Soil: More Than Dirt Under Your Feet - Article

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Description: We see soil, walk on soil, and grow things in soil every day, but the vast majority of people never recognize how important soil is in sustaining life on Earth. This article presents background information linked to teaching resources to introduce K-12 students to many of the critical functions of soils. These materials were shared with teachers during a Geophysical Information for Teachers (GIFT) workshop at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in 2018.
Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12
Keywords: soil basics, article, NESTA, Earth Scientist
Lesson Area: Soil Basics, Soil Biology, Soil Chemistry
Resource Type: Reading

Next Generation Science Standards

Grade Discipline Core Idea
3-5 ESS1.C: The history of planet Earth Certain features on Earth can be used to order events that have occurred in a landscape.
6-8 ESS1.C: The history of planet Earth Rock strata and the fossil record can be used as evidence to organize the relative occurrence of major historical events in Earth's history.
9-12 ESS1.C: The history of planet Earth The rock record resulting from tectonic and other geoscience processes as well as objects from the solar system can provide evidence of Earth's early history and the relative ages of major geologic formations.
3-5 ESS2.A: Earth materials and systems Four major Earth systems interact. Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller pieces and move them around.
6-8 ESS2.A: Earth materials and systems Energy flows and matter cycles within and among Earth's systems, including the sun and Earth's interior as primary energy sources. Plate tectonics is one result of these processes.
9-12 ESS2.A: Earth materials and systems Feedback effects exist within and among Earth's systems.
3-5 ESS3.A: Natural resources Energy and fuels humans use are derived from natural sources and their use affects the environment. Some resources are renewable over time, others are not.
6-8 ESS3.A: Natural resources Humans depend on Earth's land, ocean, atmosphere, and biosphere for different resources, many of which are limited or not renewable. Resources are distributed unevenly around the planet as a result of past geologic processes.
9-12 ESS3.A: Natural resources Resource availability has guided the development of human society and use of natural resources has associated costs, risks, and benefits.