SUGGESTED REVISED TITLE: Place-Based Teaching About Soils with the U.S.D.A./N.R.C.S. “Web Soil Survey”

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Title:

Place-Based Teaching About Soils with the U.S.D.A./N.R.C.S.   “Web Soil Survey”

Brief description:

Although the term “soils” is difficult to find anywhere in Michigan’s revised academic science standards, soils can enrich the study of everything from the rock cycle to human sustainability. They, therefore, apply to standards ranging from second grade to high school! In this workshop, participants will learn how to use a very user-friendly, but sophisticated, web-based geographic information system called the “Web Soil Survey”. With this tool participants will be able to find out the types of soils found at specific locations and to obtain detailed information about their characteristics as well as their suitability for different types of land use. An illustration of the ease of its use will also be given of how a 4^th grader in Minneapolis learned how to use the software in about 20 minutes and then applied it to the analysis of a famous landform out west.

Learning Outcomes:

• Learn the steps of using the software to access maps of soils at a particular location.
• Find out some of the physical properties of the soils.
• Find out the suitability of the soils for different types of land use.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Lilienfeld holds a Ph.D. in Geography from Indiana University-Bloomington and has taught college-level geography for over 20 years. This included Central Michigan University, the University of Wisconsin Colleges, the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and Anoka-Ramsey Community College in Minnesota. During her career, she taught a wide range of geography courses, including physical geography/earth systems science. After two years of substitute teaching in Minneapolis public schools, she was inspired to create her company, Circle of Illumination Science Education.