Composting is the decomposition of organic waste materials in the presence of water, air, and microorganisms to produce organic fertilizer. Learn how to construct a simple compost bin, creating the right environment for microbial decomposition.

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Organization
Soil Science Society of America
Discipline
Earth and Space Sciences
Grade Level
3-5
6-8
Lesson Area
Soil Biology
Lesson Type
Activity
Lesson Keywords
Compost
Decomposition
Fertilizer

Next Generation Science Standards

Grade Discipline Core Idea
3-5 ESS2.A: Earth materials and systems

Four major Earth systems interact. Rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region. Water, ice, wind, organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller pieces and move them around.
3-5 PS1.B: Chemical reactions

Chemical reactions that occur when substances are mixed can be identified by the emergence of substances with different properties; the total mass remains the same.
6-8 ESS2.A: Earth materials and systems

Energy flows and matter cycles within and among Earth's systems, including the sun and Earth's interior as primary energy sources. Plate tectonics is one result of these processes.
6-8 PS1.B: Chemical reactions

Reacting substances rearrange to form different molecules, but the number of atoms is conserved. Some reactions release energy and others absorb energy.