Nature's Recyclers
OVERVIEW
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In this lesson, students look below the surface of the natural world to catch a glimpse of nature’s recyclers. They learn how
organisms in nature help dead plants and animals rot and turn into something useful. They learn the term decomposer and look at
several examples of common decomposers. Students then work in teams to create dioramas that show places nature’s recyclers
might be found in a forest setting.
KEY OBJECTIVES FOR STUDENTS:
 Give examples of nature’s recyclers.
 Explain how nature’s recyclers create compost.
 Describe why compost is a good thing.
 Describe how humans can mimic nature by recycling.
 ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED (MINUTES):
 90 minutes
GRADE LEVELS:
Kindergarten
PRIMARY SUBJECTS:
Science
SECONDARY SUBJECTS:
Arts, Biology, Environmental Education, Reading or Language Arts
TOPICS:
Waste, Compost, decomposer, recycling, recycler, nature
METHODS:
Brain-Based Learning, Multi-Disciplinary, Multiple Intelligences, Project-Based Learning, Technology Integration
SKILLS:
Collaboration, Communication skills, Critical Thinking, Systems thinking
VALUES:
Curiosity, Mindfulness
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PREPARE
BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS:
In the first lesson of this module, students learned about categories for recycling. One of those categories was “Compost.” In this
lesson, students learn that humans recycle paper, plastic, and aluminum but that NATURE recycles organic materials, such as
plant leaves and plant-based foods. They begin to understand that humans produce some things and the natural world produces
others. They also learn to value organisms they may not have previously liked or cared about, such as worms and beetles, as this
allows them to develop an appreciation for a wider range of living organisms. Students also learn how humans depend upon
natural cycles, including the waste disposal service that decomposers provide. By learning how and why compost works,
students develop an even greater incentive to be mindful of what they do with organic scraps of foods and other materials. They
become empowered to use compost to create something healthy and beneficial for the Earth rather than add to the problem of
waste build up by throwing organic matter in the trash bin.
IN ADVANCE:
You might wish to preview the Magic School Bus video or read the book aloud in advance to determine how much time it
will take and whether you would like to adjust the start and end times of the video or select only certain pages in the book to
save time.
Determine how many groups you will have after you’ve divided the class into groups of three or four students. You may wish
to pre-assign students to each group.
Create a diorama kit for each group by following these instructions:
A week or so prior to the activity, gather shoeboxes or similarly sized cardboard boxes. You may wish to ask parents
or colleagues to bring in such boxes that they can spare from home.
Unless you have several days for this lesson and assistants who could help facilitate students’ work, you may want to
prepare the diorama boxes in advance. You could do so by painting the inside of the box (the back and one long side)
blue to represent the sky and then adding some clouds and a sun. Next, paint some brown and green trees on the
back to create the forest backdrop. Then paint the inside base of the box brown or green to represent the forest floor.
(You could tape construction paper in these areas instead of using paint, if you prefer.) You may wish to make the box
for each group slightly different. You may also wish to use discarded plastic bottles and/or bottle caps to enhance the
scenery, but don’t place any items on the forest floor.
For each group, assemble a set of materials for their forest floor. Each set should be slightly different but could include
natural materials, like soil, rocks, grass, leaves, sticks, and log debris. You could also include found items, such as
plastic foam cups, beads, toothpicks, colored paper, stickers, frozen treat sticks, etc. You could involve students in the
assembly of kits by organizing a fun playground expedition, or suggest parents send in supplies from home.
Decide how you want students to represent the decomposers. You could help them use toothpicks and small labels to
indicate where the recyclers live. Or they could make the decomposers out of clay or paper and then paste them in
relevant areas. (Add more time to the lesson if students are molding clay figurines.)
MATERIALS NEEDED:
(per student group):
Shoebox or box of similar size
Construction paper in a variety of natural colors (blue, brown, green, yellow, etc.)
Acrylic paints in a variety of natural colors (blue, brown, green, yellow, etc.)
Paintbrushes
Found objects (colored paper, cardboard rolls, beads, forest figures or photos, etc.)
Natural materials (soil, rocks, sticks, logs, leaves, grass)
Child-safe scissors
Glue sticks or glue
Nontoxic play dough or moldable clay (optional—See the sections: In Advance, above, and Safety Information, below.)
Toothpicks and small labels for identifying items (optional—See the In Advance section, above.)
KEY VOCABULARY:
waste
rot
decompose
decomposer
recycling
recycler
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compost
nature
earthworm
snail
mushroom
bacteria
soil
dirt
 SAFETY INFORMATION:
Make sure scissors are child-safe and all the other materials are nontoxic. There are many recipes on the Internet for
making your own nontoxic play dough, if time permits and this is a material you would like students to use. Examples
include these sites:
Simple Natural Homemade Play Dough
DIY Homemade Natural Play Dough
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TEACH
ACTIVITY OUTLINE:
Part 1
Time Exercise
Description
20 min. Introduction
Read students a story or show a video to introduce topic.
