What Is the Carbon Cycle?
Articles/Websites
Grades6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12Chemistry, Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
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Provided by NOAA
What it is
- This short NOAA video and article explains the carbon cycle and the importance of carbon to life on earth.
Teaching tips
Positives
- This is a great video and article with clear definitions.
- It is a good resource to introduce students to the carbon cycle.
Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with the terms atoms, molecules, and DNA.
Differentiation & Implementation
- This could be integrated into a physics class when talking about the law of conservation.
- Chemistry classes could also use this as an example of a combustion reaction.
- There is a link that takes you to an article on the same site, which goes into more depth and gives a short education connection at the end.
- Some related resources are this Carbon Cycle interactive resource, and this experiment and lesson plan called Uptake of Carbon Dioxide from Water by Plants.
From the scientist review
The resource provides a clear explanation on the carbon cycle and the processes and interactions within the earth-atmosphere-ocean system. There is no contradiction and thus, it is recommended for teaching.
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Hosted on oceanservice.noaa.gov
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