Students meet with teacher to discuss small-group plans. Whole-class discussion of plans for observation and care. Develop recording sheets. Set up investigations. Students make sketches in their science journals and add recording sheets for data collection.
Students regularly record observations of their decomposition columns.
Hand lenses, scales, rulers, and soil thermometers to be made available to students during this time. Examine the role of the earthworm as a decomposer. Build and maintain earthworm bins. Students research some naturalists and scientists, looking at their record-keeping strategies and research techniques. Over time, the organic materials will actually become part of the soil, enriching it in the process.