Let Nature Take Its Course: Helping the Environment Take Care of Itself (Spanish)
Until the early 1950s, people mined copper, gold, and silver in the Beartooth Mountains in Montana. During mining operations, the soil near the surface was removed before the minerals were taken. This left an area that could not support any plants or animals and encouraged erosion of the mine spoil into nearby streams. The scientists in this study wanted to find a way to help reestablish the alpine meadow ecosystem to its pre-mining condition.
This is the Spanish-language version of the article.
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In this FACTivity, you will compare two different kinds of soil. Materials: Two shallow cardboard boxes (about 16″ long) Two different soil samples that fit inside the cardboard boxes, one...FACTivity – Let Nature Take Its Course (Spanish)
In this FACTivity, you will compare two different kinds of soil. Materials: Two shallow cardboard boxes (about 16″ long) Two different soil samples that fit inside the cardboard boxes, one...
Glossary
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Ray Brown
I like being a scientist because it allows me to follow my passion of learning how nature works and how we interact with nature. I became interested in natural resources...View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- People, Places, and Environments
- Science, Technology, and Society
- Time, Continuity, and Change
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
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Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
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Email
Education Files
In this FACTivity, you will compare two different kinds of soil by examining soil samples.
Materials:
- Two cardboard boxes (approximately 16 inches square and 10 inches deep)
- Shovel
- Samples of soil from two locations (dig up sections that are about 15 inches square to fit the boxes)
- Two 16-ounce jars with lids (like a mayonnaise jar)
- Water (enough to fill the jar)
- Tape and permanent markers (to label the jars)
- Ruler
Prepare your boxes so that they are open on the top. Dig up two different kinds of soil, along with the plants growing in the soil. Try to dig into the soil at least 3 inches. One kind of soil should be from your schoolyard or an area where grass is growing. The other should be from a wooded area that has some plants growing in the soil, but this area should not have grass.
Next, dig a piece out of each soil block, enough to fill half of a 16-ounce jar (with lid). Do not include the green plants. Put one type of soil in each jar. Fill the jars with water. Close the lids and shake the jars. Label the jars “Soil from wooded area” and “Soil from grassy area.” Set the jars aside.
Now, observe the soil and plants in each box. Count the number of different kinds of plants in each box. Can you find any insects? Count the number of insects you find in each box. What other observations can you make about each sample of soil? Make a chart for each box (see an example below).
You may use this chart or use it as the basis for your own observation chart.
After 30 minutes, examine the jars. Organic material will be a very dark layer floating on or near the top of the water. Without disturbing the jars, measure the amount of organic matter in each jar using a ruler.
- Which box of soil is more diverse?
- Which soil has more organic matter? Why?
- You have learned in this article that soil with more organic material will be more diverse than soil with less organic matter. Is that true of the soil samples you have observed?
Extension Activity
Select two or more areas of soil to study outdoors. You may also bring in soil samples from home; the amount of organic matter can be measured in soil from many different areas.
Related Resources from the Natural Inquirer
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Until the early 1950s, people mined copper, gold, and silver in the Beartooth Mountains in Montana. During mining operations, the soil near the surface was removed before the minerals were...Let Nature Take Its Course: Helping the Environment Take Care of Itself
Until the early 1950s, people mined copper, gold, and silver in the Beartooth Mountains in Montana. During mining operations, the soil near the surface was removed before the minerals were... -
In this FACTivity, you will compare two different kinds of soil. Materials: Two shallow cardboard boxes (about 16″ long) Two different soil samples that fit inside the cardboard boxes, one...FACTivity – Let Nature Take Its Course
In this FACTivity, you will compare two different kinds of soil. Materials: Two shallow cardboard boxes (about 16″ long) Two different soil samples that fit inside the cardboard boxes, one... -
After reading “Let Nature Take Its Course,” try to complete this word search using glossary terms from the article.Word Search – Let Nature Take Its Course
After reading “Let Nature Take Its Course,” try to complete this word search using glossary terms from the article.
