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Scraps Into Soil
Provided by: Population Education |Published on: June 21, 2022
Lesson Plans Grades k-2, 3-5
Synopsis
- This lesson plan provides instructions for a composting experiment that investigates the decomposition of organic and inorganic waste.
- Students will gather materials, observe how they decompose over time, differentiate between natural and human-made products, explain the difference in decomposition rates between the two, and explain the importance of composting to reduce landfill waste.
- This resource includes a student worksheet to help students collect data, extension activities, and discussion questions.
Subjects: Science
Authors: Population Education
Region: Global
Languages: English
Teaching Materials
Positives
- This experiment is a great way for students to observe the process of decomposition.
- The step-by-step instructions are clear and easy to follow.
Additional Prerequisites
- To view this lesson plan, teachers need to download the PDF file. To download the file, educators must provide an email address.
- Materials needed for this activity include 1/2 gallon plastic milk jugs with caps, scissors, masking tape or duct tape, soil from outside with no worms or bugs, compostable items, and spoons.
- This experiment takes about 3 weeks, so teachers should plan accordingly.
Differentiation
- Teachers can create a word wall with pictures and definitions of vocabulary words such as decomposition, composting, organic waste, and inorganic waste.
- Teachers can use the provided student worksheet or science notebooks to help students collect data as they observe the different stages of decomposition. Using a digital camera or an instant camera, students can add pictures of the compost jugs to their notes.
- At the end of the experiment, teachers can assess student learning by doing the activity in the Measuring Learning section. Students can choose to make a persuasive flyer or a digital presentation.
- Similar resources include this digital picture book about waste disposal, this timelapse video of a worm-based compost bin, and this video about food waste and the climate.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
Standards
Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
Population Education
Population Education provides K-12 teachers with innovative, hands-on lesson plans and professional development to teach about human population growth and its effects on the environment and human well-being. Human population has grown from 1 billion to 8 billion in just over 200 years, so it is critical to examine human impacts on wildlife, climate, and natural resources while working toward equality and justice for the world’s people. Through memorable, standards-aligned classroom activities like simulations, cooperative challenges, and debate, Population Education inspires students to tackle a variety of real-world problems and to become positively engaged in their communities as the next generation of leaders and policy makers.
All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.
