Compost – in the cycle of nature
Methodology / goals: The topic of composting shall serve as an example to make pupils familiar with natural cycles. The topic is dealt with in an interdisciplinary way in the course of the whole school year. From knowledge to action the programme aims at raising awareness for waste separation, recycling in general and the use of compost in organic farming and its importance for organic farming in particular.
Target group: Pupils at the age of 10 to 14, interdisciplinary topic of a school class over the whole school year (duration a maximum of 6 months until complete rotting; if required shorter periods are possible as well.)
Educational principles: Constructivistic learning, situative learning, interdisciplinary learning, community-based learning, cooperative learning, action-oriented learning, problem-based learning, computer-aided learning
Preparation: Research on compost types, types of beneficial species, development of a compost heap, material for the compost heap, is the material from the school sufficient? Types of containers and container constructions, temperature probe, water content determination, dry matter measurement, ash determination – is the equipment available, animal determination, beneficial agents
Activities: Children set up a compost heap in the school garden, take care of it (watering, shifting) and document the development processes (temperature development, humidity content, mass decomposition, determination of reducing agents) the compost container can be constructed by the pupils themselves (handicrafts) or the purchase can be organised;
A survey among acquaintances whether composting of green cut and organic waste is considered to be useful constitutes another aspect of this instruction scenario.
This project can be concluded by a visit of a compositing plant, preferably on an organic farm. Check up how conventional agriculture deals with the nutrient problem.
Equipment: simple school laboratory
Documentation: Permanent documentation of the activities by photo and/or film camera, writing essays on the excursions and activities, collecting foreign language vocabulary, writing stories;. Project folder: E-portfolio or project homepage, considering climate-friendly mobility in the course of the project.
Presentation: The results can be processed in the form of posters within the framework of arts instruction and subsequently presented to other school classes or interested groups of persons in the neighbourhood.
Subjects: Biology, German, project studies, project management, mathematics, informatics, physics, chemistry, handicrafts, arts, BUS (Betrieb und Schule = enterprise and school), presentation techniques, interdisciplinary
Reference to the curriculum: The reference to the curriculum must be made by the teachers
Contacts: Federal Ministry of Education, the Arts and Culture, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management, Secondary Colleges for Agriculture and Forestry, die Umweltberatung)
Proposed links:
http://www.bio-austria.at/
http://www.kompost-biogas.info/
http://www.grand.at/
http://www.umweltberatung.at/start.asp?ID=5492
http://uboe.marmara.at/start.asp?b=3808
http://www.wienkompost.at/
http://www.naturimgarten.at/
http://www.politische-bildung.schule.at/index.php?modul=themen&top_id=4143
http://www.raumberg-gumpenstein.at/cms/index.php?option=com_ponygallery&Itemid=273&func=detail&id=254&lang=de
http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/fileadmin/site/umweltthemen/landwirtschaft/Duengereinsatz/N__Merkblatt_Biotonnenkompost.pdf
Pictures: Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management