Materials

How does the soil in a present day cranberry bog act like a code to tell us about the past?

Lesson Plan:

Overview
Background
Materials
Preparation
Step-by-Step

Samples of wet peat, sand, gravel, and wet clay for students to touch and examine (if possible)

Cranberry vines

4 clear, 6-inch-long plastic tubes, such as containers in which beads or glitter might be sold (available at major chain craft stores). (Click here for alternatives)

1 medium-sized container with straight, opaque sides. Examples: juice carton cut to about six inches in height, a small paint bucket, or a foil pan.

Materials for creating model soil layers, as follows or improvised as needed:

• Cranberry vines (a handful). (Possible replacements: a few sprigs of artificial plants; pipe cleaners; or (preferably green) twist ties)
  
  
• Play or art sand (to represent the sand layer)
  
  
• Florist foam (to represent the peat layer) or alternative material
  
  
• Natural-color aquarium gravel (to represent the gravel layer) alternative material
  
  
• Clay/play dough (to represent the clay layer)

Index cards (10; or 10 per group)

Masking tape or rope

Cranberry Questions chart from Welcome to the Bog

1 ruler per student

1 pencil per student (or a set of colored pencils per student or student group)

Exploring Cranberries Web Resources:
Beneath the Bog Movie Presentation

Decoding the Core Student Worksheet (1 per student)