Provide your class with the opportunity to view our carbon cycle close up. Young scientists research the cycle of oxygen as it completes the tasks of photosynthesis and respiration. They explore the importance of carbon in an ecosystem and conclude with a discussion about how human activities can affect the carbon cycle. This is the eighth installment in a 9-part series.

Concepts

photosynthesis, respiration, the carbon cycle, ecosystems

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Have groups of pupils build small model greenhouses to depict the "greenhouse effect" and present these to the class
• Allow students to research the history of carbon emissions and what effect they have had on our ecosystem in general

Classroom Considerations

• Use care when working with isopropyl alcohol and do not allow students to ingest this liquid

• This resource is only available on an unencrypted HTTP website.It should be fine for general use, but don’t use it to share any personally identifiable information

Pros

• Visuals provide an excellent way to depict photosynthesis and allow the class to more thoroughly understand the importance of each element used in this process
• Students create a tangible product during the lesson, resulting in higher engagement

Cons

• Document permissions do not allow for printing