SOIL SUBJECT EXPRESSION IN LITHUANIAN AND FOREIGN PRIMARY SCHOOL: EDUCATION CONTENT AND GOOD EXPERIENCE ASPECT

Soil is the major support system of human life and welfare, a non-renewable nature source. This is a medium for plenty of microorganisms, animals and plants. Soil, like air, water, is very sensitive to environment pollution. The Organisation of United Nations announced 2015 – the International Year of Soils, because there is a fear, that society knows and understands a little about it. In Lithuanian primary education general programmes, air and water are given much more attention than soil. Even the concept of the latter is not mentioned in the programme. The aim of the research: to analyse soil subject expression in Lithuanian and foreign primary school. The main research questions are: 1) How is soil subject realised in Lithuanian primary education social and natural science education programme and foreign country (Great Britain, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago) analogical programmes?; 2) What similarities and differences are noticed in the 1st to 4th form natural science textbooks, regarding soil subject expression question?; 3) What is international practice of making children acquainted with the soil as an important part of every ecosystem, a medium for living organisms already at an early age? Foreign countries (USA, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Turkey) have accumulated a lot of experience, how at an early age to make children acquainted with the soil, how to make them interested in this secret object, what and how to teach. This can also be useful for Lithuania thinking over education content, renewing educational programmes, implementing Good school concept and propagating education “without boundaries”.