1. WHAT DO THESE THINGS HAVE IN COMMON?
Start with a comparison – graphite and diamonds. Both made of the same element – carbon, both with vastly different structure and function.
Pencil:
Diamond:

2. Highlights carbon on the periodic table

3. CARBON QUICK FACTS It’s an element It’s an element
Why a penguin? I have no idea.
Penguin was drawn by myself (Lucas Talley)
Sound effect is courtesy of one of my past students.

4. CARBON QUICK FACTS It’s an element It is a part of ANYTHING
alive or once alive

5. Living things use carbon for energy and structure
CARBON QUICK FACTS
It’s an element
It is a part of
ANYTHING
alive or once alive
Living things use carbon for energy and structure
I give a little disclaimer about how it is not the carbon itself that is giving the energy and structure, but rather the “bonds” which they will learn more about in chemistry.

6. The Carbon Cycle

7. THE JOURNEY OF CARBON ATMOSPHERE PLANTS
I emphasize that a cycle can start wherever you like, so long as it ends back where you begin. Let’s start in the atmosphere.
PLANTS

8. FROM ATMOSPHERE TO PLANTS
Carbon is usually found as CO2 in the atmosphere
Plants take carbon in through photosynthesis
CO2 =
Sugar
Oxygen + + +
Pretty straightforward
The water drop with glasses is from another PowerPoint of mine
The carbon in CO2 becomes sugar

9. CARBO HYDRATES N PLANT CELLS SUGARS (starch)
Getting the carbon – carbohydrates link in their heads.
CARBO
HYDRATES N

10. CARB S
OHYDRATES
World’s largest
POTATO

11. CARB S ON
World’s largest
POTATO

12. STORES
CARBON
ENERGY
Drilling home the fact that we get energy as we break carbon bonds

13. THE JOURNEY OF CARBON
ATMOSPHERE
ANIMALS
PLANTS

14. is traced back to plants
FROM PLANTS TO ANIMALS
Either way the carbon
is traced back to plants
Animals eat plants… (yum)
ANIMALS
PLANTS
A bit of silliness conveying the most familiar step of the short cycle of the carbon cycle
Dinosaur and penguin both drawn by me (Mr. Talley)
Or animals eat animals which ate plants… (double yum)

15. THE JOURNEY OF CARBON
ATMOSPHERE
ANIMALS
PLANTS

16. FROM ANIMALS TO THE ATMOSPHERE
WHAT YOU NEED TO REMEMBER
Respiration – Oxygen in, CO2 out
Respiration –
ANIMALS
ATMOSPHERE
Sugar
Oxygen
CO2 + + + =
ENERGY
A brief overview of respiration without diving too deep
THE BIOCHEMICAL FORMULA (A HIGH SCHOOL CHEMISTRY THING)
Plants perform respiration too!
(but it’s not common)

17. SHORT CYCLE RECAP Short Cycle Photosynthesis Respiration Consumption
ATMOSPHERE
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Short
Cycle
Recap
Consumption
PLANTS
ANIMALS

18. How do animals put carbon back into the atmosphere?
Short Cycle quiz time

19. What form is carbon in when it goes from animal to atmosphere?

20. Name two ways that animals get their carbon

21. How do plants get their carbon?

22. What is the most common form of carbon when in the atmosphere?

23. What form does carbon take once in the plant?
I usually teach the carbon cycle over two class periods. This is where I end the first class period.

24. Part 2: Long Cycle

25. Moving in to the long cycle – a picture of coal

26. Oil

27. xx dead xx xx dead xx THE JOURNEY OF CARBON ATMOSPHERE ANIMALS PLANTS
The next steps
ANIMALS
PLANTS
FORMATION OF
FOSSIL FUELS

28. FROM DEAD STUFF TO FOSSIL FUELS
Fossil fuels form from…
Dead plants and animals
In order for fossil fuels to form you need the right amount of three things:
Pressure
Temperature
Time (millions of years)
PLANTS & ANIMALS
FORMATION OF
FOSSIL FUELS
xx dead xx
Go over some of the details about how these things form. Plants are the primary source of fossil fuels.

