Teaching Activities

Unit 1.3 - Systems Models part of Critical Zone Science
Tim White, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
The term "Earth system science" is typically used to describe the science (especially quantitative modeling) of the interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and cryosphere, and biosphere---the ...

Grade Level: College Upper (15-16), College Lower (13-14)
Resource Type: Activities: Course Module, Activities
Subject: Geoscience:Biogeosciences , Geology:Environmental Geology, Geomorphology:Weathering/Soils:Soils, Geoscience:Soils, Environmental Science:Soils and Agriculture, Environmental Science, Global Change and Climate, Geoscience:Atmospheric Science:Climate Change, Environmental Science:Global Change and Climate:Climate Change
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review, Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Unit 1.2 - Role of Soil part of Critical Zone Science
Tim White, Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
The focus on soil in this unit is accomplished by browsing and reading or browsing (in some detail) information from nine websites as well as a book chapter. This effort will help students to understand issues ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14), College Upper (15-16)
Resource Type: Activities: Course Module, Activities, Classroom Activity:Short Activity:Think-Pair-Share
Subject: Geoscience:Soils, Biogeosciences , Geology:Geomorphology:Weathering/Soils:Soils, Environmental Science, Soils and Agriculture
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary, Passed Peer Review

Unit 6: Creating an Agricultural "Fact Sheet" part of A Growing Concern
Hannah Scherer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ; Martha Murphy, Santa Rosa Junior College; Sarah Fortner, Carleton College
For a given region, students will use what they have learned about the interdisciplinary problem of soil sustainability to make recommendations for agricultural practices in response to potential changes in ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Assessments:Written Report, Activities, Course Module
Subject: Geoscience:Soils, Environmental Science:Land Use and Planning, Geoscience:Geology:Geomorphology:Weathering/Soils:Soils, Environmental Science:Soils and Agriculture
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review, Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Unit 2: Soil Characteristics and Their Relationship to Land Use Practices part of A Growing Concern
Hannah Scherer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ; Martha Murphy, Santa Rosa Junior College; Sarah Fortner, Carleton College
In a hands-on exploration, students will learn to describe and quantify the porosity and permeability of soil models representative of both agricultural and natural environments. Students will use this information ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Classroom Activity:Short Activity:Think-Pair-Share, Course Module, Activities:Classroom Activity:Short Activity:Demonstration, Activities:Writing Assignment
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Environmental Geology, Geoscience:Hydrology, Soils, Environmental Science:Soils and Agriculture, Geoscience:Geology:Geomorphology:Weathering/Soils:Soils, Environmental Science:Land Use and Planning
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary, Passed Peer Review

Unit 4: Using SoilWebTMto Investigate the Soil Beneath You part of A Growing Concern
Hannah Scherer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ; Martha Murphy, Santa Rosa Junior College; Sarah Fortner, Carleton College
Students will use SoilWeb™, a smartphone and web application that pulls detailed soil survey data from both the 1:24,0000 Soil Survey Geographic database (SSURGO) and the 1:250,000 scale State Soil Geographic ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Course Module, Activities:Problem Set, Datasets and Tools:Tools, Activities:Classroom Activity:Short Activity:Think-Pair-Share
Subject: Geoscience:Soils, Environmental Science:Soils and Agriculture, Geoscience:Geology:Geomorphology:Weathering/Soils:Soils, Environmental Science:Land Use and Planning
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review, Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Unit 3: Natural and Agricultural Erosion Rates part of A Growing Concern
Sarah Fortner, Carleton College; Martha Murphy, Santa Rosa Junior College; Hannah Scherer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ
Students will identify their perceptions of erosion by examining images of mountain and agricultural landscapes and discussing which environment is more erosive. They will use geospatial figures to compare erosion ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Classroom Activity:Short Activity:Think-Pair-Share, Activities:Problem Set, Datasets and Tools:Datasets with Teaching Activities, Course Module
Subject: Geoscience:Soils, Environmental Science:Soils and Agriculture, Geoscience:Geology:Geomorphology:Weathering/Soils:Soils, Environmental Science:Land Use and Planning
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Unit 5: Predicting the Effects of Climate Change on Soil Loss part of A Growing Concern
Hannah Scherer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ; Martha Murphy, Santa Rosa Junior College; Sarah Fortner, Carleton College
Students will investigate how the factors that influence erosion work together to produce an overall erosion rate. In agricultural areas, these factors are rainfall-runoff erosivity, soil erodibility, slope ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Course Module, Activities:Problem Set, Classroom Activity:Jigsaw, Short Activity:Think-Pair-Share
Subject: Geoscience:Geology:Geomorphology:Weathering/Soils:Soils, Environmental Science:Land Use and Planning, Soils and Agriculture, Geoscience:Soils
Activity Review: Passed Peer Review, Peer Reviewed as Exemplary

Unit 1: Impacts of Land Use part of A Growing Concern
Hannah Scherer, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ; Martha Murphy, Santa Rosa Junior College; Sarah Fortner, Carleton College
In this introductory unit, students will learn about the fundamental role of observation by viewing photographs of both agricultural and non-agricultural (natural) landscapes and making independent observations. ...

Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory
Resource Type: Activities: Activities:Discussion, Course Module
Subject: Geoscience:Soils, Environmental Science:Land Use and Planning, Sustainability, Geoscience:Geology:Geomorphology:Weathering/Soils:Soils, Environmental Science:Soils and Agriculture
Activity Review: Peer Reviewed as Exemplary, Passed Peer Review