Compost Shark Tank: 6th Grade Scientists Compete for a (fictional) $1M Investment

St. Stephen’s 6th graders are on the lookout for the FBI. To students in the new inquiry-based class, Expeditions, taught by Head Librarian Michelle Andrews and Middle School Science Instructor Russ Glenn — the FBI are not federal agents but the important fungi, bacteria and insects that comprise the compost food web. When students haul large bags of food scraps from the dining hall to the golf cart for transport to the school’s compost pile, they have strong opinions about which organisms do the best work.

The new team-taught class, Expeditions, meets once a rotation and incorporates the study of sustainability and ecology, information literacy, project planning, and cooperative learning. Glenn explains that the course integrates “two courses already being taught for sixth graders - informational literacy and ecological literacy” into one because the skills fit together so well.

Glenn and Andrews designed the Compost Shark Tank competition as a fun way for students to practice presentation skills and incorporate peer feedback. Pierce Bares, who enthusiastically presented on agaric fungi, noted that students got better about not reading from the board and looking at the audience during this competition. 

“Two more minutes and I am bringing in the sharks,” Ms. Andrews said to a lab of 6th  graders gathering their notes and presentations. Four teams of students pitched these FBI: centipedes, thermophilic bacteria, earthworms or fly agaric in a class roleplay of a Shark Tank competition over which decomposer is the most valuable. Three students from another section were the “sharks” tasked with awarding the “million dollar” paper bill Mr. Glenn waved in front of the class as he offered reminders about presentation skills. 

The rest of Team Fly Agaric, including Luke Imsais, Wynnie Burke, and Isa Vargas, took their positions in front of the class to win the sharks over. Each person had a part in warning that despite their pretty colored caps, fly agaric, often called the fairytale toadstool, is “really toxic, especially if you eat it.” With colorful slides and well-researched information, Team Fly Agaric focused on how this mushroom “helps break down organisms and turn them into nutrients,” even when people are not around to aid the composting process. Independent processing of compost, students argued, made their fungi the most worthy of the sharks’ investment.

“You’ve got the scientific pronunciation down,”  Mr. Glenn said as he encouraged a round of applause for the first group. 

Next in the “tank,” Team Centipedes bragged about their 181 pairs of legs and vicious reputation. “Centipedes are awesome because not only do they help with compost, but they have fangs for injecting venom to kill annoying pests,” Hudson Carter told the sharks. A teammate added that “biodiversity of the microbes in the soil reduces using chemical fertilizer and pesticides, which are really bad for the environment.” Team Centipedes did a great job highlighting the role of these creatures in creating healthy soil with compost that “sequesters carbon” and keeps it out of our atmosphere.   

Team Earthworm stepped up with the enthusiasm of a newsie hawking newspapers. “You put them on your hooks. You find them on their walks. We're going to tell you what the heck they have to do with compost,” Elia Doman pitched. Without looking at notecards the team explained that earthworms digest organic materials and “poop” out compost. Elia pointed out that earthworms are a commodity, and “if they cost that much, they must be pretty important.” This team went for attention-grabbing details about there being more than 6000 known species, one of which can grow up to three meters. “So that's a big earthworm. Very big earthworm,” declared Zoey Snyder.

Last but not least, Team Thermophilic Bacteria argued that you don’t get nice brown compost without its special abilities. This type of bacteria that can break down proteins and fats, “can survive in temperatures all the way up to 50 degrees Celsius or above, also 122 degrees Fahrenheit.” Team members Nishk Kadam, Charlie Stewart, Hattie Mapes and Madeleine Bischke pitched their bacteria’s capacity for heat resistance as an unmatched composting superpower.  

Minutes before the end of class, Ms. Andrews explained, “I'm going to take the sharks and we're going to talk through the presentations and come back with our $1M investment winner.” While they conferred, Mr. Glenn let the class vote for the People’s Choice Award for best presentation.  

The nail-biting decision was made and the sharks decided to put their money in and invest in Team Centipedes as the most valuable decomposer. More importantly, students learned worthwhile research, writing, citation, and presentation skills that will serve them far beyond Expeditions class. 

To close out the composting unit, students made glass jar composters on Parents’ Day to demonstrate what they have learned in the course. In a guided station activity, students filled jars with food scraps, leaves, coffee grinds, paper, and soil while discussing with their parents the importance of composting. 

Whether they are making small composters in jars or hauling pounds of dining hall kitchen waste to the large compost project used to rejuvenate campus soil, 6th graders have a deeper understanding about sustainability and they are more knowledgeable about ways composting preserves our Earth. One could say, they are also “invested” in the practice of composting here at St. Stephen’s.