Lesson Plan

Grades 6-8

Scraps into Soil Lab

This lesson plan must be purchased as part of a lesson packet or as part of a full curriculum that is available in our store.

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Several class periods

SUBJECTS: Science

TOPICS: Personal Consumption, Solid Waste

Resource Overview

Students complete a lab activity to observe how organic and inorganic waste decomposes over time in a natural setting.

Students will be able to:
  • Differentiate between organic and inorganic waste products.
  • Distinguish between constant, independent and dependent variables, and record findings in a lab report.
  • Examine the difference in decomposition rates between organic and inorganic waste.
  • Assess how composting can impact the amount of waste that goes into landfills.
Students build compost bins in 2-liter bottles to compare the breakdown of organic and inorganic materials

Features of This Resource

  • Lab activity for middle schoolers
  • Students must distinguish between constants and the independent and dependent variables
  • Students as solutions – how can we all minimize the amount of waste going into landfills

How Do I Get This Lesson Plan?

This lesson plan must be purchased as part of a lesson packet or as part of a full curriculum that is available in our store.

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