Lesson Planet
Search educational resources
  • Sign In Try It Free
  • AI Teacher Tools
    • Discover Resources Search reviewed educational resources by keyword, subject, grade, type, and more
    • Curriculum Manager (My Content) Manage saved and uploaded resources and folders To Access the Curriculum Manager Sign In or Join Now
    • Browse Resource Directory Browse educational resources by subject and topic
    • Curriculum Calendar Explore curriculum resources by date
    • Lesson Planning Articles Timely and inspiring teaching ideas that you can apply in your classroom
    • Our Story
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Testimonials
    • Contact Us
  • Pricing
  • School Access
    • Your school or district can sign up for Lesson Planet — with no cost to teachers
      Learn More
  • Sign In
  • Try It Free

Hi, what do you want to do?

Create a lesson plan
Create a lesson plan
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Generate resources with 80+ AI teacher tools
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Search 200,000 instructional videos
Find a teaching resource
Find a teaching resource
Composting: Why Bother? Unit PlanComposting: Why Bother? Unit Plan
Publisher
Intel
Resource Details
Curator Rating
Educator Rating
Not yet Rated
Grade
8th - 10th
Subjects
Science
2 more...
Resource Type
Unit Plans
Audience
For Teacher Use
Duration
6 mos
Instructional Strategies
Hands-on Activity
2 more...
Technology
Internet Access
Year
2014
Usage Permissions
Fine Print: Educational Use
Unit Plan

Composting: Why Bother?

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Composting: Why Bother? unit plan also includes:
  • Assessment
  • Standards
  • Resources
  • Download this Unit (zip)
  • Lesson Plan
  • Activity
  • Project
  • Worksheet
  • Student Reference
  • Answer Key
  • Rubric
  • Join to access all included materials

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 about waste. They then create a compost bin, as a competition within their class, to see who creates the most decomposed compost in three months. 

29 Views 19 Downloads
CCSS: Adaptable

Concepts

composting, waste management, solid waste

Additional Tags

science

Instructional Ideas

  • If 10-12 weeks are not available, teachers can chunk the lesson and use desired portions in order to meet standards in less time

Classroom Considerations

  • An extensive amount of time is needed to complete this activity: one full week followed by 2-3 days/week for 11 more weeks
  • Consider where to build the compost bins to minimize odor and infestations

Pros

  • Lesson provides differentiated instructional tips for English language learners, gifted pupils, and resource learners
  • A peer assessment scoring guide provides teachers with a way to assess pairs/groups learning
  • Lesson uses technology through related apps

Cons

  • None

Common Core

RST.9-10.3

See similar resources:

Unit Plan

Municipal Waste Generation

Beyond Benign
Statistically, waste may become a problem in the future if people do not take action. Using their knowledge of statistics and data representation, pupils take a look at the idea of waste generation. The four-part unit has class members...
9th - 12th Math
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Reduce Our Carbon Footprint, Let’s Compost!

National Park Service
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...
4th - 8th Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

All Hats for Ecology: Solid Waste Presentation

Curated OER
Students investigate community issues with solid waste. In this mock trial activity, students examine the issues of solid waste from an ecological and economical perspective. They will develop a mock trial which encourages preservation...
9th - 12th Science
Lesson Plan

How Do Our Attitudes Affect Waste?

Curated OER
High schoolers conduct a survey of society's typical purchasing practices to determine the influence of packaging on consumer choices and to determine if consumers consider waste disposal and recycling when making purchasing decisions.
9th - 12th Science
Lesson Plan

Compost Bioreactor Design

Bonneville
Organic waste is a hot topic. The second of three installments in the Bioreactor Water Heating unit challenges pupils to create bioreactors that collect energy released from compost. After watching videos on the properties of water and...
7th - 12th Science
Unit Plan

Don't Waste Your Energy

Government of South Australia
Don't lift another finger, this physical and environmental science unit has everything you need to begin teaching your class about energy. Starting with a look at the greenhouse effect, these lessons and activities take young scientists...
4th - 8th Science
CCSS: Adaptable
Activity

Teach Engineering: Composting Competition

TeachEngineering
In a multi-week experiment, students monitor the core temperatures of two compost piles, one control and one tended, to see how air and water affect microbial activity.
9th - 10th Science
Instructional Video

Reducing Food Waste

California Academy of Science
The average American creates more than 240 pounds of food waste every year. Are there ways to reduce that number? The eighth lesson in the 13-part series covering Our Hungry Planet introduces multiple ideas for reducing food waste. It...
2 mins 6th - 10th Career & Technical Education
CCSS: Adaptable
Lesson Plan

Organic and Inorganic Waste

Curated OER
Students conduct a scientific investigation about organic or inorganic waste.  In this organic or inorganic waste lesson, students create a compost heap to determine the difference between inorganic and organic waste. Students...
3rd - 8th Science
Lesson Plan

Composting "The Right Mix"

Curated OER
Learners investigate the correct mix of material types for compost. In this composting lesson, students explore the correct amounts of different types of materials to create a compost heap. Learners then create a compost heap.
6th - 8th Science
Try It Free
© 1999-2026 Learning Explorer, Inc.
Teacher Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Resources

Sign up for the Lesson Planet Monthly Newsletter

Open Educational Resources (OER)

  • Health
  • Language Arts
  • Languages
  • Math
  • Physical Education
  • Science
  • Social Studies
  • Special Education
  • Visual and Performing Arts
View All Lesson Plans

Discover Resources

  • Our Review Process
  • How it Works
  • How to Search
  • Create a Collection

Manage Curriculum

  • Edit a Collection
  • Assign to Students
  • Manage My Content
Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Terms of Use