20 min. Presentation
Show students images of decomposers, and discuss their roles and benefits.
5 min. Wrap-Up
Facilitate a discussion to help students review what they have learned.
Part 2
Time Exercise
Description
10 min. Introduction
Review with students what they learned in Part 1.
30 min. Diorama Box Activity
Help student teams create a Nature's Recyclers Diorama.
5 min. Wrap-Up
Ask students to circle up, and recap the main topics of the activity.
IMPLEMENTATION:
Part 1:
1. Introduction: Welcome students and ask them to gather around and get comfortable. Introduce them to the topic of the day
by reading aloud The Magic School Bus Meets the Rot Squad: A Book About Decomposition or showing students the video
The Magic School Bus Meets the Rot Squad or a similar book or video.
2. Presentation: Then show students the Nature’s Recyclers Presentation. Follow the tips in the Teacher’s Notes to guide
students to understand that nature’s recyclers are worms, mushrooms, snails, bacteria, and other organisms that turn certain
types of waste into something useful again. Explain that nature recycles everything thanks to these special friends of the
Earth. Organisms like these have a very fancy name; they are called decomposers, which means they break something
down into something else.
3. Wrap-Up: After the presentation, tell students: Those creatures were pretty cool, right?! Did you know they were so useful?
Encourage them to reflect. Then ask students to talk about the different shapes, sizes, and colors of nature’s recyclers. Give
them a minute to talk about which decomposers they remember the most and why. Then ask students to remind you why
decomposers are helpful. (They make compost that other living things can grow in; they can get rid of certain types of
wastes.)
Part 2:
1. Introduction: Help students to recall what they learned in Part 1 of this lesson by asking: What kinds of creatures serves as
nature’s recyclers? (mushrooms, earthworms and some other worms, snails, bacteria, some beetles, etc.) What is the fancy
name that scientists give nature’s recyclers? (decomposers) Where do decomposers live? (on the forest floor, in tree trunks,
in between rocks, in leaves, in people’s stomachs, etc.) Encourage students to share any stories of or experiences they
have had with decomposers.
2. Activity: Next, divide the class into groups of three or four students, and distribute one diorama box and kit to each group.
Explain that students are going to use the materials in their kit to show where decomposers live. Many decomposers live on
the forest floor, so they are going to show places where decomposers might live in the forest.
3. If you prepared the boxes in advance and they already have the forest setting, direct the students to arrange things on the
forest floor to show where nature’s recyclers are most likely to live. For example, mushrooms may be growing on top of
leaves and logs. Earthworms might be burrowing into the ground. And beetles might be crawling into a fallen log or out from
under a big rock.
4. Walk around to help guide groups as they work. Encourage students to use the materials in creative ways and to work
cooperatively to plan and create their dioramas.
5. You may wish to create little labels to help show where the decomposers are, or help students make and place the labels.
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Student Getting Started
Student Exemplar 1: Nature's Recyclers Diorama
Student Exemplar 2: Nature's Recyclers Diorama
6. Wrap-Up: After students are finished assembling their forest dioramas, ask them to gather around to talk about the
experience. Ask questions such as the following: Could you use your diorama to show someone where decomposers often
live in the forest? If you had time, could you make another diorama to show a different place where decomposers live? (yes
—in the stomach, inside a log, etc.) Did you enjoy this activity? What did you learn today? Also refer to the Reflection
Questions located in the "Assess" tab.
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REFLECT
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
Use the following questions to guide students to reflect about the lesson:
Does nature recycle paper, plastic, and aluminum, as well as compost? (No. Nature recycles organic materials, and
humans recycle paper, plastic, and aluminum. Paper comes from a plant, though, so it is often compostable, depending on
what type of paper it is.)
How do nature’s recyclers help nature? (They turn waste materials into something useable.)
Have you seen any of nature’s recyclers? (Decomposers can be found living in most backyards, parks, forests, compost
piles, wood piles, etc.)
Why do we call decomposers nature’s recyclers? (They help nutrients return to the soil so they can be used again; they are
important collaborators in natural life cycles.)
How can you mimic nature’s recyclers? (I can recycle waste that I don’t need anymore by putting it in the recycling bin.)
ASSESSMENT OPPORTUNITIES:
You could use a checklist to monitor students’ participation, cooperative learning skills, and understanding of key terms and
concepts.
