The Earth Scientist

Page 10
The Earth Scientist
Figure 1. Carbon Cycle example
(Source: National Research Council of the National
Academies Ocean Acidification: Starting with the
Science booklet, http://oceanacidification.nas.
edu/?page_id=29)
climate change. To the students, the word “cycle” infers that every
carbon molecule follows the same series of events over and over again,
thus students underestimate differences in frequencies of some
processes, as well as different rates of storage among the reservoirs.
Figure 2. The Carbon Cycle Game, teaches the carbon cycle
by engaging students to behave as carbon molecules and
move between reservoirs (hydrosphere, biosphere, lithosphere,
atmosphere), stationed around the classroom. Students conduct
ten rounds of cycling while recording where they went and how
long they stayed. The game concludes with a discussion of student
experiences and review of the carbon cycle.
(Source: The Climate Change Science and Solutions: Creating Innovative Education Tools for Native
Americans and Other Rural Communities on the Colorado Plateau, a Climate Change Education
Partnership grant funded by the National Science Foundation to Northern Arizona University.)
In an effort to deepen understanding of the carbon cycle, students can
play a carbon cycle game (See Figure 2: The Carbon Cycle Game) . The
learning goal of the game is for students to experience how carbon
molecules are transferred between carbon reservoirs, what’s the relative
amount of time carbon remains in any given reservoir, and which
processes initiate a change in carbon from one form and reservoir to
another. A carbon reservoir is defined as a natural storage place for
carbon. The game involves students physically moving from one carbon
reservoir to another, based on information provided by the carbon cycle
game cards. Students record their carbon molecule’s journey for later
discussion of the carbon cycle (See Figure 3: Carbon Cycle Recording
Sheet). For example, students learn that carbon can move from the
atmosphere to the biosphere through the process of photosynthesis.
Afterwards, carbon can move from the biosphere to the lithosphere
where it can be buried for millions of years as a fossil fuel.
The Carbon Game senario is situated on the Colorado Plateau, a
geographic region in the western United States that includes the
Four Corners states of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado.
© 2012 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.