As a High School or introductory Undergraduate Environmental Sciences or Chemistry or Earth Sciences teacher, you can use this lesson plan to teach your students about Earth’s carbon cycle, its role in Earth’s climate, its irregularities due to anthropogenic activities, and its regulation by carbon sequestration.
In this lesson plan, students will learn about the various components and processes involved in Earth’s carbon cycle and its influence on Earth’s climate. This lesson plan will enable students to learn through interactive exercises how disturbances in the carbon cycle due to human activities have contributed towards global warming and climate change. Through this lesson plan your students will also learn about processes of carbon sequestration to regulate the disturbed carbon cycle and its role in climate mitigation and adaptation.
Thus, the use of this lesson plan allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core topic in Environmental Sciences or Chemistry or Earth Sciences.
The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:
Lesson plan developed with contribution from Gargi Khandelwal, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, India.
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| Grade Level | High School, Undergraduate |
| Discipline | Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Carbon Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles, Environmental Chemistry, Climate Change Overview, Geologic Carbon Cycle, Adaptation and Mitigation, Carbon Cycle, Carbon Sequestration, Carbon Capture and Storage, Carbon Sources and Sinks |
| Climate Topic | Introduction to Climate Change, Climate and the Atmosphere, Climate and the Biosphere, Climate and the Hydrosphere, Climate and the Anthroposphere, Climate Mitigation and Adaptation |
| Location | Global |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online / offline |
| Approximate Time Required | 60 – 90 mins |
| Share |
|
| Resource Download |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Teaching Module (15-45 min)
Use the teaching module, ‘The Carbon Cycle’ by University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) to describe what the carbon cycle is and how carbon is cycled through different parts of the Earth- atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.
You may choose to use the ‘related pages and diagrams’ section to teach about the components and geochemical processes involved in the natural carbon cycle. Use the subsection ‘The Changing Carbon Cycle’ to explain how human activities are affecting the natural carbon cycle.
Finally, use the hands-on interactive activities in the ‘related resources’ section to elaborate on the role of the carbon cycle in Earth’s climate.
Infographic (5 min)
Use the infographic, ‘Earth’s carbon cycle is off balance’ by NASA to explain how higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to anthropogenic activities are affecting the natural carbon cycle.
Quiz (~10 min)
Use the interactive online quiz, ‘Carbon and the climate’ by NASA to test student understanding of the various components of the carbon cycle. Encourage a discussion on their influence on Earth’s climate and how changes in them may contribute to climate change.
Reading (30 min)
Use the reading, ‘Carbon Sequestration’ by Noelle Eckley Selin, Associate Professor of Engineering Systems and Atmospheric Chemistry, MIT, to describe natural carbon sources and sinks. Explain how their balance is affected by anthropogenic activities with higher concentrations of carbon dioxide being added to the atmosphere.
Use the text to emphasize on the importance of the removal of this excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using technologies for carbon capture and storage, and carbon sequestration. Use the various embedded links to elaborate on these geoengineering processes. Finally, initiate a discussion on the significance of carbon sequestration in regulating the carbon cycle and thereby, enabling climate mitigation.
Suggested questions/assignments for learning evaluation
Use the tools and the concepts learned so far to discuss and determine answers to the following questions:
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Webpage | ‘Carbon Sequestration’ on Science & Climate, UC Davis’ website on climate change.
This can be accessed here. |
| 2 | Reading | An article, ‘Soil as Carbon Storehouse: New Weapon in Climate Fight’ by Judith D. Schwatz for YaleE360, published at the Yale School of the Environment.
This can be accessed here |
| 3 | Reading | An article, ‘Soil Carbon Storage’: Ontl, T. A. & Schulte, L. A. (2012) Soil Carbon Storage. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):35
This can be accessed here. |
| 4 | Video lecture | ‘Rethinking carbon capture and sequestration’ by Roel Snieder, Department of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines for MIT Energy Initiative.
