Teacher Information

Standards | Integration Ideas | Resources

Welcome!
Would you like to put a twist in your lesson plan? Would your students get excited about learning if they got to use the computer? If you answered, “Yes!” to either of these questions, then we have the teaching tool you’ve been looking for. It’s an animated, interactive web site that teaches the basics of using red worms and organic materials to make compost, also known as vermicomposting, plus the benefits of using compost for plants and gardens. It also explains other waste management strategies, like the 3Rs--reduce, reuse, and recycle--and let’s students try their hand at making wise choices about conserving resources!

While the site was developed for the third grade level, it certainly can be used with younger or older students as well. The best part (from a teacher’s perspective) might be that we correlated all the student exercises to the California Content Standards for Third Grade.

Speaking of Standards… The CIWMB knows the significance of a standards-based approach to teaching and learning. Therefore we designed each activity to offer an application to one or more of the standards. A handy table that shows every correlated standard for each activity area can be found on the Correlations to Standards page within this site. Check it out!
		Selected by the SciLinks program, a service of National Science Teachers Association. Copyright 1999-2002.

Suggestions for Incorporating Vermi Into Your Classroom Instruction
This activity can be used in conjunction with classroom lessons (maybe lessons from Closing the Loop), as part of school gardening activities, or as a self-contained, computer-based experience for your students. Use it with small groups or let students encounter it individually. It would make great use of “computer lab” time that you might give your students. Do you recognize Earth Day by conducting special activities or lessons? This would make a great adjunct to Earth Day or Earth Week or even Make a Difference Day.

More Worm Resources

• Worm Suppliers. A list of red wiggler worm suppliers in California
• Worm Bin Suppliers. A list of worm bin suppliers in California
• The Worm Guide. A great guide for the composting beginner.
• The World of Worms. More worm-related books, curriculum, audio/videotapes, activity guides, and newsletters.
• Vermicomposting Web Sites. A list developed by CalRecycle.

Don't forget to tell a friend about Vermi. Hope to see you back here real soon!