We suggest students work in pairs. You will need access to water if you are preparing the classroom demo.

Prepare Classroom Demo

In Step 11, you have the option to show your students what happens to leaves after it rains. You need a cup of water, a plastic plate, and the torn up leaf pieces from the activity. Pour the water onto the model leaves and swirl them around for a few seconds. You and your students can feel the wet leaf pieces to gain a hands-on understanding of how the rain contributes to the decomposition process. We show what happens in Step 12, but preparing this demo creates a memorable, tactile experience!

Prepare Worksheets

Cut each of your Solve the Case worksheets in half. Each student will need a 1/2 sheet. We suggest distributing these in Step 18 of the activity.