This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Teaching Module; ‘The Carbon Cycle’ | By University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) |
| 2 | Infographic; ‘Earth’s carbon cycle is off balance’ | By NASA: Climate Change and Global Warming |
| 3 | Interactive online quiz; ‘Carbon and the climate’ | By NASA: Climate Change and Global Warming |
| 4 | Reading; ‘Carbon Sequestration’ | By Noelle Eckley Selin, Associate Professor of Engineering Systems and Atmospheric Chemistry, MIT. |
| 5 | Additional Resources | UC Davis
Judith D. Schwatz for YaleE360, published at the Yale School of the Environment Nature Education Knowledge Roel Snieder, Department of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines for MIT Energy Initiative |
| Grade Level | High School, Undergraduate |
| Discipline | Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Sciences |
| Topic(s) in Discipline | Carbon Cycle, Carbon Sequestration, Carbon Capture and Storage, Carbon Sources and Sinks |
| Climate Topic | Climate and the Atmosphere, Climate and the Biosphere, Climate and the Hydrosphere, Climate and the Anthroposphere, Climate Mitigation and Adaptation |
| Location | Global |
| Language(s) | English |
| Access | Online / offline |
| Approximate Time Required | 60 – 90 mins |
| Share |
|
| Resource Download |
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
Teaching Module (15-45 min)
Use the teaching module, ‘The Carbon Cycle’ by University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) to describe what the carbon cycle is and how carbon is cycled through different parts of the Earth- atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.
You may choose to use the ‘related pages and diagrams’ section to teach about the components and geochemical processes involved in the natural carbon cycle. Use the subsection ‘The Changing Carbon Cycle’ to explain how human activities are affecting the natural carbon cycle.
Finally, use the hands-on interactive activities in the ‘related resources’ section to elaborate on the role of the carbon cycle in Earth’s climate.
Infographic (5 min)
Use the infographic, ‘Earth’s carbon cycle is off balance’ by NASA to explain how higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to anthropogenic activities are affecting the natural carbon cycle.
Quiz (~10 min)
Use the interactive online quiz, ‘Carbon and the climate’ by NASA to test student understanding of the various components of the carbon cycle. Encourage a discussion on their influence on Earth’s climate and how changes in them may contribute to climate change.
Reading (30 min)
Use the reading, ‘Carbon Sequestration’ by Noelle Eckley Selin, Associate Professor of Engineering Systems and Atmospheric Chemistry, MIT, to describe natural carbon sources and sinks. Explain how their balance is affected by anthropogenic activities with higher concentrations of carbon dioxide being added to the atmosphere.
Use the text to emphasize on the importance of the removal of this excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using technologies for carbon capture and storage, and carbon sequestration. Use the various embedded links to elaborate on these geoengineering processes. Finally, initiate a discussion on the significance of carbon sequestration in regulating the carbon cycle and thereby, enabling climate mitigation.
Suggested questions/assignments for learning evaluation
Use the tools and the concepts learned so far to discuss and determine answers to the following questions:
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
| 1 | Webpage | ‘Carbon Sequestration’ on Science & Climate, UC Davis’ website on climate change.
This can be accessed here. |
| 2 | Reading | An article, ‘Soil as Carbon Storehouse: New Weapon in Climate Fight’ by Judith D. Schwatz for YaleE360, published at the Yale School of the Environment.
This can be accessed here |
| 3 | Reading | An article, ‘Soil Carbon Storage’: Ontl, T. A. & Schulte, L. A. (2012) Soil Carbon Storage. Nature Education Knowledge 3(10):35
This can be accessed here. |
| 4 | Video lecture | ‘Rethinking carbon capture and sequestration’ by Roel Snieder, Department of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines for MIT Energy Initiative.
This can be accessed here. |
| 1 | Teaching Module; ‘The Carbon Cycle’ | By University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) |
| 2 | Infographic; ‘Earth’s carbon cycle is off balance’ | By NASA: Climate Change and Global Warming |
| 3 | Interactive online quiz; ‘Carbon and the climate’ | By NASA: Climate Change and Global Warming |
| 4 | Reading; ‘Carbon Sequestration’ | By Noelle Eckley Selin, Associate Professor of Engineering Systems and Atmospheric Chemistry, MIT. |
| 5 | Additional Resources | UC Davis Judith D. Schwatz for YaleE360, published at the Yale School of the Environment Nature Education Knowledge Roel Snieder, Department of Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines for MIT Energy Initiative |
