CARBON CYCLE LESSON PLAN:
Objectives/ Key Concepts
In this activity, students will:
Learn that carbon is in all four of the earth’s major spheres: biosphere,
hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere.(goal)
Label and compare and contrast the four major spheres(goal)
Understand and show that carbon moves/cycles from one sphere to another in the activity.
Draw conclusions about how humans influence the carbon cycle and contribute to global
climate change.
Understand that using renewable energy sources provides energy and promotes a clean
environment.
Understand what renewable sources of energy include; hydropower, biomass, solar, wind,
and geothermal.
Understand that ethanol is a clean burning transportation fuel made from corn and
biomass waste.
Materials:
 Copies of Sparkle White and the Seven Dwarfuels
 Poster paper
 Four colors of construction paper (blue, green, yellow, and brown) scotch tape
 Scissors
 Colored pencils
 Crayons, or markers
Safety: there are no real safety concerns during this lesson, the students know that
there is no running with scissors and no throwing objects in the classroom.
Vocabulary:
Carbon: a naturally abundant, nonmetallic element that occurs in all organic compounds
and can be found in all known forms of life
Biogeochemistry: the study of the relationship between the geochemistry of a region and
the animal and plant life in that region, including the circulation of elements such as
carbon and nitrogen between the environment and the cells of living organisms
Lithosphere: rigid, rocky outer layer of the earth
Hydrosphere: all of the earth's water, including surface water (water in oceans, lakes,
and rivers), groundwater (water in soil and beneath the earth's surface), snow cover, ice,
and water in the atmosphere, including water vapor
Atmosphere: the mixture of gases surrounding the earth, held in place by gravity
Biosphere: the parts of the land, sea, and atmosphere in which organisms are able to live
Anthropogenic: caused by human activities
Carbon cycle: The continuous process by which carbon is exchanged between organisms
and the environment. carbon dioxide is absorbed from the atmosphere by plants and
algae and converted to carbohydrates by photosynthesis. Carbon is then passed into the
food chain and returned to the atmosphere by the respiration and decay of animals, plants,
and other organisms. The burning of fossil fuels also releases carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere.
Catch: picture of a factory and lots of cars on the high way along with a farm
The students will learn that carbon moves through all four of the earth’s major spheres
(biosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere), and understand how humans
influence the carbon cycle and contribute to global climate change.
Activity Introduction:
Pretest: on a sheet of paper (5 min)
Match the prefixes with their definitions
Atmos
Life
Bio
Vapor
Hydro
Water
Litho
Rock/Sediment
Geo
Land
Skit: Adapted from need.org (20 min)
Pick students from the class to read the short skit that talks about different types of
energy give each student a role to read and distribute copies of the script to the rest of the
class who will be the chorus.
Next: Lesson/ Instruction (25 min, includes 8 min video)
Write the words “biosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere” on the board.
Refer back to the pretest, discussing the words.
Bio means life,
litho means rock,
hydro means water,
atmos is Greek for vapor
geo means land
Sphere refers to a part or parts of the planet.
The biosphere is composed of the parts of the planet that contain life.
The lithosphere is composed of the parts of the planet that contain rocks and sediments.
The hydrosphere is composed of the parts of the planet with water
The atmosphere is composed of the parts of the planet with vapor or gases.
After discussing the 4 spheres now discuss the word Biogeochemistry.
bio means life
geo means land or earth
chemistry is the study of the composition, structure and properties, of substances and the
reactions that they undergo.
Ask the student why they would think Biogeochemistry is important
What you are looking/aiming for:
Biogeochemistry is not the study of just one thing, but is the study of how our planet’s
spheres interact, how things can move from the biosphere, the living things, to the
geosphere or lithosphere, which contains non-living things like rocks and sediments. The
carbon cycle is one of the planet’s biogeochemical cycles because carbon moves between
both the living organisms and the non-living rocks and sediments.
After going through the words and discussing them as a class
Use the Carbon Cycle powerpoint to help explain in more depth the carbon cycle
the powerpoint is adapted from
http://www.freeclubweb.com/powerpoints/science/carboncycle.html and written by
Hortencia Avila, Uriel Lopez, Jeremy Glick
After going through the powerpoint have studnts watch the Carbon cycle video on
youtube.com (8 min video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1o4ODWMZq5U&feature=related
 Have students take notes on the movie so that they pay attention to the movie.
 Now, read handout either as a group or individually and have a class
discussion on the carbon cycle (what they learned, what they thought was
interesting etc…)
 After the video Discuss some of the things that can alter the carbon cycle that
humans do. (add to their list from list you have compiled)put reason next to
them so they know for later in poster activity.
