Modeling module for Biology Standard 3.4
Cycle Simulation
Authors: Marian Biology Teacher group
Standard: 3.4 Describe how matter cycles through an ecosystem by way of
food chains and food webs and how organisms convert that matter into a
variety of organic molecules to be used in part in their own cellular
structures.
Essential Question: What kind of nutrients cycle through the ecosystem?
Lead students to the four cycles
Basic Procedure:
1. Divide students into groups. Some students will be looking at the carbon
cycle, some at the nitrogen cycle, phosphorus, and water.
2. Students will be working independently and be given a handout to follow
the path of nutrients in their cycle. (see instructions below)
3. After the procedure has been performed, members from each cycle will
whiteboard together. A bar graph of where most of their time was spent in
each cycle should be created.
4. Students should explain why time is not equally spent in each phase of the
cycle. They should answer why it is not a pure cyclical model.
5. Students will then present their cycle to the class.
6. Each student will then journal answers to the following questions:
a. How these cycles are similar and how they are different?
b. What organisms depend on these nutrients? (answer for each cycle)
c. Answer why their “cycle” may not be cyclical.
Projected 2 day activity – Day 1 – students complete cycle activity- Day 2 Students
complete whiteboard and journal.
Nitrogen Cycle:
Station
Soil
Die Roll Number
# 1-4 bacteria
#5 water
#6 side soil
Explanation
Nitrogen fixed by
bacteria…go to bacteria.
Nitrogen runoff…stay at
soil
Nitrogen runoff into
water…go to ocean
Animal
# 1-3 animal
Plant consumption by
animal…stay at animal
Waste is released into
#4-6 soil
Plant
#1-3 plant
#4-6 soil
Atmosphere
#1-3 bacteria
#4-6 atmosphere
Bacteria
#1-3 bacteria
#4 atmosphere
#5-6 plants
soil… go to soil
Death and
decomposition….go to soil
Uptake of nitrogen…stay
at plant.
Fertilizers placed on
plant…stay at plant
Death and
decomposition…go to soil
Nitrogen is taken out of
the air by bacteria…go to
bacteria
Nitrogen remains in the
atmosphere…stay at
atmosphere
Bacteria takes nitrogen
out of the air…stay at
bacteria
Nitrogen taken from
animal waste…stay at
bacteria
Nitrogen taken from
death and decomposition
of animals and plants in
the soil….stay at bacteria
Nitrogen is released to the
atmosphere…go to
atmosphere
Nitrogen is released to
plants…go to plants
Ocean
#1-3 ocean
#4-6 plant
Runoff of nitrogen from
fertilizers…stay at ocean
Plants uptake nitrogen
from the ocean….go to
plants
Fertilizers
#1-3 plants
Placed on plants…go to
plants
#4-6 ocean
Runoff into ocean…go to
ocean
Die Roll Number
#1-3 plant
Explanation
Plants breathe in carbon
dioxide to undergo
photosynthesis…go to
plants
• Phytoplankton from
oceans breathe in carbon
dioxide to undergo
photosynthesis…go to
ocean
• Strong storms such as
Carbon Cycle:
Station
Atmosphere
#4-6 ocean
Ocean
#1 atmosphere
#2-5 ocean
#6 animal
Fossil Fuels/Land
#1-3 atmosphere
#4-6 land
Animals
#1-4 atmosphere
#5 land
#6 animals
hurricanes and typhoons
bury carbon in the
ocean…go to ocean
• Down welling is
occurring, carbon dioxide
is released into ocean…go
to ocean
• Carbon on surface of
oceans that are heated
release carbon in
atmosphere…go to
atmosphere
• Oceanic upwelling is
occurring, carbon is
released into
atmosphere…go to
atmosphere
• Ocean water combines
with calcium to form
calcium carbonate found
in animal shells…go to
animal
• Carbon stays in
ocean…stay at ocean
• Burning of fossil fuels
releases carbon into the
atmosphere…go to
atmosphere
• Production of cement
(heating of limestone aka
calcium carbonate)
releases carbon dioxide
into atmosphere…go to
atmosphere
• Fossil fuels/sediment
stay as part of
geosphere…stay at land
• Carbon released into
atmosphere through
cellular respiration…go to
atmosphere
• Decay of animals
releases carbon into
atmosphere…go to
atmosphere
Plants
#1-2 atmosphere
#3-4 animals
#5-6 plants
Interior of Earth
#1-2 atmosphere
#3 ocean
#4-6 land
• Animal Shells become
limestone (Calcium
carbonate) through the
process of
sedimentation….go to land
• Animals contain
carbon… stay in animal
• Carbon Released into
Atmosphere through
Cellular Respiration…go
to atmosphere
• Decay of plants releases
carbon into
atmosphere…go to
atmosphere
• Animals eat plants and
take in carbon…go to
animal
• Plants use carbon that
they have…stay at plant
• Volcanoes that erupt
release carbon from the
interior of the earth
into the atmosphere …go
to atmosphere
• Hydrothermal vents
release carbon into
ocean…go to ocean
• Carbon stays in the
interior of Earth…stay
here
Phosphorus Cycle:
Station
Rocks
Die Roll Number
#1-3 ocean
#4-5 rocks
#6 fertilizer
Explanation
Erosion of rock releases
phosphorus into the
ocean….go to ocean.
