The Worm Bin project addresses the following national K-4 science standards [gopher://hp.k12.ar.us/00/subjects/Science/Documents/National%20Science%20Education%20Standards].

Science Content Standards (Science as Inquiry) - Life Science.

General goals: "Students should learn science in ways that reflect the inquiry used by scientists to understand the natural world."

K-4 - Ask a scientific question
- Plan and conduct a simple investigation
- Employ simple equipment to gather data
- Use data to construct a reasonable explanation
- Communicate investigations and explanations

Life Science - Unifying Concepts and Processes of Science

Characteristics of living orgamisms
Organisms and Environments
Life cycles of organisms
Constancy and Change
Interactions

The National Science Standards are complemented by the the Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy, which are a product of the American Association for the Advancement of Science [http://www.aaas.org/Project2061/2061main.htm]. The Benchmarks are available in printed and computer-readable formats, and detail the specific science content knowledge and abilities AAAS believes students should obtain by particular grade levels.

The Worm Bin project addresses the following state of Michigan K-4 science standards [gopher://gopher.mde.state.mi.us:70/00/serv/curric/corecur/Science].

Overall goal: "The science curriculum has four specific goals for student learning:

1. develop depth of understanding rather than broad exposure to content, by emphasizing meaningful learning of the big ideas of science;
   
2. develop understanding that is useful and relevant outside the classroom, by placing scientific ideas in real-world contexts;
   
3. develop scientific literacy for all students, by recognizing and celebrating the contributions of diverse cultures and individuals to science; and
   
4. develop an interconnected understanding, both across science disciplines and throughout the curriculum."

Specific skills students will develop:

• Construct new scientific and personal knowledge.

  (Content standard 1): Ask questions, design and conduct investigations, learn from multiple sources, and communicate their findings

• Reflect on the nature, adequacy, and connections across scientific knowledge.

  (Content standard 2): Decide what constitutes scientific knowledge.

• Use scientific knowledge from the life sciences in real world contexts.

  (Content standard 4): Living Things - Use of energy, specific functions of parts of living things, their life cycles, etc.

  (Content standard 7): Ecosystems - energy distribution in living things, change in communities of living things, differences in species, adatpation to environment, etc.

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