Ecosystems Curriculum

Section 3: Reinforcement Activities

Earthworms: Nature's Soil Builders Video³

This film will help students understand the role of earthworms as decomposers in the ecosystem and the processes by which they improve soil.

Collecting Evidence for Non-Obvious Decomposers: Growing Microbes on Bread

This activity helps students understand that microbes are so tiny that you can't see them, but you can witness their effects. It is a particularly useful support activity for students who are unconvinced that microbes exist.

Learning About Preservatives: Bakery Bread Versus Store Bought Bread

This activity will help children learn about the role of preservatives in food and how they act to slow down decomposition. Students will compare what happens over time to slices of store-bought bread containing preservatives to fresh bread from a bakery, which contains no preservatives.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: The Many Sides of Bacteria

This activity aims to help students recognize that bacteria have many good functions, such as helping to recycle nutrients for plants, helping to make cheese and yogurt, and helping humans digest food, but that bacteria also have some not-so-good functions, such as causing illnesses.