This study explored practices that Canadian soil scientists use to educate postsecondary students, K-12 students, and the general public. The most commonly used type of educational activities described by survey respondents, regardless of the settings and the type of target audience, were field-based hands-on activities. The other two commonly…

With the pervasiveness of digital technology, elementary students almost instinctively begin inquiry-based instruction with a bias. Visual information from digital devices competes with elementary science inquiry. To counteract this effect, teachers can use advance organizers. The advance organizer is a tool or a mental learning aid to help…

Biology curricula cover fungi in units on bacteria, protists, and primitive plants, but fungi are more closely related to animals than to bacteria or plants. Like animals, fungi are heterotrophs and cannot create their own food; but, like plants, fungi have cell walls, and are for the most part immobile. Most species of fungi have a filamentous…

Have you ever played in the dirt? Repotted a plant? Planted a garden? In each and every one of these activities, you touched something that is a valuable resource in our lives--dirt! This month's column has students investigating different aspects of something that is right beneath our feet but plays an important role in the daily lives of many…

The exploration of fencerows as an outdoor teaching technique is described. The concepts that can be developed as students walk down the fencerows are related to science, life styles, and economy. By dividing a class into small groups, a teacher can employ problem-solving techniques in fencerow exploration. The following group topics are possible…

The teaching guide and course outline for a 12-week course in soils and foundations is designed to help student technicians in a two-year associate degree civil engineering technology program to obtain entry level employment as highway engineering aides, soil testing technicians, soil mappers, or construction inspectors. The seven teaching units…

Describes an introductory college level course in soil and vegetation which uses lecture, audiovisual tutorial, individualized instruction, field trips, films, and games. The course consists of three segments: basic concepts of soils, basic concepts of plants, and soil and vegetation concepts in a spatial context. (KC)

Describes how teachers can improve introductory soil science courses by applying concepts taught in the classroom to actual field situations. Presents a specific example of a field exercise designed to illustrate soil properties and processes with respect to their environmental settings. (11 references) (Author/MCO)

This packet contains three science learning activities that can be used in agricultural education courses. The activities cover these topics: (1) determining the effects of soil particle size on capillary action; (2) measuring levels of eroded soil particles in streams; and (3) determining the effects of soil cover and texture on surface erosion.…

This curriculum guide is designed for use in teaching a course in basic soils that is intended for college freshmen. Addressed in the individual lessons of the unit are the following topics: the way in which soil is formed, the physical properties of soil, the chemical properties of soil, the biotic properties of soil, plant-soil-water…

This packet contains six science learning activities that can be used in agricultural education courses. The activities cover these topics: (1) determining the effects of soil drainage on plant growth and development; (2) determining the effect of soil compaction on plant growth and development; (3) inoculating legume seeds to promote nodule…

This competency-based curriculum is designed to be a handbook for courses in renewable natural resources/agriculture in Alaska. It details the competencies, developed through a survey of renewable natural resources/agriculture employers in Alaska, that such occupations require. The handbook is organized in six sections. Section I introduces the…

This document is the first volume of a state curriculum guide on vocational agriculture for use in the 9th and 10th grades in Louisiana. Three instructional areas are profiled in this volume: orientation to vocational agriculture, agricultural leadership, and soil science. The three units of the orientation area cover introducing beginning…

This instructor's guide contains eight lesson plans for teaching soil conservation in accordance with the Missouri State Board of Education's Vocational Instructional Management System. To make the unit easier for teachers to use, the following materials are provided in the front of the unit: objectives and competencies for each lesson, a…

This package contains an instructor's manual, an instructor's resource package, and a student workbook for a course in agricultural production and management as it relates to crop production. The module contains 17 units of instruction, each of which contains some or all of the following components: objective sheet, instructor's guide, information…