Phosphorus incorporated
into rock….stay here
Mined…go to fertilizer
Ocean
#1-2 plants
#3-6 ocean
Plants/Crops
#1-3 plants
#4 soil
#5 ocean
#6 animal
Phosphorus absorbed by
plants…go to plants
Erosion of phosphorus
into the ocean….stay at
ocean
Phosphorus stays in
plants …stay here
Death and decomposition
of plants…go to soil
Death and decomposition
of ocean plants…go to
ocean.
Phosphorus eaten by
animal…go to animal
Fertilizers placed onto
crops…stay at plants
Animals
#1-3 animals
#4-5 soil
#6 ocean
Soil
#1-2 soil
#3-4 plants
Fertilizers
Uptake of phosphorus
from plants…stay at
animals
Death and
decomposition…go to soil
Death and
decomposition…go to
ocean
Erosion of rock releases
phosphorus…stay at soil
#5-6 runoff
Uptake of phosphorus by
plants…go to plants
#1-5 plants
Runoff of phosphorus into
ocean
Placed on plants…go to
#6 ocean
plants
Runoff into ocean…go to
ocean
Fertilizer remains in
soil…go to soil
Water Cycle
Station
Soil
Die Roll Number
#1 plants
#2 ocean
#3 soil
#4-5 atmosphere
#6 soil
Explanation
Water is absorbed by plant
roots… go to plants
The soil is saturated so
water runs off into a river …
go to ocean
Water is pulled by gravity, it
filters into the soil… go to
soil
Heat energy is added to the
water, so the water
evaporates and goes to the
clouds … go to atmosphere
Plant
Atmosphere
#1-4 clouds
#5-6 plant
#1 soil
#2 glacier
#3 lake
#4-5 ocean
#6 side clouds
Water remains on the
surface (perhaps in a
puddle, or adhering to a soil
particle)… go to soil
Water leaves the plants
through the process of
transpiration .. go to
atmosphere
Water is used by the plant
and stays in the cells… stay
in plant
Water condenses and falls
on the soil … go to soil
Water condenses and falls
as snow onto a glacier … go
to glacier
Water condenses and falls
into a lake and moves to
ocean… go to ocean
Water condenses and falls
into the ocean…go to ocean
Ocean
Animal
#1-2 clouds
#3-6 ocean
#1-2 soil
#3-5 atmosphere
#6 animal
Water remains as a water
droplet clinging to a dust
particle… stay in
atmosphere
Heat energy is added to the
water so the water
evaporates and goes to the
clouds … go to atmosphere
Water remains in the
ocean.. stay in ocean
Water is excreted through
feces and urine ….go to soil
Water is respired or
evaporated from the body …
go to atmosphere
glacier
#1 soil
Water is incorporated into
the body… stay in animal
Ice melts and water filters
#2 atmosphere
#3 ocean
#4-6 glacier
into the ground …..go to soil
Ice evaporates and water
goes to the clouds
(sublimation) …. Go to
atmosphere
Ice melts and water flows
into a river … go to ocean
Ice stays frozen in the
glacier….. stay in glacier
Labels for each station: (you will designate one location
in your room for each of the following labels).
