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Database Provider

Authors

CLEAN, Bay Area E-STEM Institute

Grades

6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th

Subjects

Science, Social Studies, Earth and Space Sciences, English Language Arts

Resource Types

  • Activity - Classroom
  • Lesson Plan
  • Worksheet

Regional Focus

Global

Format

PDF

Carbon Travels - Then and Now

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Synopsis
  • In this lesson, students play the role of a carbon atom traveling through the carbon cycle before the Industrial Revolution and after.
  • Students create carbon cycle diagrams for pre and post-Industrial Revolution and answer questions to reflect on how humans are impacting Earth's systems.
Teaching Tips

Positives

  • This gamified lesson engages students through movement.
  • Students are able to construct their own understanding of the carbon cycle by actually participating in it.

Additional Prerequisites

  • Teachers will need to print station sheets and set them up around the room before class.
  • Each student (or pair of students if necessary) will need dice for this activity.
  • The lesson requires 45-90 minutes to complete and is best suited for two class periods.
  • Students should already be familiar with energy sources and uses.
  • Clicking "View Resource" will take you to the CLEAN website, then you click into BAESI's site, where you have to click on "Carbon Travels - Then and Now" to view the actual lesson plan.

Differentiation

  • The lesson includes multiple differentiation options, additional resources, and enrichment activities so teachers can tailor it to their classroom and students.
  • Interdisciplinary connections can be made between science, social studies, and English Language Arts.
Scientist Notes

This resource is from the CLEAN collection. “The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness.”

Standards
  • Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
    • ESS2: Earth's Systems
      • HS-ESS2-6 Develop a quantitative model to describe the cycling of carbon among the hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, and biosphere.
      • HS-ESS2-7 Construct an argument based on evidence about the simultaneous coevolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth.
    • ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
      • MS-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
      • HS-ESS3-6 Use a computational representation to illustrate the relationships among Earth systems and how those relationships are being modified due to human activity.
    • PS1: Matter and its Interactions
      • MS-PS1-4 Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.
      • HS-PS1-2 Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.
  • Common Core English Language Arts Standards (CCSS.ELA)
    • Writing: History, Science & Technical Subjects (6-12)
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-10.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
      • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
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