Initial Publication Date: January 13, 2021

About the Educator's Guide and Project

Soil is of fundamental importance in providing vital ecosystem services, which are critical for human health and global stability. There is also a growing recognition of the importance of soil health in providing clean water and air, sustaining the health of the natural and managed ecosystems, as well as providing food, feed, fiber, and renewable fuels. Therefore, it is imperative that we create a broader awareness of the importance of soils in everyday life as well as practices to help conserve this precious resource.

To do this, the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) develops educational resources to address and build on the understanding of soils. Outreach efforts include a high-profile soils education website and targeted educational materials and resources. SSSA actively engages with the K-12 science teacher/educator community for dissemination of these quality resources.

The SSSA K-12 committee and a group of dedicated members wrote Know Soil, Know Life for the high school and introductory college-level student. The book provides a deeper dive into soil science topics including physical properties of soil, soil formation, soil biology, chemical properties of soil, soil classification/survey/interpretations, environmental science/conservation/land use management, soils and biomes, soils and society, and careers in soil science.

This accompanying educator's guide enhances the usability of the book for educators to more easily integrate all information in the book/chapters/sections into classroom curriculum. Components for each chapter include:

  • Chapter overview
  • Suggested teaching sequence and pacing guide that details time required for each element
  • Accompanying PowerPoint
  • Links to hands-on activities to support the chapter materials
  • List of relevant NGSS standards addressed
  • Assessments including chapter questions, formative and summative assessments
  • Links to additional optional resources
  • Optional extensions and opportunities

About the Soil Science Society of America

SSSA is a progressive, international scientific society that fosters the transfer of knowledge and practices to sustain global soils. SSSA was founded in 1936 and has a membership of approximately 6,800 professionals and students dedicated to advancing the field of soil science. It provides information about soils in relation to crop production, environmental quality, ecosystem sustainability, bioremediation, waste management, recycling, and wise land use.

SSSA supports its members by providing quality research-based publications, educational programs, certifications, and science-policy initiatives. SSSA was the founding sponsor of the Dig It! The Secrets of Soil exhibit displayed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History from 2008-2010 (which is now on permanent exhibit at the St. Louis Science Center) and spearheaded a US-focused outreach effort for the 2015 International Year of Soils. SSSA also works in collaboration with agencies and other non-governmental groups to continue developing educational materials.

SSSA is the leading steward for the soils discipline in terms of research, education, practice, and public understanding of soils. One of the core strengths of SSSA and its members is the fundamental understanding and application of science to the development of educational resources.


Additional Resources

Soils for Teachers Website — www.soils4teachers.org
The primary K-12 outreach site is dedicated to the needs of teachers/educators, providing ready resources for the classroom. Key components include a section on soil basics, soils by subject, land, and people, and lessons/activities. The searchable lessons/activities (with assigned NGSS standards) section includes SSSA developed lessons and those from external sites that have been reviewed and vetted by soil scientists to ensure the science and methods are accurate. Resources include:
  • Posters
  • Materials from webinars and NSTA workshops
  • Ask a Soil Scientist
  • State Soil Booklets
Soils for Kids Website — www.soils4kids.org
The website dedicated to students, which describes soil basics, provides Fun with Soil games, suggestions for science-fair experiments, and opens their minds to careers in soil science. It also links to information about their state soils and is further sorted by grade levels.

Sponsoring Organization

SSSA thanks the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service for their support of this project. This material is based upon work supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under number NR183A750025C010. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.