies classes could connect this resource to lessons about how changing environmental conditions affect rural communities and small-scale farmers.
• Science classes could connect this resource to lessons about photosynthesis, cellular respiration, ecology, decomposition, and the carbon cycle.
  
• Another resource related to this is Soil Carbon Sequestration and the Soil Food Web.