Soil Erosion by Water with Water Bottles

Overview:

Comparing the effects of “rain” on three stages of soil. Raw soil, scrap leaves, and rooted plants. How does the water look after it has passed through each of these soils?

Time: 

30 min

Lesson Materials:

*You can use the document in the link below to either: tailor the experiment to your needs or to have a printable version of this lesson plan*

Soil Erosion by Water with Water Bottles Lesson Plan

The plan is editable and printable. Copy the Google Doc in your own drive and make edits or you can just print.

Soil Erosion by Water with Water Bottles Lesson Video:

Learning Objectives:

Identify the effects of plants on water erosion

Materials Needed:

  • 6 2-Liter bottles
  • Scissors
  • Rooted plant or seed (broccoli, grass)
  • Leaves
  • Dirt or soil
  • String
  • Water

Experimental Methods:

  1. 3 2L soda bottles, empty them.
  2. 3 water bottles, empty them.

4. Use scissors to cut 3 separate 2 liter soda plastic bottles in half, vertically. Make one half of the bottle an inch or two bigger than the other.

5. Fill one with dirt or soil place horizontally on its side.

  1. Fill the second one with dirt and a layer of dead leaves
  1. Fill the third with some soil and plant seed (broccoli) and water
  1. Cut the 3 water bottles in half
  1. Tie the bottom half to the nozzle or opening of your bigger 2L bottles that are filled with their medium (dirt, leaves, plant). 

Once the plant has set roots and grown you can begin the trial!

  1. Pour water into the first bottle (dirt) until the water flows through the nozzle and out into the smaller water bottles and fills them up. Repeat for each bottle.
  2. Success! Observe the difference in water quality for each bottle. Which one has the cleanest water?

Variation: If you have a plant ready just transplant it and its rooted soil into the 3rd bottle and run the trial.

Expected Experimental Results:

You should be able to notice your soil only bottle run-off being dirty and murky. Your second one with leaves more clear and the third with the plant should be the most clear. This will illustrate the effect on a grander scale in nature.

Questions to Think About:

  • How can this be used on a larger scale? 
  • What might happen in the real world with water erosion without plants and their roots?
  • How else do plants affect things we may not always realize or think about?

Chemistry:

As water passes through dirt it carries a lot of the dirt with it and takes it away. This isn’t always good for the environment as it can damage and remove a healthy topsoil but if there are plants that have rooted into the soil then they can help stop the water from carrying so much of the dirt away and thereby preventing soil erosion.

Society:

Thinking of the effects of natural biology on our world is an important part in our lives that we sometimes forget about. Sometimes the details like soil erosion get lost in the modern world that over time can lead to serious consequences. If we take the time to learn we can create a better environment to live in. Without a healthy plant and soil ecosystem soil and the land in general can degrade and become inhabitable.

Demonstration:

FunScienceDemos, Erosion and Soil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im4HVXMGI68

Logistics:

STEAM Subjects: 

Science (Chemistry) and Art

Science Vocabulary: 

Water Erosion and Runoff

References:

Funding:

CSU Internal Funding Sources:

  • IRA (Instructionally Related Activities Fund)
  • Faculty Small Grant

External Funding Sources:

  • Adobe