Aug 082014
Decomposition is a complex process happening all around us. The goal is to identify where decomposition is happening (in the fridge in the forest), examine important factors – biological, chemical and physical, and used an inquiry-based approach for students to set up their own experiments
At the conclusion of the lesson, students will be able to:
- Understand the concepts involved in decomposition – physical, chemical and biological.
- Connect these concepts with their everyday experiences and knowledge and relate them to models of food webs and carbon cycling.
- Use concepts to construct a decomposition experiment that unites the above concepts.
Resources:
- Lesson plan
- Powerpoint
- Worksheet
- Excel template (and example) for graphing
- Activity guide
Lesson plan created by fellow Brendan O’Neill and partner-teachers Jodie Lugar-McManus and Jennifer Boyle, 2014