SSSA K-12 Committee Accomplishments 2006-2023
Snapshot
In July 2008, Dig It! The Secrets of Soil exhibition opened for an 18-month run at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History (of which SSSA was a Founding Sponsor). Eager to build resources for those viewing the exhibit and a deeper involvement in developing K-12 resources for teachers, the SSSA K-12 Outreach Committee was formed in 2006, made up of a group of SSSA members passionate about telling the story of Soils. The charge to the committee was to increase interest and awareness of soil science as a scientific pursuit and career choice, especially among K-12 teachers and their students and work to integrate more information on soil science into biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science areas taught at multiple grade levels.
Accomplishments
During the 17 years the SSSA K-12 Committee has been active, they have achieved an exceptional amount. Read on to learn more or view the Accomplishments write-up.
In the 17 years of the committee’s work, we have developed:
• 2 K-12 websites including one with a redesign (with over 420,000 visits in 2022)
• Published 2 K12 focused books (for use in formal or informal classrooms or at home)
• Developed 2 train-the-trainer workshops, 2 webinars, and 2 teachers guides
• Conducted 2 full-day in-service teachers trainings with soil science buckets, videos
• Curated over 200 lessons, activities, and reading resources for K12 teachers
• Developed state soil booklets for all 50 states and Guam
• Partnered with other organizations to develop and disseminate materials for K12 teachers
• Produced I “Heart” Soil stickers in 15 languages and have distributed over 500,000 stickers
• Produced 12 2-minute animated videos on various aspects of soil, as part of the 2015 International Year of Soils.
Activity Centers
Activities center around these areas:
• Assessment and Standards – connecting soil to state and national standards.
• Curriculum Development – developing new curricula for K-12 instruction.
• Website Development – enhancing the K-12 website resources.
• Books – publish books relevant to the K-12 audience.
• Develop and Disseminate Soils Information – for all audiences.
• Collaboration – maximizing outreach through collaborations with other groups.
WEBSITES
• Soils for Teachers: Our extensive teachers website features soils topic areas, lessons/activities collection, educator’s guides, free classroom resources, definitions, and an Ask a Soil Scientist feature.
• Soils for Kids: Our kids website features areas including all about soil, fun with soil (activities), soil experiments, soil games, career exploration, and soil in your community.
PUBLICATIONS AND LESSON PLANS
Soil! Get the Inside Scoop and supplemental Teachers Guide
This book is intended for grades 3-5 and explores the basics of soil and how soil is part of our life – the food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the houses we live in, and more. A free online teachers guide is available for each chapter of the book—with accompanying Powerpoints, definitions, activities, quiz questions, and more. Order your copy here.
Know Soil Know Life and supplemental Educators Guide
This 200-page book is targeted at high-school students and for introductory soils courses at the collegiate level. Chapters include Physical Properties of Soil and Soil Formation, Soil Ecosystems/Biology, Chemical Properties of Soil and Soil Fertility, Classification/Soil Mapping/Interpretation, Environmental Science/Soil Conservation/Land Use Management, Soils and Biomes, Soil in History and Modern Life, and Career Opportunities. An extensive online educators guide is free for all educators to use, with overviews, Powerpoints, activities, standards integration, and worksheets. Order your copy here.
Curated Collection of Resources
We've curated a collection of lessons, hands-on activities, labs, readings, and more - all about soils and topics related to soils - in a searchable database. Some are posted directly by SSSA others we have reviewed and recommend. Searchable areas include by grade level, topic area, resource type, and NGSS standard. Over 200 resources are in the database. In addition, the SSSA K12 committee reviews and vets submissions for the addition of resources to the database.
Soils Unit
Designed for middle-school, this soils-focused unit with lessons that provide students with a basic understanding of the fundamentals of soil science through the integration of disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts in the lessons, investigations, and activities.
STATE SOIL BOOKLETS
An in-depth yet easy to read booklet (4-8 pages each) with information on each state soil. The state soil booklets include a brief history of how the state soil came to be, an image of the state soil, where the state soil is found, importance and uses, limitations, management, soil formation, ecoregions and land use, a glossary, and additional resources – including an activity to enhance learning.
IN-SERVICE DAY AND WEBINARS
Webinars
The K12 committee has produced two webinars for K-12 educators, focused on soil science at different grade levels:
• Soils: Fundamental for Life - This webinar focused on basics, formation, characteristics, and fertility (the ability of a soil to sustain plant growth by providing plant nutrients and favorable habitats for plant growth).
• Soil Physics, Chemistry, and Biology … Oh My! - Soil is so much more than what food is grown in, we walk on, or move out of the way to build houses or buildings on. It's complex, life-giving, and is critical for a balanced ecosystem. Attendees learned about each area, why each is important, and ideas for classroom activities. In addition, they heard about career opportunities in soil science!
In-Service Day
Two one-day in-service days for K-12 teachers in Memphis and Chicago were conducted by soil scientist members of the committee. They educated teachers on key sub-disciplines within soil science and demonstrated relevant in-class activities. Content focused on the pillars of soil science- physics, chemistry, and biology- as well as a module on soils and climate change. Teachers were provided with “soil buckets” containing materials and supplies to conduct the demonstrated activities in their classrooms. To encourage SSSA members to go to their local K-12 classrooms with turnkey materials, all of the in-service content is freely available on the in-service webpage.
PARTNERSHIPS
• American Geological Institute (AGI) - AGI hosts Earth Science Week in cooperation with sponsors as a service to the geoscience community. As an AGI member we develop a soil science activity for the annual calendar and contribute to the Earth Science Week kits which are distributed to 10,000+ teachers. Earth Science Week is held annually in October with each year having a unique theme.
• National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) – Annually, we participate in the NSTA national conference and exhibit and present a workshop on soils.
• National Earth Science Teachers Association – The SSSA K12 Committee has partnered with NESTA in developing and promoting one of our webinars, participated in their share-a-thon at the NSTA conference, and have published an article on our activities in the NESTA journal.
OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
Member Outreach Activities
• Developed an online Career Profiles format for members to tell their career story.
• Ask a Soil Scientist program online – members volunteer to answer questions from K-12 students and teachers. They may also volunteer to speak in classrooms. 135 Members have registered to date.
• A group of committee members participated in a teaching standards review at the national level, via the SSSA Science Policy Office.
International Year of Soils – 2015
The Soil Science Society of America played an integral part the success of the 2015 International Year of Soils! We worked on raising awareness of and promoting the sustainability of our limited soil resources. SSSA members, recognizing that we all have a valuable role in communicating vital information on soils, came together to develop new activities and pull together already developed resources to assist everyone interested in learning more about soils. Key components included:
• 12 monthly videos on various aspects of soil and associated activities.
• K-12 Educators kit of resources including a Coloring and Activity Book
• Careers in Soil Science Career Poster
Dig It! Exhibition Activities
Two Train-the Trainer Workshops were conducted at the Smithsonian Exhibition – with over 60 teachers in the Washington DC area participating, January and June 2009, with Project Learning Tree members as the facilitators of the workshop. The exhibit also traveled to the Durham Museum, Omaha, NE, Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane, WA, and the Bell Museum, St. Paul, MN. Exhibit materials, including the popular state soil profiles, now reside permanently at the GROW Center at the St. Louis Science Center.
I “Heart” Soil
Fifteen "I Heart Soil" stickers in different languages – another fun way to get people excited about Soils! I "Heart Soil clothing, a "love" map to post photos taken around the world with your "I Heart Soil" stickers, and downloadable templates are also available.