Carbon Cycle, Ecological Matter & Energy

1. Life Begins on Planet Earth

2. Products of Plants & Animals

3. Leaf Chad Activity

4. Photosynthesis Details

5. Respiration

6. Ecosystem Research Posters

7. Watershed Game & Review

Warm-Up Slides

Quizlet vocabulary lists

AST 7.6 - Biogeography: Construct an argument based on evidence about the simultaneous coevolution of Earth’s systems and life on Earth. (HS-ESS2-7)

1. Life on Planet Earth

Opening

- Earth's timeline as a football field. Do this activity with the class. Earth's timeline in 100 yards key.

Activity

- Watch: Miller Urey Experiment
- Watch: Single-cell to multicellular video
- Watch: Paramecium eat! video
- Read: Becoming multicellular to avoid predators article (read the abstract and introduction).
- Answer:
  - Q1 - What single cellular organism did they experiment with?
  - Q2 - What selective pressure did they subject the algae to?
  - Q3 - What happened to the algae over time? What new feature/characteristic arose?
  - Q4 - Why did the presence of a predator drive the formation of multicellular living?
- Debrief: class discussion

Closing

- Watch: Crash Course Origin of Life video
- Read: origin of life article
- Play with: Pangea interactive
- Read: 13-Million Degrees of Kevin Bacon: Largest Family Tree.

2. Products of Plants and Animals

Opening

- Watch: Carbon levels during a year on earth video
- Read: The Earth Has Lungs. Watch Them Breathe. article.

Activity

- Using Vernier probes: Measure CO2 breathe, and measure O2 plants in tank, and rotten fruit.
- Take and record a measurements under each condition.

Lab Writeup (4 pts)

- Do research (2-4 sources) and write 2-5 paragraphs explaining the sources O2 and CO2. Cite your sources.
- Your write up should include:
  - - Where does carbon come from?
    - Where does carbon get stored? Name at least 3 places?
    - Does carbon stay in these storage places forever?
    - Where does oxygen come from?
    - Who/what uses oxygen?
    - What are implications of these gases on the earth? (Think global warming).
    - How are your above answers supported by the data you collected in class?

AST 6.1 - Investigating Carbon Cycle: Develop a quantitative model to illustrate the role of photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the cycling of carbon among the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere. (HS-LS2-5 and HS-ESS2-6)

AST 6.4 - Photosynthesis: Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy. (HS-LS1-5)

3. Photosynthesis...it is a thing....

Opening

Watch: photosynthesis video
Emphasis on chloroplasts, chlorophyll, stomata, CO2, water, O2

Activity

https://photosynthesis.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Floating-Leaf-Disks-for-Investigating-Photosynthesis.pdf

Leaf Chad Activity

Form to fill out

Closing

- Discussion: What do plants use/consume? What do they create/release?

AST 6.4 - Photosynthesis: Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy. (HS-LS1-5)

4. Photosynthesis details

Opening

- Discuss: Where Does a Plant’s Mass Come From?
- Crash course photosynthesis video

Activity

- Intro to photosynthesis article
- Read and understand photosynthesis details
  - What is the light dependent reaction
  - What is the light-independent reaction?
  - What is the Calvin cycle?
- Color the Photosynthesis coloring sheet, research and add an explanatory paragraph
- Study Vocabulary!!!

Preview

- Demo: Bromophenyl blue with snails and aquatic plants setup

Cool Stuff

AST 6.5 - Respiration: Use a model to illustrate that cellular respiration is a chemical process whereby the bonds of food molecules and oxygen molecules are broken and the bonds in new compounds are formed resulting in a net transfer of energy. (HS-LS1-7)

5. Respiration

Introduction

- Bromothymol blue with snails and aquatic plants followup

Activity

- Watch: Crash Course respiration video
- Using the video and the internet make a T-chart comparing anaerobic versus aerobic respiration.
- Compare what substrates enter each process.
- What products are released. And how many of each.
- Which is most efficient?
- Which happens in what conditions?
- Take a picture and submit it!

Closing

- Practice quiz of photosynthesis and respiration

AST 7.4 - Eutrophication : Construct and revise an explanation based on evidence for the cycling of matter and flow of energy in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. (HS-LS2-3)AST 7.5 - Trophic Levels : Use mathematical representations to support claims for the cycling of matter and flow of energy among organisms in an ecosystem. (HS-LS2-4)AST 7.3 - Informational Text : I can read and use informational texts about human impact on the environment.

Ecosystem Poster

Opening

- Root beer setup

Choose an Ecosystem

- Forest Ecosystem, can be tropical, temperate or boreal.
- Grassland Ecosystems, such as a prairie, savanna, or steppes.
- Desert Ecosystems
- Tundra Ecosystems
- Freshwater Ecosystems
- Marine Ecosystems

Research and complete

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cgYGnHHJjJxgcUteVFmfv3tmyi27n0YgE-gTdanr69Y/edit

Create a Poster

Your table group will create a Poster detailing the trophic levels of an ecosystem.

- Abiotic Components
  - air
  - water
  - mineral
  - soil
- Biotic Components
  - 3 plants
    - Identify what trophic levels each belong to
  - 3 invertebrates
    - Identify what trophic levels each belong to
  - 3 vertebrates
    - Identify what trophic levels each belong to
    - include at least one keystone species if relevant

Interesting Things

Trees can make their own rain?!? article

AST 6.6 - Climate Change : Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth's surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems. (HS-ESS2-2)

AST 7.2 - Human Impact: Evaluate, and refine a technological solution of reducing impacts of human activities on natural systems. (HS-ESS3-4) OR Sustainability: Create a computational simulation to illustrate the relationships among management of natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and biodiversity (HS-ESS3-3AST 7.3 - Informational Text : I can read and use informational texts about human impact on the environment.

Watershed Game/Carbon Sinks

Opening

- Watershed - paper/pen/spray
- What is a watershed? video
- Powerpoint

Jigsaw

Class Game

- watershed resources

Closing

- Climate change kills its first mammal article
- Carbon offset company
- Portland islands if the sea rises map

Exam

Global warming activities (NPR list)

Google Sites

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