EARTH SCIENCE LITERACY PRINCIPLES: A GEOCOMMUNITY CONSENSUS

The Earth Science Literacy Principles, released in the spring of 2009, represent a geocommunity consensus about what all Americans should understand about Earth sciences. The document, presented as a published brochure and available on the Internet at www.earthscienceliteracy.org, was created through the work of the NSF-funded Earth Science Literacy Initiative (ESLI). Nearly 1000 geoscientists and geoeducators were involved in identifying nine “big ideas” and seventy-five “supporting concepts” fundamental to terrestrial geosciences. The content scope was designed to complement similar documents from the Oceans, Atmospheres, and Climate communities and involved the geosphere and land-based hydrosphere as addressed by the NSF-EAR program, including the fields of Geobiology and Low-Temperature Geochemistry, Geomorphology and Land-Use Dynamics, Geophysics, Hydrologic Sciences, Petrology and Geochemistry, Sedimentary Geology and Paleobiology, and Tectonics.

The creation of the Principles through the involvement of the geoscientists and geoeducators occurred in several stages. A 2-week online workshop run by the College of Exploration involved 350 people in a dialogue that began to define the essential big ideas and supporting concepts of Earth science. An organizing committee of a dozen people reviewed the workshop output and presented it at a writing workshop of 35 people, where a rough draft of the ESLI Principles was created. These principles were continuously reviewed and revised through presentations at national meetings, such as of the GSA and AGU, and online through web surveys. The ESLI Principles were reviewed and endorsed by many professional organizations including the AAPG, AGI, AGU, GSA, NAGT, NESTA, and USGS. The final document was crafted, published with accompanying graphics, and presented on the www.earthscienceliteracy.org web site. The ESLI Principles will be regularly updated to adapt to growth and change in the scientific understandings of Earth science. The document is already providing guidance for formal and informal education and within the government, and will continue to do so in the future.