STANDARDS ASSESSMENT:
This lesson, with all components included, is linked to the following standards:
Common Core State Standards (CCSS):
Kindergarten: RL.K.1–4, RL.K.7, RL.K.10, RF.K.1a–d, RF.K.2a–e, RF.K.3a–d, SL.K.1a–b, SL.K.2–6, L.K.1b–f, L.K.5a–d, L.K.6
Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):
Kindergarten: K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3
Cloud Education for Sustainability (EfS) Standards & Performance Indicators:
Pre-K–2: B7, B8, B11, B12, C4, C29, D2, D3, D4, F4, F7, G34, H7, H11
Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS):
Science:
Kindergarten: §112.11.b.1.A, §112.11.b.1.B, §112.11.b.1.C, §112.11.b.2.A, §112.11.b.2.B, §112.11.b.2.C, §112.11.b.2.D,
§112.11.b.2.E, §112.11.b.3.A, §112.11.b.3.C, §112.11.b.4.A, §112.11.b.4.B
1st Grade: §112.12.b.1.A, §112.12.b.1.B, §112.12.b.1.C, §112.12.b.2.A, §112.12.b.2.B, §112.12.b.2.C, §112.12.b.2.D,
§112.12.b.2.E, §112.12.b.3.B, §112.12.b.4.A, §112.12.b.4.B
Estándares Secretaría de Educación Pública (México):
Español: LIT.PE.1.2–7, PTE.PE.2.1, PTE.PE.2.2, PCO.PE.3.1–3.10, PCO.PE.3.12, FUL.PE.4.1–4.3, AL.PE.5.1–5.5, AL.PE.5.7
Ciencias: CC.PE.1.2, 1.7, 1.8, 1.13, ACT.PE.2.4, HC.PE.3.1–3.6, AC.PE.4.1, 4.2, 4.4, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9
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EXTEND
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS:
Encourage students to go on an expedition in their backyard or to a local park to identify nature’s recyclers at work. With adult
supervision and assistance, they could take a close look at logs and under rocks to see if they spot any decomposers at work.
Students could then share what they see with the class during a designated discussion time.
DIFFERENTIATION:
You may wish to be very intentional about the way you organize the groups so that students’ skills and limitations complement
each other well.
CROSS DISCIPLINARY CONNECTIONS:
Reading or Language Arts
Work as a class to write a rap song dedicated to nature's recyclers. You may wish to have a few ideas in advance, and then solicit
help from students. Be sure to address the important role nature's recyclers play by recycling waste. If your school has a
loudspeaker system or radio station or would arrange a short assembly, have students perform the song for an audience.
Mathematics
Create a chart to classify the physical characteristics of several decomposers. For example, you could bring an earthworm, snail,
and mushroom to the class and help students measure each organism and record those measurements in a chart. Point out the
differences in each—e.g., this decomposer is taller and wider than the other two; etc. Then have students observe the color and
texture of each organism, and record those details in the chart as well. Tell students they are serving as junior scientists who are
using the mathematical skill of measuring to make and record good observations and comparisons.
Science
You could encourage students to be young scientists by helping them conduct a simple experiment to observe the effects of
nature’s recyclers firsthand. Get permission from an administrator to dig two small holes in a designated place in the school
garden. Mark each area with a sign that says, “Scientific Experiment Under Way: Do Not Disturb!”
Take the class to the area, and ask that they watch while you dig the two holes. On a notepad, create a table, and title it “Compost
Experiment.” Add two columns, one for “Site 1: Compost added.” and the other for “Site 2: No compost added.”
Tell students they are junior scientists, so their role is to look at the holes and make careful observations. (They should observe
that the two holes look the same.) Then measure the width and depth of the two holes—they should be equal in size, so adjust as
necessary until they are. Then record the measurements on the notepad in the appropriate columns.
Next, drop the leftovers of an organic lunch (such as an apple core, banana peel, and bread—no meat or dairy) into the first hole.
Place some inorganic materials (such as a plastic foam cup and plastic wrapper) into the second hole. Tell students to observe
the two holes again and to note the differences. (Site 1 contains compost. Site 2 contains a plastic foam cup and a plastic
wrapper.) Record their observations in your chart. Then cover both holes with soil from the garden, and put a small sign that says
“Site 1” over the hole with the organic materials and one that says “Site 2” over the hole with inorganic materials.
Two weeks later, revisit the sites with the class. Tell them that as your junior scientists, they need to make observations again.
Carefully dig until you are at the same depth and width as the original holes were. Then have students take a close look and
share their observations so you can record them in your chart. (Sample answers: At two weeks, in Site 1 all we see is dark, brown
dirt. In Site 2, the materials we buried look exactly the same.) Help students to draw conclusions by asking: What do you think
happened here? (Sample answer: Nature’s recyclers ate the materials in Site 1 and converted them into soil, but they did not eat
the materials in Site 2.)
Arts
This lesson incorporates art, but you could connect the topic to art even further by teaching students how to sculpt nature’s
recyclers out of play dough or clay. You might even want to have them help you make nontoxic clay first and then make the
figurines. Students could also use a variety of recycled materials to represent trees, clouds, the sun, and other elements in the
diorama, turning this work into “recycled art.” There are many good ideas for forest dioramas on the Internet, including the
ArtClubBlog.
TECHNOLOGY:
See the Resources section below for technology resources you could integrate into the lesson.
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