Other Resources

An introduction to soil concepts by the NRCS

This site is a good primer for both teachers and students and provides complete lesson plans for instructors.

How does soil become soil?

Soil Formation and Parent Material
Soil Formation and
Soil Processes

Learn about soil formation and how differences in parent material and processes impact the end result. These two interactive websites have plenty of descriptive videos.

Dig It! The Secrets of Soil

This is an interactive website all about soil, presented by the Smithsonian Institute. There are several games that help explore fundamental soil concepts and resources for educators.

Biology Lesson Plans from the NRCS

The US Natural Resources Conservation Service provides three complete soil biology lesson plans: 1) Earthworm Farm; 2) How Fast Does it Rot?; and 3) What Lives in Your Soil?

A virtual soil laboratory

These virtual soil laboratory modules will complement any course that is combined with a laboratory component. Descriptive videos walk you through the laboratory process.

Soil orders of Canada

This website walks you through the Canadian System of Soil Classification with video that teaches you how to describe a soil.

UBC soil monolith collection

A soil monolith is a preserved soil profile. This interactive website showcases the soil monolith collection stored at the University of British Columbia (UBC). This unique collection of 191 display models has been assembled over the past four decades.

The European Soil Portal

This website has a wide range of resources related soil across Europe, including useful maps and datasets that can be used in the classroom.

soil-net.com

Elementary and secondary educational resource, supported by the British Society of Soil Science. It uses cartoons at the primary level (age 5–11) and informational text at the secondary level (age 11–16).

Dirt! The Movie

Dirt! The Movie – Tells the story of soil, “Earth’s most valuable and underappreciated source of fertility – from its miraculous beginning to its crippling degradation.”

The Dirt Doctors

The Dirt Doctors. Macaulay Land Use Research Institute – series of cartoon characters that represent different soil types. Comparing human and soil health is an underlying theme.

Know Soil Know Life. 2012. D.L. Lindbo, D.A. Kozlowski, and C. Robinson (editors) Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI. 206 p. – Book, targeting high schoolers and college students in introductory courses, tells the story of soil through engaging, accessible language and hundreds of full-color photos and illustrations.

National Aeronautics & Space Association (NASA). Soil Science Education

National Association of Conservation Districts – Soil education resources

Soil Science Society of America – Elementary and secondary educational lessons