Learning Goals
Students will be able to explain leaf anatomy, photosynthesis, and pigment changes as mechanisms connecting autumn leaves to solar energy and stored carbon.
Students will be able to investigate leaf litter and compost samples to document decomposition stages, identify decomposers, and analyze their roles in recycling matter and nutrients.
Students will be able to analyze chromatography and compost-monitoring data to identify patterns and draw evidence-based conclusions about leaf pigments and decomposition.
Students will be able to develop and revise models of carbon and nitrogen cycling among leaves, soil, decomposers, the atmosphere, and other living and nonliving ecosystem components.
Students will be able to interpret a whale-fall ecosystem model to explain how matter recycling and energy flow operate in an unfamiliar ecosystem.
Students will be able to justify compost system and communication decisions using investigation evidence, stakeholder needs, and feedback from peers and community partners.
Products
Leaf Litter, Compost, and Matter-Cycling Investigation Notebook
Each student documents questions, methods, chromatography and leaf-litter evidence, decomposer observations, compost data, and personal analyses, then develops revised carbon-and-nitrogen models and an independent whale-fall transfer model. The notebook also includes conclusions, limitations, quiz reflections, and an evidence-based justification of compost and origin-card decisions.
Campus Compost System and Soil-to-Soil Exhibition Report
Teams build and monitor a campus compost system, synthesize members’ evidence into a report with data displays, cycle models, conclusions, anomalies, and limitations, and revise the system using peer and partner feedback. At the public exhibition, teams present bagged finished compost or clearly labeled partner-sourced compost with an accurate origin card explaining decomposition, carbon and nitrogen cycling, energy flow, and container-garden use.
No rubric has been generated yet.