Explore ‘Featured Topics in Soils’ on Soils4Teachers.org

The SSSA K–12 Outreach Committee is excited to announce that "Featured Topics in Soils" is now a core part of our flagship website, Soils4Teachers.org. This initiative bridges the gap between complex soil science and the classroom by featuring invited experts who connect soil science to diverse real-world applications. To ensure these resources are classroom ready, our committee identifies specific teaching strategies to accompany every topic.

These resources are designed for seamless integration, offering timely, accessible content supported by numerous figures to enhance student understanding. The ultimate goal is to provide educators with high quality scientific foundations alongside practical instructional ideas.

This month, we are spotlighting the newly created "Soils and Fire" featured topic, written by Olubunmi Faturoti. This resource was developed to support the committee’s outreach at the recent National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conference in Anaheim, CA.

In this module, readers use a mix of text and figures to learn about the science of what happens to soils during and after a wildfire, the environmental risks involved, and the process of soil recovery. To support this topic in the classroom, educators can access two specific instructional resources: an activity that simulates the effects of wildfires on soil fertility and a model designed to demonstrate the concept of soil hydrophobicity.