Activity:
 Break students up into groups of four. Tell students that they will now put together
their own carbon cycle posters.
 Each group creates a carbon cycle poster. Give each group four pieces of
construction paper, each a different color. Tell students that each piece of paper
will represent one of the four spheres: biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and
lithosphere. Tell students or decide as a class which color represents which sphere.
Have each student choose one piece of paper and cut a large circle from it. Then,
have students write their sphere on their circle and draw something that represents
that sphere. For example, leaves for the biosphere, clouds for the atmosphere,
drops of water for the hydrosphere, and a mountain for the lithosphere.
 Tell students to tape the four circles onto their poster, making sure that they are
spread apart.
 Have each group create a poster that represents the carbon cycle. Tell them to be
creative but also informative. They need to have some key words like:
(WRITE ON BOARD)
Respiration: plant and animal cells break down sugar, which results in carbon dioxide
Photosynthesis: plants use carbon dioxide and energy from the sun to build sugar
Diffusion: a process that moves particles, such as atoms or molecules, from one place to
another (from higher concentration to lower concentration)
Sedimentation: process of laying down sediments and forming sedimentary rocks
Weathering: processes by which rocks exposed to the weather change and break down
Erosion: wearing away and movement of rock and sediment, often by water, wind,
glaciers, and waves
Eruption of gasses: from volcanoes, etc…
 Tell students that their task is to place arrows (out of construction paper) between
the appropriate spheres and facing the appropriate direction on their posters.
 Explain to students that their posters show some of the most important processes
that move carbon from one place to another.
 Have students on the arrow write what human alteration affects the carbon cycle.
Posttest: on a sheet of paper (5 min)
Write a brief definition of the words on a sheet of paper and turn in
Atmosphere
Biosphere
Hydrosphere
Lithosphere
Geosphere
Sparkle White and the Seven Dwarfuels
Characters
NARRATOR: Introduces and closes the story
KING: Ruler of Purestan
DROP: Advisor for Hydropower
SPARKLE WHITE: Princess of Purestan
CHORUS: Class
SUNNY: Advisor for Solar
BREEZY: Advisor for Wind
STEAMY: Advisor for Geothermal
WOODY: Advisor for Biomass
WASTEFUL: Advisor for Biomass
CORNY: Advisor for Biomass
Scene 1
(Setting: The castle of the King of Purestan. The scene opens with the King pacing in his
chamber as Drop, the chief advisor for hydropower, enters.)
NARRATOR: Once upon a time, there was the Kingdom of Purestan. The kingdom was
the cleanest and healthiest of all the kingdoms in the realm, because it only used
renewable energy resources. It was ruled by a wise king who always sought the advice of
his renewable energy advisors—the Seven Dwarfuels. They knew the value of using
clean, renewable energy to provide Purestanians with the energy they needed. The King
was so proud of his clean energy policy that he named his daughter Sparkle White.
KING: Drop, my old friend, as the manager of the kingdom’s hydropower plants, you
have helped me more than any other advisor to provide the people of Purestan with
energy and a clean environment.
DROP: Well, your majesty, as you know, my 2,000 dams provide five to ten percent of
our electricity, depending on rainfall, while my lakes offer great habitats for wildlife and
opportunities for recreation.
KING: It has been 16 years since Sparkle White’s mother, Queen Fly Ash, was
kidnapped by Ole King Coal. Since she’s been gone, we have committed ourselves to
having clean energy for Sparkle White.
DROP: The Queen’s love for that fossil fuel was nonrenewable! What’s the matter now,
majesty? I’m sure with Woody’s help, we can solve it.
KING: Woody is the problem. Look at Sparkle White’s dry cleaning bills. (Holds up a
stack of papers.) Each month it costs more and more to keep her clothes looking white.
DROP: I have noticed increased pollution from those popular wood-burning stoves that
are all the rage here.
KING: Exactly. It is Purestan’s abundant and renewable biomass that is polluting our air!
(Sparkle White enters.)
SPARKLE WHITE: Daddy, just look at my new dress. It has smudges and soot all over it,
and I only took a short walk through the village. Did you fire that Dwarfuel Woody yet?
DROP: Fire Woody! Sire, if you fire Woody, who will heat all the homes in the
kingdom?
KING: I don’t know what else to do.
CHORUS: Wind and solar—quite a pair, biomass is everywhere. Hydropower hits the
spot, geothermal’s looking hot. Clean, renewable energy, it is good for you and me.
DROP: (Shouting) Sunny! Breezy! Steamy! Come quick. We need your help. (Sunny and
Breezy climb in the window.)
SUNNY: What’s up?
