This is a two-year commitment program that entails classroom presentations coupled with in-class professional development for teachers. In the first year, an irecycle@school educator will visit your class three times and model how to teach the hands-on Wonders of a Worm Bin (WOW) lessons.  This will include setting up, maintaining, and harvesting a worm composting bin.  Your class will receive its own classroom worm bin, including red worms, to use throughout the school year.

The following school year, you will receive a free Wonders of a Worm Bin (WOW) teaching kit that includes lesson plans, visual, supplies, and in-class support to be able to teach the WOW program yourself. 

Lessons cover the topics listed below:

For 4th Grade Classes:

For 5th Grade Classes:

Why Teach Worm Composting?
Composting is an engaging way for students to learn about important life science concepts such as the web of life, ecosystems, anatomy, and how to conduct scientific experiments.   Additionally, by setting up and observing a worm bin ecosystem over the course of several months, students will experience first hand how worms and other decomposers recycle fruits and vegetable scraps into compost.  Through this experience, students will be inspired to practice the 4Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle and rot) at school, at home, and in everyday life.

What Will the Wonders of a Worm Bin Program Include?
In the first year, an irecycle@school educator will visit your classroom and teach a series of three lessons connected to 4th and 5th grade California State Science Standards. Each lesson will last one hour and thirty minutes.  You will also be provided with pre- and post-lesson activities that connect to both California State Science and Language Arts Standards.

In the following school year, you will be provided with a free WOW teaching kit (this includes lesson plans, visuals, and materials) during a three-hour workshop in the Fall, and in-class support from an irecycle@school assistant educator to be able to teach the lessons yourself.

Visit One: (Fall or Winter)

An  irecycle@school educator will bring a working worm bin to the classroom and students will:

4th Grade Classes

• Learn the 4Rs hierarchy- reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot (with emphasis on rot/ compost)
• Understand the role of decomposers in recycling/ composting food waste
• Identify decomposers in the worm bin

5th Grade Classes

• Learn 4Rs hierarchy- reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot (with emphasis on rot/ compost)
• Understand the role of decomposers, namely worms, in composting food waste
• Learn worm anatomy including structures, functions, and systems for respiration and digestion
  

Visit Two: (Fall or Winter)

Two weeks after the first visit, the irecycle@school educator will bring a worm bin, worm bedding, and additional resources to the classroom.  One pound of live worms will be sent directly to the school for the classroom worm bin. Students will participate in setting up a worm bin and will learn how to maintain it for the remainder of the school year. During the lesson students will:

4th Grade Classes

• Understand food chains and food webs in the worm bin
• Understand food chains and food webs in nature
• Learn how to set up and maintain a worm bin ecosystem

5th Grade Classes

• Compare and contrast the anatomy and bodily functions of worms and humans
• Compare and contrast worm and human ecosystems
• Set up and maintain a classroom worm bin ecosystem

Visit Three: Worms Go, Plants Grow (Spring)

Three to four months after setting up your worm bin, the irecycle@school educator will return to the classroom to teach how to harvest the worm castings and use it to help grow healthy plants.  During this lesson, students will:

4th Grade Classes

• Learn how to harvest worm castings (compost) and use it to amend potting soil
• Follow a set of written instructions for a scientific investigation to test the effects of compost on plant growth and health
• Reflect on how they can help conserve natural resources by practicing the 4Rs, particularly rot/ composting, at home, at school, and in everyday life

 5th Grade Classes:

• Learn how to harvest worm castings (compost) and use it to amend potting soil for planting
• Work in teams to plan and conduct a simple scientific investigation to test the effects of compost on plant growth and health
• Reflect on how they can help conserve natural resources by practicing the 4Rs, particularly rot/ composting, at home, at school, and in everyday life

Who is eligible to participate in this program?

4th and 5th grade public school teachers in Alameda County are eligible for this program.

HOW do I sign up?

Click here to schedule your presentation.