A Decomposition Story
Plants and the Environment
Noah Anderson
- Grade:
- 5
- Teacher:
- Jon Helleson
An evaluation of compostable materials and their decomposition rate over a one month period. Intended to help identify the method for composting.
I am glad to know that you are thinking of making the environment safer by following the effective recycling pathways. Good job!
Landfills and their pollution are big issues around the world so it’s nice to see you are investigating decomposition rates and conditions. I would like a little more information in your materials and procedure sections, such as what type of plastic bags and how large/thick are they; what type of soil and how deep did you bury the items; and more about your measurement plans. You collected a lot of data and presented it well in the charts. Keep researching!
You designed an excellent investigation into how different environments affect decomposition, and your data tables and graphs show strong scientific thinking. Your comparison of cardboard and compostable spoons was thoughtful, and your explanation of why the exposed spoons decomposed fastest shows great reasoning. To make your project even stronger next time, you could extend the experiment for more days or test additional materials to see if the patterns stay the same. Overall, this is an outstanding and environmentally meaningful project, well done!