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South Dakota Discovery Center Releases K-5 Soils Curriculum

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Elementary student showing class how carrots grow. For more nutrition education resources, visit the Team Nutrition website at: <a href="http://www.TeamNutrition.usda.gov" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.TeamNutrition.usda.gov</a>. All photos are property of USDA with unlimited rights to the use and redistribution of the images.

“Students can learn about soils at school, and then see what they’ve learned up-close and personal.” says Anne Lewis, Special Projects Director, with the SDDC.

Contact
Anne Lewis, Special Projects Director
(605) 224-8295 | annelewis@sd-discovery.org

PIERRE, S.D., December 6, 2021 – The South Dakota Discovery Center (SDDC) has officially released their new kindergarten through fifth grade Soils Curriculum. The elementary school curriculum was developed as part of a collaborative effort between the Discovery Center, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and support of numerous educators and organizations across the state. Through a grant, the SDDC established the “Soil Education Network,” which led to the creation of the new curriculum.

The curriculum uses contemporary “3D” instruction standards and provides teachers with relevant materials to use in their classrooms. “The curriculum was developed to align with the South Dakota’s State Education Standards and to match with the appropriate grade level,” says Anne Lewis, Special Projects Director, with the SDDC. “Our goal is to help educators to teach the story of soils and how we impact the ecosystem beneath our feet.” With the official release of the curriculum on December 5, World Soils Day, teachers can begin incorporating the materials into their lesson plans. The SDDC has hosted teacher training workshops to familiarize educators with the lessons. Interested teachers should contact the SDDC for future teacher workshops associated with the official release of the curriculum.

In addition to the in-class materials, the SDDC has opened a new exhibit on soils that corresponds to the curriculum. “Students can learn about soils at school, and then see what they’ve learned up-close and personal.” says Lewis. The exhibit, which opened September 24, 2021, focuses on the life in the soil and provides an interactive learning environment. The SDDC plans to continue expanding the exhibit into the future, including new fiber artwork to represent the diversity of life in the soil.

The Healthy Soils Curriculum can be downloaded at https://www.sd-discovery.org/elementary_grades.php . To learn more about the Soil Education Network and their future collaborations, visit https://sites.google.com/sd-discovery.org/soileducationnetwork/home.

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