Carbon Cycle Worksheets

Carbon Cycle
        Carbon cycle worksheets designed for high school, middle school, and elementary school science teachers are downloadable for free. Other biogeochemcial cycles include water cycle worksheet, nitrogen cycle worksheet. Biogeochemical cycle labs, carbon cycle labs and carbon cycle projects are also included. Click the Free Lesson Plan (PDF) link below or become a member to get access to the answer key and editable file. Free carbon cycle curriculum includes:
  • Lab Experiment
    Carbon Cycle Modeling Lab
    Published by NGSS Life Science. Free Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Lesson Plan (DOCX) & Answer Key with Membership
     
    High School Lab
    There are four stations where students practice and build the concept that carbon cycles between reservoirs. Each station represents a lesson, and student cycle through the stations to learn from each lesson.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS2-4
    HS-LS2-5
    MS-LS2-3 (Cycles & Energy Flow)
    		  
    Published by NGSS Life Science
  • Test or Quiz
    Biogeochemical Cycles Test Question Bank
    Published by NGSS Life Science. Free Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Lesson Plan (DOCX) & Answer Key with Membership
     
    High School Test
    The biogeochemical cycles quiz question bank includes carbon, nitrogen, water, and carbon reservoirs and processes. You can use the question bank to build assessments, and an active membership is required to view questions.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS2-4
    HS-LS2-5
    		  
    Published by NGSS Life Science
  • Project
    How Matter & Energy Moves Through The Ecosystem Project
    Published by NGSS Life Science. Free Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Lesson Plan (DOCX) & Answer Key with Membership
     
    High School Project
    In this carbon cycle project, students will model how a carbon atom makes a round trip from a person through the atmosphere and ecosystem and end finally back in the same person. This carbon cycle project video covers concepts like photosynthesis, consumption, cellular respiration, carbon reservoirs, and the 10% rule for energy flow.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS1-5
    HS-LS1-7
    HS-LS2-4
    MS-LS2-3 (Cycles & Energy Flow)
    		  
    Published by NGSS Life Science
  • Worksheet
    Carbon in the Biosphere Worksheet
    Published by NGSS Life Science. Free Lesson Plan (PDF)

    Lesson Plan (DOCX) & Answer Key with Membership
     
    High School Worksheet
    Students will fill out the worksheet based on photosynthesis and cellular respiration reactants and products.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS1-5
    HS-LS1-7
    HS-LS2-4
    MS-LS2-3 (Cycles & Energy Flow)
    		  
    Published by NGSS Life Science
  • Lab Experiment
    The Carbon Dice Game Lab
    Free Student Handout
    Free Multimedia
    Free Lesson Plan
     
    High School Lab
    Students play the roles of individual carbon atoms going through carbon-transforming processes in an ecosystem. Key ideas include (a) carbon-transforming processes in individual organisms (eating, digestion, biosynthesis, photosynthesis, cellular respiration and death/defecation) move carbon atoms from one carbon pool to another, (b) carbon atoms visit some pools much more often than others, and (c) the game is a model of how atoms move through ecosystems—like real ecosystems in some ways and unlike it in others.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS2-4
    HS-LS2-5
    MS-LS2-3 (Cycles & Energy Flow)
    		  
    Published by CarbonTIME
  • Lab Experiment
    Tracing Carbon Through an Ecosystem Lab
    Free Student Handout
    Free Multimedia
    Free Lesson Plan
     
    High School Lab
    In this activity students shift to following a pulse of 500 carbon atoms through all the carbon pools in an ecosystem, considering the carbon transforming processes (eating, digestion, biosynthesis, photosynthesis, cellular respiration and death/defecation) that move atoms from one pool to another. They see how the pattern they observed in Lesson 2—the organic matter pyramid—emerges from these carbon-transforming processes.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS1-5
    HS-LS1-7
    HS-LS2-4
    MS-LS2-3 (Cycles & Energy Flow)
    		  
    Published by CarbonTIME
  • Worksheet
    Organic Carbon Pools in Other in Ecosystems Worksheet
    Free Student Handout
    Free Multimedia
    Free Lesson Plan
     
    High School Worksheet
    Students consider different ecosystems that have different amounts of organic carbon to begin to think about carrying capacity.
    NGSS Standard
    HS-LS2-4
    MS-LS2-3 (Cycles & Energy Flow)
    		  
    Published by CarbonTIME
Biogeochemical Cycles


Carbon Cycle Concepts

  • Carbon Cycle - atmospheric CO2, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, combustion, death and decomposition, fossil fuel combustion, weathering erosion.
  • Carbon Reserviors - atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere.
  • Carbon Flux - amount of carbon transferred from atmosphere to biosphere, amount of carbon transferred from atmosphere to geosphere, amount of carbon transferred from hydrosphere to atmosphere, amount of carbon transferred from biosphere to geosphere, amount of carbon transferred from biosphere to geosphere.
  • Water Cycle - ground water, percolation, run off, transpiration, precipitation, evaporation, water vapor.
  • Nitrogen Cycle - nitrogen fixation, nitrogen fixing bacteria, assimilation, ammonification, nitrification, nitrifying bacteria, denitrification, denitrifying bacteria, atmospheric N2, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites.
  • Phosphorous Cycle


Lessons Organized by NGSS Standard