Cellular Respiration Real-World Case Study | Life Science | Grades 6–8

This Real-World Case Study asks grades 6–8 Middle School Life Science students to weigh a real decision about Cellular Respiration and defend a solution with evidence.

Scenario: The Riverbend Unified School District generates over 180 metric tons of cafeteria food scraps—including uneaten fruit, bread crusts, vegetable peelings, and milk cartons—every school year. Currently, the district pays a waste-hauling company to truck all cafeteria food waste to the county landfill. Buried deep inside the… Key question: "Should the Riverbend School Board spend $45,000 to install the Automated Aerobic Composter or continue sending cafeteria waste to the landfill?"

What's inside: the scenario, 5 questions to consider, an answer key, arguments for and against for the teacher, and teacher notes.

Resource type: Case Study (.docx). Format: editable Microsoft Word handout with approximately 920 words (~6 pages).

Classroom use: independent response, small-group comparison, and a whole-class debate in a Middle School Life Science course. Grades 6–8.

Format note: These files are delivered in Microsoft Office formats (Word and/or PowerPoint). If you open a worksheet that includes tables in Apple Pages or another non-Microsoft app, table formatting may not display correctly. For best results, use Microsoft Word or PowerPoint (or upload the file to Google Docs). If you run into any formatting issues, contact us and we can send a PDF version.