Lesson Plan

Resources → Subject Notes → Geography → Notes
Lesson Plan
Grade: Date: 17/01/2026
Subject: Geography
Lesson Topic: Distinctive soil forming processes
Learning Objective/s:
  • Describe the key climatic controls of hot arid and hot semi‑arid environments.
  • Identify the dominant soil‑forming processes operating in each climate.
  • Explain how caliche formation, salinisation and other processes shape soil profiles.
  • Compare the typical soil orders (Aridisols, Vertisols, Cambisols, Regosols) found in these settings.
  • Analyse a comparative table of processes and infer implications for land use.
Materials Needed:
  • Projector and digital slide deck
  • Handout with comparative process table
  • Printed soil‑profile diagrams (caliche & salinisation)
  • Sample photographs of arid soils
  • Worksheet for group analysis
  • Whiteboard and markers
 Introduction:
Imagine walking across a desert dune and noticing a hard, white crust beneath your feet. Building on students’ prior knowledge of weathering, ask them how temperature and water scarcity might influence soil development. Today’s success criteria: students will be able to name, describe and compare the distinctive soil‑forming processes in hot arid and hot semi‑arid climates.
Lesson Structure:
  1. Do‑now (5'): Quick quiz on basic climate terms – collect responses on the board.
  2. Mini‑lecture (15'): Present climatic controls and the list of dominant processes using slides and the comparative table.
  3. Group activity (20'): In pairs, analyse the handout table, identify differences between desert and steppe processes, and fill a summary chart.
  4. Case‑study investigation (15'): Walk through the caliche formation sequence and salinisation diagram; students label a blank profile.
  5. Check for understanding (5'): Exit‑ticket – one sentence describing why caliche is common in deserts but not in semi‑arid steppe.
Conclusion:
Recap the key processes and their impact on soil types, linking back to the success criteria. Students submit their exit‑tickets and receive a brief verbal feedback. For homework, each learner researches a local arid or semi‑arid soil (or a case study) and writes a short paragraph describing the dominant soil‑forming processes observed.