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3 June 2021 Assessing Soil Quality in Schoolyards: A Hands-On Activity for Middle School Students
Sofia S. Oliveira, Joana Pereira, Paulo Santos, Ruth Pereira
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Abstract

Soil provides innumerable valuable ecosystem services, such as the production of food and the direct support of wildlife, by ensuring the availability of adequate habitat. However, unsustainable human activities are resulting in degradation of soils worldwide. Hence, it is of utmost importance to raise awareness about this often-overlooked environmental issue. This article presents an inquiry-based activity that challenges students to assess the ecological quality of soil in the surroundings of their classroom. Plus, students and teachers are invited to become citizen scientists by sharing their data with researchers, thus contributing to a future endeavor to map soil quality through broad geographic ranges.

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Sofia S. Oliveira, Joana Pereira, Paulo Santos, and Ruth Pereira "Assessing Soil Quality in Schoolyards: A Hands-On Activity for Middle School Students," The American Biology Teacher 83(5), 331-336, (3 June 2021). https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2021.83.5.331
Published: 3 June 2021
JOURNAL ARTICLE
6 PAGES

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KEYWORDS
Biology education
citizen science
environmental education
soil monitoring
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