Compost
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Approach:  Station
Level: Year 4 and year 8
Focus: Identifying biodegradable rubbish  
Resources:
14 small pictures, 1 large picture, sheet of stickers
3.4Mb
Questions/instructions:  


Compost is made when small soil bugs and worms feed on rubbish and break it down.
Compost is put on gardens to help plants grow. [Click on graphic to enlarge.]
     
% responses
2007 ('03)
     
y4
y8

[Click on graphic to enlarge.]
    
Stick the stickers here of things that
go in the compost.
 
For compost:    
vegetable peelings
93 (96)
98 (98)
apple core
90 (88)
98 (97)
egg shells
68 (65)
76 (79)
leaves
74 (78)
90 (95)
toast
63 (60)
84 (87)
newspaper
30 (30)
38 (34)
tea bags
47 (49)
51 (52)
1. Why can this rubbish go in the compost?    
Appropriate comment about:
how it behaves (breaks down, rots, decomposes, biodegrades)
22 (29)
62 (60)
categorised as vegetable or organic
6 (9)
8 (9)
both of the above
1 (3)
7 (6)
Stick the stickers here of things that
should NOT go in the compost.
 

NOT for compost:    
bones
57 (66)
66 (64)
chip packets
85 (85)
96 (96)
yoghurt container
79 (87)
94 (97)
pot scrub
79 (81)
83 (90)
cans
85 (87)
97 (97)
glass bottle
89 (94)
98 (98)
plastic bags
85 (85)
95 (97)
2. Why can’t this rubbish go in the compost?
Appropriate comment about:
how it behaves (doesn’t break down/
rot/decompose, not biodegradable)
19 (25)
58 (57)
categorised as man-made, not organic
7 (11)
8 (9)
both of the above
1 (2)
7 (4)

Total score:
15–16
5 (11)
28 (29)
13–14
22 (21)
42 (44)
11–12
31 (34)
20 (18)
9–10
24 (19)
7 (5)
0–8
18 (15)
3 (4)
Subgroup Analysis [Click on charts to enlarge] :
Year 4
Year 8
Commentary:
In general, year 8 students did much better than year 4 students at explaining reasons for or against composting different materials. Between 2003 and 2007, performance declined a little for year 4 students but was unchanged for year 8 students. Year 8 girls scored significantly higher than boys, while Pasifika students, at both year levels, had limited success.