An Ecosystem Approach to K-12 Soils Education Using the Dig It!exhibit Website.

The Dig It! exhibit was designed from an ecosystem perspective in which agriculture – the traditional context for soils education – is considered just one of many ecosystem types. The notion of soils as a central feature of all terrestrial ecosystems is heuristically appealing for at least two reasons. First, it emphasizes the connectedness between soils and nearly any other topic of interest in the natural and environmental sciences. Second, it provides an avenue for adapting soil science content to a student’s local environment, whether that is urban centers, forests, agriculture, or tundra. We recently developed an approach to teaching basic ecosystem concepts that incorporates soil science and teaching resources available on the website of the Dig It! The Secrets of Soil website.Basic soil science topics included texture, soil forming factors, decomposition and nutrient cycling. The approach was well received by teachers at the National Science Teachers Association meeting.