Down-to-Earth (DTE) is a set of instructional resources, forged by visionary dialogue and debate, which reflect a wide range of ideas from intensive pilot testing in five North Carolina counties. DTE represents the integrated talents of a diverse team of educators who used a combination of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary topics to create learning experiences. Recommendations from a cross-section of 25 educators and over 2,000 rural and urban school children are interwoven into the final product.

Purpose
The primary purpose of this community-based program is to introduce youth to sustainable agriculture and environmental education. This is achieved by employing the scientific method as a conceptual, hands-on learning process, which stresses critical thinking, reasoning and problem solving.

Audience
Down-to-Earth is carefully designed for limited-resource youth, ages 9 to 12, from rural, suburban and urban neighborhoods. This program can nonetheless be adapted to a variety of age groups and learning style preferences. It is also readily adaptable to audiences of differing ethnic and racial backgrounds.

Resources
The DTE instructional module consists of a three-ring binder which includes extensive background information for instructors, specific content objectives (growing plants, human safety, pests, careers, etc.), and learner competencies.

The program content is presented in a way that is easily understood by teachers and other adult educators without collegiate studies in natural sciences. An accompanying Student Guidebook helps to engage learners in real-world experiences that prompt continued inquiry. Attitudinal and academic assessments are provided to measure the learner's behavioral changes and progress toward understanding the nine major topics. Also among the resources are two promotional videos which demonstrate how to get a DTE project under way. All of these resources give any youth educator the background information needed to help youth learn how to formulate their own decisions about their immediate environment.

Delivery method
Learners receive a DTE Student Guidebook containing a hypothetical scenario about "Azorians" who live on a faraway planet. The Azorians have come to Earth seeking help in increasing their food and fiber production without harm to their planet's environment. Subsequently, students design a research project. A major requirement of the research is that the students state a hypothesis, and compare different crop production methods and related environmental consequences. The process also involves completing the steps of the scientific method, including background research, establishing and conducting an experiment, recording and analyzing data, making conclusions, and reporting discoveries.

DTE gives youth an opportunity to understand the complex relationships between humans and the environment. As an educational resource, DTE serves as a supplemental instructional guide for educators working with youth organizations, nature centers, community groups, and for parents working with their children.

Cooperating agencies and partners
Down-to-Earth exemplifies an interdisciplinary collaboration among USDA-CSREES, evaluation consultants, Extension specialists (Natural Resources, Textiles and Clothing, Horticulture, and 4-H), and a partnership between 1890 and 1862 university faculty. Extra support comes from students, teachers, school administrators, parents, and community leaders from across the state. Financial support has come from the Kellogg Foundation (via SOFSEC) and the Renewable Resources Extension Act.

For more information on Down-to-Earth, contact:

Dr. Bob Williamson or Dr. Ellen Smoak at (336) 334-7956.