The LOESS project has been busy developing a range of materials to support teachers in delivering soil education in the classroom and now is entering a piloting phase in which the materials are being tested by educators. Here we outline the materials that are available to date.
- A glossary of soil related keywords. In addition to English, it will be available in 14 languages shortly.
- MOOC on “Soil Education: An Integrated STEM Approach” – a course for primary and secondary school teachers, practice-teachers, and formal and non-formal STEM educators who want to explore innovative, STEM-integrated approaches to teaching about soil and its importance in an engaging way. The course runs from 3 March to 9 April 2025 but will remain open to access.
- Case study database – a collection of over 60 case studies gathered by LOESS partners in 15 countries demonstrating a range of soil education practices, resources and initiatives.
- Learning Scenarios – a set of four lesson plans for teachers to integrate soil health knowledge into their teaching:
- Exploring soil: A Learning across STEM covering the topics of soil composition, wormery, pH levels, data analysis, graphing soil data, erosion
- Soil Detectives covering the topics of soil properties, fertility, sustainable management practices, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications
- SOS! Save Our Soils! covering the topics of endangered soils, soil conservation, human – environment interaction, water erosion
- The Life Beneath Our Feet covering the topics of soil composition, biodiversity, nutrient cycles, mathematical modelling.
For more information about the project visit the LOESS website.