SPARKLE WHITE: We’re firing that dirty Dwarfuel Woody.
BREEZY: Fire Woody? What did he do? Form a SPLINTER group?
DROP: This is no joke. Sparkle White’s clothes are dirty because of Woody’s soot.
KING: We need to find an alternative way to heat the kingdom’s homes.
CHORUS: Wind and solar—quite a pair, biomass is everywhere. Hydropower hits the
spot, geothermal’s looking hot. Clean, renewable energy, it is good for you and me.
DROP: Sunny, can’t you do it? You’ve got a lot of clean, free radiant energy.
SUNNY: I can help a little, but I’m pretty spread out and I can’t work twenty-four hours
a day. It will take me years to design and build all the solar collectors we would need to
heat the homes in Purestan.
BREEZY: I can help some, too, but you can’t count on me all the time. My wind turbines
only operate about three-fourths of the time, and not always at full capacity.
NARRATOR: (Offstage) SSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!! SPARKLE WHITE: There’s
Steamy. Come on in, we need your help. (Steamy enters.)
STEAMY: Thanksss, Sssparkle White. I think I can asssist with thisss problem. I have
enough hot water and sssteam ssstored underground to heat all the homesss in Puressstan.
It’sss called geothermal energy.
BREEZY: I’ve used windmills to pump hot and cold water for hundreds of years.
STEAMY: We can alssso build a wassste-to-energy plant which burnsss biomasss to
produce sssteam for making electricity.
KING: If we use all of your powers together—Breezy, Steamy, Drop, and Sunny—we
can heat all of the homes in Purestan without burning wood.
CHORUS: Wind and solar—quite a pair, biomass is everywhere. Hydropower hits the
spot, geothermal’s looking hot. Clean, renewable energy, it is good for you and me.
SPARKLE WHITE: Well, now that you have that problem solved, when are you guys
going to let me drive? I’m the only princess around who doesn’t own a car—it’s
embarrassing.
SUNNY: Sparkle White, you know cars run on petroleum and fossil fuels aren’t allowed
in Purestan.
SPARKLE WHITE: What we need is a renewable fuel source.
KING: Who can provide it?
DROP: I’m tapped out.
BREEZY: I can’t make enough electricity to power Purestan and vehicles, too.
STEAMY: And my hot water ssssupply isssssn’t large enough.
SPARKLE WHITE: Sunny, what about your photovoltaic cells?
SUNNY: I’m afraid you can’t count on me every day.
CHORUS: Wind and solar—quite a pair, biomass is everywhere. Hydropower hits the
spot, geothermal’s looking hot. Clean, renewable energy, it is good for you and me.
SPARKLE WHITE: You guys are no help. Where are Woody, Corny, and Wasteful?
They might be able to fuel my car. (Sparkle White stomps offstage to search for them.)
KING: Yes, let’s get the biomass advisors in here. I want to hear their ideas.
BREEZY: Wow. First, Woody was the problem, now he’s the solution.
SUNNY: Biomass as an energy source to power cars? (Sparkle White rushes in, pulling
Woody, Corny, and Wasteful behind her.)
KING: Ahh, Woody. You are my oldest energy advisor. You have made it possible for
Purestan to heat its homes with wood for centuries, but now it’s time... (Woody
interrupts.)
WOODY: You’re right, it’s time we modernized. Usually we burn wood and use its
energy for heating. But there are other ways to convert biomass energy into a usable
energy source.
WASTEFUL: Listen to the idea Woody, Corny, and I have enabling Sparkle White to
drive a car.
CORNY: I’m so excited, I’m about to pop!
WASTEFUL: We can fuel Sparkle White’s car using biomass. DRoP: But won’t a car
burning biomass pollute the air, too?
WOODY: Instead of burning our biomass, we will convert our corn, crop, and wood
wastes to ethanol. Ethanol is a clean burning alcohol fuel for cars. It can also reduce total
carbon dioxide emissions.
CORNY: Ethanol is made from crops that absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen as
they grow. This carbon cycle maintains the balance of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
when ethanol is used as a fuel.
SPARKLE WHITE: Finally, a car that uses renewable energy! I’ll be the talk of the town.
CHORUS: Wind and solar—quite a pair, biomass is everywhere. Hydropower hits the
spot, geothermal’s looking hot. Clean, renewable energy, it is good for you and me.
KING: (As they all exit.) Now that we have solved those problems, let’s talk about one of
mine. What can we do about our football team...?
NARRATOR: The seven Dwarfuels had once again found good solutions to Purestan’s
energy problems. The kingdom was clean and healthy again, and Sparkle White was
happy. The football team, however, is a whole other story.