29. THE JOURNEY OF CARBON xx dead xx BURNING ATMOSPHERE FOSSIL FUELS
ANIMALS
PLANTS
FORMATION OF
FOSSIL FUELS

30. FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO THE ATMOSPHERE
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon in the form of CO2
ATMOSPHERE
BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
Co2 image
I don’t get in to greenhouse gases or global warming quite yet

31. WHAT HAPPENS TO CARBON IN THE OCEAN?
Ocean producers use CO2 for photosynthesis
ATMOSPHERE
OCEAN
The cycle is pretty much the same from there…
Point out the double arrows, ocean can exchange with atmosphere and vice versa
**Sea creatures build their shells from dissolved carbon in the ocean

32. Discuss how ocean critters use the carbon to build shells, etc.
Chalk cliffs of Moen

33. LONG CYCLE RECAP xx dead xx xx dead xx Long Cycle ATMOSPHERE BURNING
FOSSIL FUELS
Long Cycle
xx dead xx
xx dead xx
Long cycle recap
ANIMALS
PLANTS
FORMATION OF
FOSSIL FUELS

34. What happens to the carbon in our bodies when we die?
Decomposition into fossil fuels  3 forms: coal, oil, natural gas

35. What three things do you need the right amount of in order to get fossil fuels?
Temperature, pressure, and time

36. How long does it take fossil fuels to form?
Millions of years

37. What happens when fossil fuels are burned?
Releases carbon dioxide; Coal releases the most CO2, gas releases the least CO2

38. Where does most of the CO2 produced from burning fossil fuels end up?
Trapped in the atmosphere

39. What is the carbon cycle like in the ocean?
Carbon dioxide is exchanged between the atmosphere and ocean.

40. HOW DO HUMANS AFFECT THE CARBON CYCLE ?
Picture of a greenhouse

41. GREENHOUSE EFFECT 2. It can be reflected back into space REJECTED
Atmosphere
(not to scale)
3. It can be trapped by the atmosphere
Sun
Earth expertly drawn by yours truly
1. It can get absorbed

42. Another example they have all experienced – source listed on the picture

43. GREENHOUSE GASES:
Gases in the atmosphere that trap heat
Earth would freeze without them

44. GREENHOUSE EFFECT
The overall warming effect caused by the greenhouse gases trapping heat
Atmosphere
(not to scale)

45. GLOBAL WARMING – The Debate
FACT – There is 30% more CO2 in the air now than there was 150 years ago
I do a class debate about global warming for my classes, that is why I present this as fact / theory. At the end of the debate I share my views about global warming being at least partially anthropogenic
Thermometer – source unknown

46. Graph source, unknown

47. GLOBAL WARMING – The Debate
FACT – There is 30% more CO2 in the air now than there was 150 years ago
THEORY – More CO2 traps more heat and causes higher temperatures worldwide

48. Consequences Rising temperatures
Species extinction caused by the inability to adapt
Sea levels rising
Severe weather conditions
Image sources: unknown

49. There is
strong
evidence
that
the
Earth is
heating
up.

50. The
debate is
about we
who
should
blame

51. Team 1 Blame Mother Nature
This is where I introduce my class debate. If you do things differently then feel free to delete these pages
I play a clip from the song “Naturally” by Selena Gomez here.
“A force of nature your energy it comes naturally (oh yes it does) it comes naturally…”
Nature

52. Team 2 Blame you and me I… will… Bring it on! … CRUSH YOU! Let the
debate begin!
Blame
CRUSH YOU! I…
will…
you and me
Bring it on! …
I play a clip from the song “You and Me” by Lifehouse.
“Cause it’s you, and me, and all other people…”
I then play a clip from the final countdown to pump up the debate
and all other people…