Summary
Shines a light on decomposers — bacteria, fungi, and worms — and explains why these often-overlooked organisms are essential for recycling nutrients back into the soil so new life can grow.
Viewer safety
All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
- What is a decomposer? Name three examples from the video.
- What would happen if there were no decomposers? Where would dead matter go?
- How do decomposers 'connect' the end of a food chain back to the beginning?
- Is a decomposer a producer or a consumer — or neither? Explain.
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: decomposer, bacteria, fungi, nutrient, recycle, soil.
Try it: Start a mini-observation journal: place a small piece of banana peel outside in a corner of the schoolyard. Check it every two days for two weeks and draw what you observe. What is doing the decomposing?