Atmosphere
Soil
Plants
Air
Ocean
Fertilizers
Bacteria
Rocks
Interior of Earth
Fossil Fuels/Land
Glacier
The Incredible Journey
Teacher Instructions
Activity Time: 45 minutes
Objectives:
This activity aims to de-simplify students’ understanding of the water, carbon,
nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles. Students will investigate the means by which
these molecules move through the cycle via role playing as water droplets,
carbon molecules, nitrogen molecules, or phosphorus molecules.
The
•
•

students will be able to:
describe the movement of these nutrients within the cycle
identify states of matter as these molecules move through the cycle
Identify that the movement of molecules is not always cyclical but
molecules are created or destroyed.
Introduction:
While nutrients (C,P,N, and H2O) circulate from one point or state to another,
the paths they can take are variable. From the beginning of time when these
molecules first appeared, they have been constant in quantity and
continuously in motion. Little has been added or lost over the millennia. The
same molecules have been transferred time and time again from the oceans
and land surfaces into the atmosphere. This endless circulation is known as a
cycle.
Materials:
 4 different colored die, one color per station to represent each cycle
 Incredible Journey sheets for each student
Procedure:
1. Let students know that in this activity they are going to become
molecules moving through one of the four cycles.
2. Provide each student with an Incredible Journey tracking sheet for their
cycle. Explain that they will need to start at one given location for their
cycle, then roll the die, write the explanation given for that roll, then
move (if needed).
3. To begin, distribute the students more or less evenly throughout the
stations within each cycle. Have them write the name of their starting
station (river, ocean, lake, etc.) on Line 1 of their tracking sheet. At
each station there is a 6-sided die. Each die is distinct in color for the
cycle (for example red die=nitrogen cycle), and what each number
means is outlined in the table. Students should use the column titled:
“die roll number” to determine where they will go in the cycle. The
column titled “explanation” will describe what could occur in the cycle.
4. On the starting signal, students will roll the die to determine where
they will go next, or stay at the same station. Regardless, each time the
die is rolled the name of the station shown on the die is recorded on
the next line of their tracking sheet... even if they continue rolling the
same station (IE – ocean... ocean... ocean...) this is important.
5. After approximately 20-30 minutes, the signal will end the game.
Debrief:
Wrap up the activity by having a few students describe their “incredible
journey” using the tracking sheets to sequence their stories. The students
should compare the different paths taken during their journeys and
understand why these differences occurred.
After this activity, provide students with a problem to solve: give them a
starting point in their cycle, and then describe a series of processes only,
instructing the students to record what overall path is taken based on this
possible starting point. It should be emphasized that depending on where you
start, the process may not always be cyclical.
Have students finish the activity following the steps outlined above:
1. After the procedure has been performed, members from each cycle will
whiteboard together (possibly in more than one group per cycle) a bar
graph of where most of their time was spent in each cycle.
2. Students should explain why time is not equally spent in each phase of
the cycle. They should answer why it is not a pure cyclical model.
3. Students will then present their cycle to the class.
4. Each student will then journal answers to the following questions:
a. How these cycles are similar and how they are different?
b. What organisms depend on these nutrients? (answer for each
cycle)
Source: Adapted from Project WET’s “The Incredible Journey”.
Not to be adapted or reprinted without written permission of the Environment, Transportation
and Planning Services Department of the Regional Municipality of Peel. Address: 10 Peel
Centre Drive, Brampton, Ontario L6T 4B9
Peel Water Story, Environment, Transportation and Planning Services Department, Region of
“Incredible Journey” Tracking Sheet
You are a _________________________molecule . In Line 1 below write your starting point
for your Incredible Journey. Following each roll of the die, record the location where you find
yourself.
Die Roll Number
1
2
Location and Written
Explanation:
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Peel Water Story, Environment, Transportation and Planning Services Department, Region of
Peel 4
Peel Water Story, Environment, Transportation and Planning