FOURTH GRADE - OVERVIEW
Biogeology
and Heat Generation
OVERVIEW
Students learn how the biological and geological (biogeology) world work together to give us soil. They learn about the importance of decomposition by organisms.
In their larger study of biogeology, they learn how decomposers are essential to break down dead material and to return nutrients.
Students collect data related to the decomposition process. They learn how decomposers produce heat, and they take the daily temperature of decomposing material in a composter. Students learn the importance of repeating experiments to validate results.
For more information on long term project, click onTEACHER.
DOCENT LESSONS AT A GLANCE The lessons below
will be taught by trained docents with the teacher present in the lab.
For detailed lessons click on DOCENT.
Lesson 1. DECOMPOSERS Students learn about the food chain and the various categories of producers, consumers (herbivores, omnivores, carnivores) and decomposers. They particularly learn about types of decomposers. Activities include sorting and identifying plastic models of decomposers and investigating the life cycle and behavior of live worms.
Lesson 2. ORGANISMS IN COMPOSTING Students learn about compost food chains and sort organism cards by properties. Students examine actinomycetes filaments under a microscope and find, sort, identify and draw organisms from a compost sample.
Lesson 3. MOLD IN THE ENVIRONMENT Students learn about mold types and mold life cycles and the role of mold in decomposition. Students examine mold samples under a microscope.
Lesson 4. ROCKS IN THE LITHOSPHERE
Students learn about erosion and how erosion breaks rocks down into sand particles. They also learn that the color of sand depends on the mother rock it came from originally. Students make cards with sand from six different beaches and use a microscope to examine the rock types found in each.
Lesson 5. SOIL DESCRIPTION – Students learn what soil is and how soil formation processes produce layers of varying quantities of rock and organic matter. Organic material from decomposed plants and animals is an important part of soil that provides nutrients for plants. Students test density of sand, soil and compost and examine bags of soil to identify soil layers.
Lesson 6. ENRICHING SOIL WITH COMPOST
Students review the difference between compost, soil and rock. They use the compost they produced in the long-term project to fertilize plants at the school. Students also learn about garden tools and get to use them.
