Soil Your Undies for Healthy Soil

In this middle school task, students explore how soil health is maintained by understanding the complex interactions between living and nonliving factors in a soil ecosystem. Using models and experiments, such as the "Soil Your Undies" challenge and the slake test, students analyze how soil organisms interact with components like air, water, and minerals to affect soil stability and nutrient cycling. As they critically think about these relationships, students recognize that promoting soil health is not just about a single action—it requires a combination of strategies.

This is an updated version of the Soil Task. This task intends to elicit student learning of the following NGSS dimensions:

• Disciplinary Core Ideas – LS2.A-M1: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems (MS)
• Science and Engineering Practices – Developing and Using Models (MS)
• Crosscutting Concepts – Stability and Change (MS) 

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