Carbon Cycle and Recycling Ms Blalock Ms Hartsell

Carbon Cycle and Recycling Ms. Blalock, Ms. Hartsell and Mr. Luckman

Do Now • Take a deep breath, now breathe out. Take another deep breath; breathe out again. Take one last deep breath and breathe out. • What molecule did you breathe in during this exercise? • What molecule did you breathe out during this exercise?

AIM and Agenda • AIM: How can we recycle to positively influence the carbon cycle? • Agenda • • • 1. Do Now 2. INM 3. Activity 1: Carbon Cycle 4. Activity 2: Recycling 5. Activity 3: Regents Prep 6. Exit Ticket

INM: Carbon • Carbon is an element that is considered the backbone of life on Earth • ALL living things contain some amount of carbon

Carbon

Carbon makes up all living things

Key element • Carbon is the key element in many important processes: – Regulates the Earth’s temperature – Makes up the food that sustains us – Provides a source of energy to fuel human activities (transportation, factories, etc) – Used in photosynthesis in the form of CO 2

Where do you find carbon? • Most of the Earth’s carbon is stored in rocks and sediments • The remaining carbon is located in the oceans, atmosphere and living organisms

Location of carbon

Today’s lesson… • Today we will explore the carbon cycle. – What is the carbon cycle? – Why is the carbon cycle important to study? – How does a disruption of the carbon cycle impact the environment? • We will also explore recycling. – How does recycling impact the carbon cycle.

Definition: Carbon Cycle • The process of carbon continuously moving between living and non-living things on Earth and in the atmosphere • Carbon is mostly present as CO 2 • It can also be present as methane (CH 4)

Activity 1: Carbon Cycle Video • Directions: Watch the following video describing the carbon cycle. • Using both the video and the “Carbon Cycle Diagrams” respond to the questions in your guided notes. http: //studyjams. scholastic. com/studyjams/jam s/science/ecosystems/carbon-cycle. htm

Carbon Cycle Diagram

Why is the carbon cycle important? • CO 2 is like an atmospheric blanket over the planet • Its job is to trap radiation from the sun (heat) to help keep the Earth’s temperature stable

CO 2 Blanket

Turn and Talk: What do you think? • What is the relationship between the Earth’s temperature and the amount of CO 2 present in the atmosphere? • As CO 2 increases…

Turn and Talk • As CO 2 increases, the temperature of the Earth increases as well. • This increase in the Earth’s temperature can negatively impact the environment, which you will learn about tomorrow.

What can we do? • Looking back at the carbon cycle diagrams, brainstorm some actions that we can take as humans to not disrupt this cycle by releasing more CO 2 into the atmosphere.

Recycling • To recycle means to: – Convert (change) waste into reusable material – Use again • All waste that is not recycled ends up in a landfill – A place where waste is taken and dumped

What can be recycled?

Landfills • The waste is buried and covered over with soil • This method is used to make room for more waste • Consequence: The organic wastes present (food, paper, grass, etc) is digested by organisms living in the landfills • The digestion of this organic waste releases carbon in the form of methane gas into the atmosphere • Thus, more carbon is being released into the atmosphere unnaturally, disrupting the carbon cycle

Landfills

Activity 2: Recycling • Directions: Read the article titled “How Does Recycling Decrease CO 2 and Methane Gas Emissions? ” and respond to the questions in your guided notes.

Activity 3: Regents Review • Directions: Using your knowledge from today’s lesson, respond to the three Regents’ style questions concerning the carbon cycle and recycling.

Finished Early? • Some people do not want recycling waste plants (a place where recycled trash is taken to be sorted and reused) near where they live. • Read the short passage and respond to the questions that follow.

Exit Ticket