Positives

• A thorough verbal explanation and presentation of graphical data shows how soil is effective at storing solar energy.
• The narrator presents many options for collecting this type of data that could be simply applied outside of the classroom.

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with terms such as solar energy and temperature.
• If you'd like to gather data with your students, you need enough thermometers for your class.

Differentiation

• Before watching the video, lead a discussion about student predictions of how temperature changes in the soil throughout a day or year. Ask students if they think soil temperature changes with depth.  Ask students what animals might depend on soil temperature for survival.
• Math students can use this resource to connect interpreting data and creating graphs to solving important questions in science and society.
  
• To learn more about soil and extend this lesson, show students this NASA's Earth Minute: Dishing the Dirt resource and then have students work in groups to describe how soil moisture and temperature affect ecosystems.