Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Reduce Our Carbon Footprint, Let’s Compost!

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty with this elementary and middle school compost lesson plan. All you need is a large plastic container, a couple old newspapers, some organic waste, and a few hundred worms and you're ready...
Unit Plan
Intel

Composting: Why Bother?

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
The first STEM lesson in a group of 10 explores composting. After discussing how to make a better tomorrow, classes are challenged to track garbage in their communities, visit a local waste management facility, and conduct a survey...
Lesson Plan
Captain Planet Foundation

Worm Your Way Out of This

For Teachers 3rd
How can you provide healthy soil for your garden? Study worms, bacteria, and other microorganisms in a lesson about decomposition and organic compost. After discussing what you know about worms and watching a video, watch what worms do...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nutrients Nutrients We Need

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders examine the six nutrients humans need to maintain good heath. In this ecosystem instructional activity, 2nd graders learn about how plants grow and compare how humans need nutrients from plants to how plants need nutrients...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Composting Conundrum

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners research cafeteria composting. In this composting lesson, students design a vessel that would allow the cafeteria staff to collect food scraps for composting. Then learners build a prototype and present it to the class. Lastly...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Composting and Mulching

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders define composting and recognize what can be composted.  In this composting and mulching lesson, 2nd graders classify objects or pictures as good or bad for composting. Students write a story about life in the compost...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Garbage in the Garden

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students create their own compost.  In this soil lesson, students fill a bag with waste and soil, in order to create a mini compost bin. Students observe the baggies over a 6 week period, they record their findings and collect data...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Com-Post With Us? Learn About Recycling While Having Fun

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students examine the importance of recycling to help the environment. In groups, they make a compost bin on the school grounds recording how the material changes from week to week. They collect other materials for recycling like cell...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recycling by Composting

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the idea of recycling by composting. Using the internet, they research the benefits of composting to the environment. In groups, they collect numbers on how much food and yard waste is produced in their community. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Worming Your Way Through the Soil

For Teachers K - 5th
Students study soil, living and non-living particles in the soil, and learn about composting. In this soil study lesson, students study soil samples and discuss the living and non-living components of the soil. Students classify the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

COMPOSTING: WHY BOTHER?

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students explore the composting process and participate in a contest to make the most compost the fastest from the school's kitchen and yard waste.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Shredding We Will Go

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students take charge of a recycling project . In this environmental issues lesson, students manage a paper recycling project and use compost made from the recycled paper to beautify trees.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cafeteria Compost

For Teachers K - 12th
Students gather information on composting. They create their own compost pile using proper materials from the lunchroom. They work together to record observations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Growing With Compost

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students discuss the positives and negatives of composting. They plant their own plant using composting material and record results. They create a poster for the classroom.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recycling & Our Environment

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Young scholars present information about recycling to other students. In this environmental protection instructional activity, young scholars create a puppet show or commercial about the importance of recycling for other students to view.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bushfires

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students study a natural disaster. In this fire safety instructional activity, students discover the facts about bushfires and what they can do to prevent them. They discuss facts about bushfires as a class and then work independently on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earthworm Bridge

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders complete analysis experiments for decomposers and their adaptable traits. In this decomposers lesson, 4th graders test worm behavior to light, sound, warmth, touch, and moisture. Students work in groups to analyze the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Integrated Solid Waste Management

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine the EPA's approach to integrated solid waste management. They read about source reduction, recycling, composting, waste-to-energy incineration, and land filling, and create symbols for each of the aspects of solid waste...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

F.B.I.

For Teachers K - 4th
Students create a worm bin full of fruit and vegetable scraps wit paper and observe what happens over time. In this decomposers lesson plan, students observe that the fruit and vegetable scraps become new soil.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Decomposers- Nurse Logs

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Learners investigate temperate forest ecosystems. In this environmental lesson plan, students discover different forms of decomposition and its effect on the environment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Worms and Spiders: "Critters That Crawl"

For Teachers K
Students complete a unit of lessons on spiders and worms. They discuss worm and spider characteristics, create a garbage garden, observe worms, create gummy worm prints, read the book, 'The Very Busy Spider,' and construct a spider and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Day - Bursting Beans

For Teachers K - 6th
Students fill jars with dried beans and water, cover the jars, and wait to see what happens in this excellent Science experiment ideal for Earth Day (April 22nd). Emphasis is placed on discovering the reactions of seeds to water.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plant Life

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students study plant parts and their functions.  In this plant life lesson plan students participate in an activity of planting plants.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Earth Kids: Kindergarteners Taking Care of the Earth

For Teachers K
Students explore a variety of ways of how to care for the environment in the nine lessons of this unit. They observe how to be responsible "Earth Kids."