Students investigate the essential question, “How do carbon and nitrogen move through leaves, soil, decomposers, and other parts of an ecosystem?” Using local autumn leaves, chromatography, leaf-litter studies, composting, and guidance from community partners, they examine leaf structures, photosynthesis, decomposers, energy flow, and nutrient cycles. Students demonstrate learning through Google Forms quizzes, cycle illustrations, decomposer discussions, and a transfer task modeling matter cycling in a whale-fall ecosystem. After gallery-walk critique and revision, students create a campus compost pile and sell the finished soil with student-designed origin cards to neighboring apartment residents and EMS families.

Students will investigate the essential question, “How do carbon and nitrogen move through leaves, soil, decomposers, and other parts of an ecosystem?” through local fall-leaf observations, chromatography, leaf-litter studies, and composting. They will explain leaf anatomy, photosynthesis, seasonal color change, decomposer roles, and the cycling of matter and energy by developing and illustrating ecosystem models, then transfer their understanding to a whale-fall ecosystem. Students will apply guidance from local soil, compost, agriculture, and nature partners to design and maintain a campus compost pile and create accurate origin-and-science cards for the finished soil. Google Forms quizzes, discussions, and gallery-walk feedback will guide revisions before students share and market their compost product to neighboring apartment residents and EMS families.

Students will create leaf anatomy diagrams, chromatography displays, leaf-litter investigation records, decomposer guides, and illustrated models tracing carbon, nitrogen, and energy through an ecosystem. They will design, build, and monitor a campus compost pile with guidance from community partners, documenting its materials, organisms, and changes over time. For transfer, students will model matter cycling in a whale-fall ecosystem, complete Google Forms quizzes, and revise their models and compost explanation cards after gallery-walk feedback. The final products will be bags of finished compost, sourced from a partner if the campus compost is not yet mature, with student-designed origin cards marketed and sold to neighboring apartment residents and EMS families for container gardens.

Begin with an outdoor “Autumn Color and Decay Walk” to observe aspens, Animas River cottonwoods, and non-native trees, collecting fallen leaves and leaf-litter samples without disturbing living organisms. In teams, students compare leaf colors, anatomy, decomposition stages, and visible decomposers, then create an initial model answering, “How do carbon and nitrogen move through leaves, soil, decomposers, and other parts of an ecosystem?” A community partner from Durango Nature Studies, SOIL Lab at Riverview, or Table to Farm Compost introduces the challenge of turning campus leaves into healthy compost for container gardens. Students examine a finished compost sample and its explanation card, then record questions about photosynthesis, pigments, decomposers, nutrient cycling, and compost design to guide the project.

Host a campus “Soil-to-Soil” market for neighboring apartment residents, EMS parents, and community partners. Student teams display the compost system, explain carbon and nitrogen cycling with illustrated models, and discuss how decomposers transform leaf litter into compost. Visitors examine student-designed origin cards, ask questions, and purchase or preorder bagged finished compost for container gardens. Before the event, students use a gallery walk and sticky-note feedback to revise their displays, explanations, and packaging.