California Academy of Sciences: A Science Notebook Story - Investigating Compost

Anoushka Takla’s fourth graders seek to answer the question: “What happens to our trash over time?”

Her class placed several objects – an apple, a bagel, a leaf, a paper plate, a plastic spoon, and a piece of tin foil – in clear plastic containers of soil. They made predictions about how each object would change, and then carefully observed the objects over the course of seven weeks.

Read on to see how several notebook strategies worked together to help students build their science ideas about decomposition. To view examples of student work and to download the complete lesson plan, click the links below.


Science Topics
Biology, Conservation & Sustainability
K-6, Middle School, Educator
3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

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California Academy of Sciences

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