It also revises students’ prior knowledge of the key processes involved and constructs them into a carbon cycle, helping the ideas to flow together.Ī major misconception is the timescale of the processes. The carbon cycle game directly combats the misconception that the carbon cycle consists of only photosynthesis and respiration, building on the large crossover with biology. Ask them about the number of processes that lock up and release carbon, and get them to predict the timescales involved. Students are often surprised that carbon dioxide forms only a tiny percentage (0.04%) of our atmosphere yet is causing so many current issues. Take your students’ understanding further by discussing the relative proportions of the different forms of carbon. STEM Learning offers a fantastic simplified board game of some key processes and some Top Trumps-style cards for students to learn more about the complexity, importance and abundance of different ‘molecules of life’ ( LINK). Link this to the starter discussion, suggested in the downloadable resources, and remind students that reactions and processes are taking place at each stage.Īn alternative, live-action game is available with instructions and teacher notes through the Science Museum, and works well with younger students ( LINK). The game introduces these and you should encourage your students to make a note of these on their cycle. You will need to clearly identify the different forms which carbon can take. Supply your students with cards showing the different forms of carbon, the processes and some arrows, then ask them to construct the carbon cycle. This activity could also be adapted as a card-sort activity. This is constructivist learning at its best: students do most of the work while you circulate to guide and probe understanding. This active and enjoyable game always creates a buzz in my classroom.įrom their travels around the stations, students can then create their own carbon cycle, detailing the stations they have visited and the processes which moved them on. Put this into practice with the carbon cycle game (download it below) where students take on the role of a carbon atom as it cycles through the Earth, flipping coins to move around various stations that each represent a different form of carbon, cycling continuously until they become ‘locked up’. A recent study suggested that modelling helps to activate students’ visual memories, which makes their learning experience more meaningful and permanent. Modelling methods are an excellent way to promote thinking and help to improve their understanding. The intricacies of the carbon cycle can be difficult for students to comprehend. This discussion enables you to scaffold or challenge students’ learning appropriately later on.Ĭarnivores, herbivores and plants form key parts of the carbon cycle through processes such as respiration and photosynthesis Then ask what role carbon dioxide plays in the atmosphere. Define key terms such as photosynthesis and respiration. Ask students to name different forms of carbon that they have encountered. They will likely have already encountered respiration and photosynthesis and therefore have a feel for how carbon can be cycled around the Earth.īegin by probing this prior knowledge through some simple questioning. Students will have prior knowledge of this topic, both from the media and their previous science lessons. This helps them to understand the complex natural balances that exists and the ongoing impact of human activity. Students need to understand how carbon moves between these different forms.
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