Decomposers

Last week, the students in room 101 learned how rock can be broken down to make soil.  Students learned how different types of weathering helps break down rock such as biological weathering (plant roots), chemical weathering (acid rain) and physical weathering (waves and wind). 
This week the students wanted to learn how organic matter in soil is broken down.  To do this the students first learned a little song:

Sing to the tune of Frère Jacques:
Decomposers (x2)
Who are you?(x2)
Bacteria, invertebrates
Insects participate
Fungi too
Like Mushrooms
 
Decomposers
What do you do?
Turn dead plants and animals
In-to chemical…
Nutrients
Like carbon and nitrogen 

Students then studied a decomposer of their choice and made posters to explain what their decomposer did and why it was important to the soil.  
To conclude this learning, students built a worm farm.

Students then used procedural writing to record the steps taken to make a worm farm. 

They then thought of what they wanted to know in order to properly care for our new worms.  After students had written out a few questions they began to research their questions and record their answers.
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