Why Is Soil One of the Most Amazing Things on Earth?

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Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Biology, Earth and Space Sciences

Scientist Reviewed

Provided by The Kid Should See This

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What it is

This video is about the importance of soil to biodiversity and the Earth's food chains.
Students will learn about microorganisms, fungi, carbon storage, soil nutrients, earthworms, medicines from soil, and other soil-related topics.

Teaching tips

Positives

It has engaging animation, is informative, and is under five minutes.
It covers topics that can be applied to classes at elementary levels as well as middle school levels.

Additional Prerequisites

A transcript of the video's introduction is available below the video.
The accompanying webpage includes links to other kid-friendly resources about soil.

Differentiation

Students can do a quick writing exercise on the question, "Why is soil one of the most amazing things on Earth?"
This video can be further connected to climate change by focusing on the carbon storage properties of soil and how this can help the climate.
The video can serve as an introduction to a class worm bin.
Activities and experiments related to these topics include Life Above and Below Soil and Lab 5: Soil and the Carbon Cycle.
Another video on the importance of soil is Essentials of Environmental Science: The Importance of Soil.

From the scientist review

This resource is a 5-minute animated video and accompanying webpage that explores our current understanding of soil ecosystems including all the microorganisms and life within soil, the ways in which we can derive antibiotics from soil, and the ways in which we destroy and can restore soil health. This resource is recommended for teaching.

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At a glance

Grades: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
Other types: Videos
Language: English
Location: Earth, Europe
Provider: The Kid Should See This
Authors: The Kid Should See This, BBC Ideas
Published: April 27, 2021
Last updated: July 16, 2026
: Reviewed by our climate scientists How we review

Standards alignment · CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2 + 8 more

Core

Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.2Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.10By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

MS-LS2-4.Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.
MS-ESS2-1.Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.
MS-ESS3-4.Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.
5-LS2-1.Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
HS-LS2-3.Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions.
HS-LS2-6.Evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that the complex interactions in ecosystems maintain relatively consistent numbers and types of organisms in stable conditions, but changing conditions may result in a new ecosystem.
HS-LS2-8.Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species’ chances to survive and reproduce.

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