Science lesson plan · 9th grade (Year 10 in England) · 45 minutes
The carbon cycle
Ecosystems and food chains
CCSS NGSS.HS-LS2-5CCSS NGSS.MS-LS2-3England: KS3 Chemistry: Earth and atmosphereEngland: KS4 Combined Science: Ecosystems
Objective and success criteria
Students will: The carbon cycle.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Decomposers and recycling nutrients; Energy transfer and pyramids
Leads to: Decomposers, decay rates and recycling nutrients
Materials: Food web cards, Arrows to build chains, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Decomposers and recycling nutrients; Energy transfer and pyramids). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Why are decomposers important for plants? (They make plants grow faster in the dark / They release nutrients (minerals) back into the soil / They eat plant pests only / They give plants sunlight) → They release nutrients (minerals) back into the soilPrompt: Where do plants get minerals from?
- Producers in a field capture 50000 kJ of energy. About 10% of the energy passes to each next level. How much energy reaches the secondary consumers, in kJ? → 500 kJPrompt: 10% means divide by 10 at each step.
- Is a oak tree a producer, a consumer or a decomposer? (producer / consumer / decomposer) → producerPrompt: Does it make food, eat living things, or break down dead things?
Hook · 5 min
- Show a food web and ask what would happen if one animal disappeared.
- Share the objective: The carbon cycle. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Does this process remove carbon dioxide from the air or add it: decomposition by microorganisms?
- Step 1: Respiration, combustion and decomposition release carbon dioxide.
- Step 2: So the answer is: adds COâ‚‚ to the air
- Answer: adds COâ‚‚ to the air
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Does this process remove carbon dioxide from the air or add it: volcanic eruptions? (removes CO₂ from the air / adds CO₂ to the air) → adds CO₂ to the airPrompt: Which process do green plants use to make glucose?
- How did fossil fuels such as coal form? (from melted rock / from seawater evaporating / from volcanoes erupting last century / from the remains of ancient plants buried and compressed over millions of years) → from the remains of ancient plants buried and compressed over millions of yearsPrompt: Coal contains carbon that plants once took from the air.
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- How did fossil fuels such as coal form? (from melted rock / from the remains of ancient plants buried and compressed over millions of years / from seawater evaporating / from volcanoes erupting last century) → from the remains of ancient plants buried and compressed over millions of yearsPrompt: Coal contains carbon that plants once took from the air.
- Does this process remove carbon dioxide from the air or add it: algae growing in the ocean? (removes CO₂ from the air / adds CO₂ to the air) → removes CO₂ from the airPrompt: Which process do green plants use to make glucose?
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Decomposers and recycling nutrients.
- Use concrete materials: food web cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Decomposers, decay rates and recycling nutrients.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-9.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder