Get Free Access for 10 Days!
Lesson Plan

Reduce Our Carbon Footprint, Let’s Compost!

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Reduce Our Carbon Footprint, Let’s Compost! lesson plan also includes:

Roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty with this elementary and middle school compost lesson. All you need is a large plastic container, a couple old newspapers, some organic waste, and a few hundred worms and you're ready to start composting in your classroom.

305 Views 156 Downloads
CCSS: Adaptable
Concepts
carbon footprints, carbon emissions, ecological footprints, environmental stewardship, the environment, composting, conservation, decomposition, ecosystems
Show More Show Less
Additional Tags
compost, carbon footprint, conservation, environmentalism, decomposition, ecosystem, science
Show More Show Less
Instructional Ideas
  • Include this lesson in a life science unit on ecosystems or the carbon cycle
  • Before and/or after creating the compost bin, teach students about the process of decomposition
  • Create a classroom job associated with maintaining the class compost bin
  • Investigate the biodegradability of different materials by placing them in the compost bin and observing the effects
Classroom Considerations
  • Use the resulting black gold in a school garden or offer it to parents with gardens at home
  • Provide a container in the cafeteria for collecting organic waste from students' lunches
Pros
  • A list of key vocabulary and definitions is included with the lesson
  • Significant background information about decomposition is provided to support the teaching of this lesson
Cons
  • Lesson does not explicitly address teaching student's about decomposition
  • The purchase of worms is required for this science investigation