Name:    Peter Nelson

Subject:    Biology I

Period:    3rd

Approximate Time:    50 minutes

Objectives:

The Student will

1. Construct their own diagrams outlining the pathway of carbon and oxygen in our atmosphere (7.e)

Materials:

Notebook paper, pencils or pens, whiteboard and whiteboard markers.

Set:

Take a deep breath, hold it for 3 seconds, and now release it.  Where did the oxygen you breathed in come from? (plants) Through what process? (photosynthesis)  Now think about the breath you released.  What gas was present in it? Little things like this often go unnoticed, but what would happen if the oxygen wasn’t there for us to breath? Thats why we are concerned with biogeochemical cycles. On Friday, we looked at the water cycle.Today we will revisit how energy is transferred in an ecosystem and analyze the flow of energy through the carbon, and oxygen cycles. State objectives!

Procedure:

1. Bellwork: Identification  (give word bank)

    - How water gets from the atmosphere to the ground.

    - When water is released by plants, it is referred to as what?

    - Movement of water from bodies of water to the atmosphere.

    - Process by which water vapor becomes clouds.

    - The movement of water through an ecosystem.

2. Lecture on the carbon cycle while drawing an example of the carbon cycle on the board. Begin by asking them to think about how carbon might get there. Explain that CO2 is the main source of carbon --> used for photosynthesis (producers) remember that CO2 is a byproduct of photosynthesis --> glucose --> consumers get the carbon in sugars and use it for energy --> CO2 is released --> When consumers die, decomposers break them down (more CO2) --> some of the carbon gets trapped in the ground.

3. Explain fossil fuels. Write on board. Fossil Fuel: fuel consisting of the remains of organisms preserved in rocks in the earth's crust with high carbon and hydrogen content.

4. Allow for questions give interesting fact: a carbon dioxide molecule may last in the atmosphere up to 100 years.

    # Burning of fuel wood.

    # Burning of fossil fuels.

    # Burning of peat (organic materials buried in bogs).

    # Cow farts (other ruminants can be included as well)

5. Have them construct a diagram of their own carbon cycle using some of the examples mentioned in the Q and A period (5-10 minutes)

6. Explain that the oxygen cycle is similar to the carbon cycle CO2 --> photosynthesis--> O2 goes to water, metal oxides the ozone, and organisms --> Cellular respiration starts the cycle over again.

7. On the same sheet of paper used for the carbon diagram, have them construct an oxygen cycle (5 min).

8. Walk through the oxygen cycle again, calling on the students for examples of steps in the cycle (where does the oxygen go after it is released by the plants?)

Closure:

Today we talked about carbon and nitrogen cycles and you were able to construct your own cycles for reference. Ask questions about the steps of both the carbon and oxygen cycles. Touch on fossil fuels again. Now we can start to understand how dependent we are on our environment (CO2 - O2) etc. Tomorrow we will talk about another element, nitrogen, and discover what important role it plays in our lives. We will also review what we have covered up to this point so you will need to review your notes so you know what questions to ask for tomorrow.

Assessment/Evaluation:

Objective: The Students will construct and explain their own diagrams outlining the pathway of carbon and oxygen in our atmosphere (7.e)

Assessment:

Formal: The teacher will collect finished diagrams and check for completion and accuracy.

Informal: The teacher will listen to students explain their diagrams.