Lesson Plan: Carbon Carbon Everywhere! G 11-12

Written By: Todd A. Sivertson
Grade Level: Grade 11 and 12

Time Allotment

Approximately 6-7 Classroom Days

Overview

I want my students to understand how carbon cycles through our environment and how our actions influence the environment.

Subject Matter

  1. Sources of Carbon
  2. Carbon Storage & Sequestration
  3. Carbon Footprint
  4. Anthropogenic Carbon
  5. Carbon Cycling

Learning Objectives

  1. Students will be able to identify sources of carbon.
  2. Students will understand methods of carbon sequestration & storage.
  3. Calculate your own carbon footprint and compare to other students, United States, & other countries.
  4. Students will be able to understand how the use of fossil fuels adds to the level of CO2 in our atmosphere.
  5. Students will be able to illustrate, understand, and describe how carbon cycles through the environment.

Media Components - Video/Web

  1. Laptop computers to research: sources of carbon, storage, anthropogenic carbon, & how carbon cycles.
  2. Smart board, projector, & document camera to illustrate and describe sources of carbon, storage, anthropogenic carbon, & how carbon cycles (video clips from Prairie Public,Youtube, & EERC).

Materials

  1. Materials for carbon cycling model/poster- poster board, colored pencils or markers, & stencils.
  2. Greenhouse Lab- Baking soda, vinegar, light source, 1-holed stoppers, thermometers, graph paper, stop watches, flasks, large syringes, & beakers.
  3. Blankets to illustrate the greenhouse effect.
  4. Butcher Paper and pencils
  5. Calculators
  6. Graph Paper

Teacher Preparation

  1. Preview video clips
  2. Prepare quizzes that cover each of the five main subject areas. Administer these after each activity/subject area to check for comprehension.
  3. Sign-out laptop computers or the computer lab.
  4. Set-up & organize supplies for the Green house lab the night before the lab.
  5. Set-out posters and poster supplies the night before the activity.

Introductory Activities

Day 1:
  1. Blankets to Illustrate the greenhouse effect. Cover a student with several blankets to represent the added carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, thus increasing the temperature.
  2. Greenhouse Lab - (see supplies listed under materials)

Learning Activities

Day 2:
  1. Review Greenhouse Lab (wkst).
  2. List all the things that contain carbon on butcher paper (Brain-storm in small groups).
  3. Compare/discuss results from each group & compile one master list.
  5. Add to their lists by presenting ideas from “A naturally abundant .....forms of life” EERC
  6. Keynote Presentation (Jeopardy) “Foundations 1 Energy and Carbon: The Big Picture”
  7. Quiz: list 10 sources of carbon

Day 3:
  1. Calculate your carbon footprint using different computer calculators (pick any 2, there are many to choose from.)
  2. Determine mean, median, mode, and range from 10 random classmates.
  3. Graph your average carbon footprint, compare to the class average, U.S. average, & four other countries.
  4. Quiz: list 5 factors that influence your carbon footprint.

    5. Alternate assignment: Watch the video “Reducing Our Carbon Footprint” and list 10 ways to reduce your footprint or write a convincing letter describing why we should conserve energy.

Day 4:
  1. Keynote Presentation: Energy and CO2 Management: Regional Options (Foundations II) Dan Daly
  2. Video: Nature in balance CO2 Sequestration
  3. Have students record the different types of sequestration and how
    4. carbon is stored
  4. Quiz: types of sequestration

Culminating Activity

Days 5-7:

  • Create a detailed poster that illustrates how carbon cycles through the environment (2-3 days)

    • Cross-Curricular Activity

    1. Social Studies and Geography - map the ecological footprints of different countries throughout the world.
    2. Language Arts - write a convincing letter on why we as a people should conserve energy (include specific research statistics and citations).
    3. Math - Calculating the mean, median, mode, and range for each classes ecological footprint. Compare to national average, and other countries.

    Community Connections

    1. Place posters in the hall for other students to view/read (approximately 700 students pass by Math/Science hall each day)
    2. In Small Groups Present the four topics to the sixth grade classes at Jim Hill Middle School:
  • Sources of Carbon
  • Carbon Storage/Sequestration
  • Anthropogenic Carbon
  • Carbon Cycling


    • STUDENT MATERIALS:

    Note: I will provide all of the necessary materials. Nevertheless the students may want their own supplies:

    1. Markers
    2. Colored Pencils
    3. Stencils
    4. Rulers
    5. College Ruled paper
    6. Pens/Pencils


    Note: An alternative to daily quizzes, could be offering one cumulative test covering the main areas. Students could use their notes on the test. Notes would be taken during each of the presentations, activities, labs, videos, etc. Quarter the paper (use the front and back) and record the notes in each of the five areas (sources of carbon, carbon storage/ sequestration, anthropogenic carbon, carbon footprint, & carbon cycling.