1. The Carbon Cycle
10/11/2018
The constant cycling of carbon is called the carbon cycle.
In the carbon cycle:
carbon dioxide is removed from the environment by green plants and algae for photosynthesis
the carbon from the carbon dioxide is used to make carbohydrates, fats and proteins, which make up the body of plants and algae
when green plants and algae respire, some of this carbon becomes carbon dioxide and is released into the atmosphere
when green plants and algae are eaten by animals and these animals are eaten by other animals, some of the carbon becomes part of the fats and proteins that make up their bodies
when animals respire, some of this carbon becomes carbon dioxide and is released into the atmosphere
when plants, algae and animals die, some animals and microorganisms feed on their bodies
carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when these organisms respire
by the time the microorganisms and detritus feeders have broken down the waste products and dead bodies of organisms in ecosystems and cycled the materials as plant nutrients, all the energy originally absorbed by green plants and algae has been transferred
combustion of wood and fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

2. Whiteboards (in pairs) Where does the carbon in your body come from?
Where does that get it from? Where does that get it from? Where does that get it from?
You will need to glue in a lesson objectives check sheet on the first non double page and tick off what you think we have met from previous lessons or prior knowledge
Lesson objectives found in slides at the end. If students have a4 exercise books, get them to use a double page for the whole lesson. Otherwise, get students to use a double page of a normal exercise book and do the rectangles of information on another page.

3. OUTCOMES Recognise and name the carbon cycle
State some processes which remove and return carbon dioxide from/to our atmosphere
Describe the processes which remove and return carbon dioxide from/to our atmosphere
Explain why levels of carbon dioxide have increased recently

4. Number yourselves 1 and 2 in pairs
No 1s
you will need a piece of a4 scrap paper, a pencil and something to rest on.
You need to turn and face the back of the room next to the even person you are partnered with.
No 2s
you will describe the diagram we are about to look at. You can talk to each other as much as you like about what to draw BUT evens must not look at the drawing!
After 4 minutes, swap roles to draw the other half of the diagram.
Get students to explain it back to you what you have told them to do.

5. Carbon in decaying matter is broken down by decomposers

6. Swap roles

7. Carbon in decaying matter is broken down by decomposers

8. Does it make sense?
Look at your diagram, compare it to other pairs around you, do they look the same?
Can you understand it?

9. Plant are eaten by animals
Plant are eaten by animals
You can only show students the other half of the diagram otherwise you could show them the whole diagram so they can link the other stuff the odd person drew.
Carbon in decaying matter is broken down by decomposers

10. Carbon Cycle Photosynthesis
(the only way CO2 is removed from the atmosphere)
Carbon Cycle
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposers
Get students to set out their page like on the board if a4 exercise books, otherwise, ask them to divide the next available page into 4 boxes and write the 4 different components of the cycle in each.
Copy the Carbon cycle into the space above

11. Carbon Cycle Draw a line halfway down your page Photosynthesis
(the only way CO2 is removed from the atmosphere)
Draw a line halfway down your page
Carbon Cycle
Respiration
6cm wide
Combustion
Decomposers
Plant are eaten by animals
Get students to set out their page like on the board if a4 exercise books, otherwise, ask them to divide the next available page into 4 boxes and write the 4 different components of the cycle in each.
Carbon in decaying matter is broken down by decomposers

12. We are going to use the boxes around the outside now.
Around the room there are 4 different pieces of information relating to the diagram you have just made.
You have 12 minutes to go around the room and collect notes from each of the stations to put into the appropriate areas.
Look specifically for:
Where does the carbon come from?
What happens to it at this stage?
Print off 2 copies of each of the slides and blu tac them around the room. The titles are small to encourage students to come closer to read it properly and not be immediately obvious.

13. What’s going on?
Use the student speak check sheet to try and work out what is going on in the diagram.
These are just the LOs from the beginning of the lesson.

14. Plant are eaten by animals
Print this off for students who have poorer eyesight. Make sure they copy it up like others in the class to help them understand it.
Carbon in decaying matter is broken down by decomposers

15. Photosynthesis
Many of the different substances that make up your body contain carbon. They include carbohydrates, fats and proteins. The carbon in your body was originally part of a carbon dioxide molecule in the air. Somewhere in the world, a plant absorbed carbon dioxide from the air. It used the carbon dioxide to make carbohydrates, by photosynthesis. Carbon dioxide + water glucose + oxygen Glucose is the carbohydrate. The plant also used some glucose to make fats and proteins. These all contain some of the carbon atoms that the plant had taken from the air.
This is the first set of notes that can be placed around the room.

16. Respiration in plants and animals
You ate food from that plant (or from an animal
that ate the plant) that food contained
carbohydrates, fats or proteins.
Your food goes into your cells. Here, some of it is broken down by respiration. Carbon in the glucose molecules becomes part of the carbon dioxide molecule.
Glucose+ oxygen carbon dioxide + water
When you breathe out, you return this carbon dioxide to the air.
Plants respire all the time too. They do this to get useable energy from the foods they make through photosynthesis. So, although plants take carbon dioxide out of the air, they put some back again.

17. Saprotrophs are decomposers that break down
By the time decomposers have broken down waste products and dead organism there is no energy left in the material and it is able to be recycled as plant nutrients. All the energy from the original plant has been transferred. When the biomass is broken down, we are left with the raw materials needed by plants.
Decomposers include detritivores like earthworms, maggots, woodlice. They all feed on decaying matter.
Saprotrophs are decomposers that break down
food outside their bodies and absorb the nutrients.
Fungi (mushrooms) are an example of these.

18. Combustion
We use fossil fuels all the time, we may use them when we have a BBQ, heat our homes, cook food or generate electricity at the power station.
Combustion of wood and fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere similar to respiration but does not happen in living organisms. This process releases all the energy in the biomass.

19. Carbon Cycle Photosynthesis Respiration Combustion Decomposers
Get this printed on to an a3 sheet for students to work from if they need to.

20. OUTCOMES Recognise and name the carbon cycle
State some processes which remove and return carbon dioxide from/to our atmosphere
Describe the processes which remove and return carbon dioxide from/to our atmosphere
Explain why levels of carbon dioxide have increased recently

21. Carbon Cycle Lesson objectives
The constant cycling of carbon is called the carbon cycle.
In the carbon cycle:
carbon dioxide is removed from the environment by green plants and algae for photosynthesis
the carbon from the carbon dioxide is used to make carbohydrates, fats and proteins, which make up the body of plants and algae
when green plants and algae respire, some of this carbon becomes carbon dioxide and is released into the atmosphere
when green plants and algae are eaten by animals and these animals are eaten by other animals, some of the carbon becomes part of the fats and proteins that make up their bodies
when animals respire, some of this carbon becomes carbon dioxide and is released into the atmosphere
when plants, algae and animals die, some animals and microorganisms feed on their bodies
carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when these organisms respire
by the time the microorganisms and detritus feeders have broken down the waste products and dead bodies of organisms in ecosystems and cycled the materials as plant nutrients, all the energy originally absorbed by green plants and algae has been transferred
combustion of wood and fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.