Title: Carbon Cycle Web Game

Earth Systems/Standard 5, Objective 1

Description: Students will explore a web game that identifies sources of carbon and the changes
it goes through as it travels the carbon cycle.

Materials Needed: computers with internet access

Time Needed: 30-40 minutes

Background Knowledge: None needed, this is a good introductory lesson.

Procedures:
1. Hand out student sheet.
2. Go over the procedures.
3. Have students log on to the following website:
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/climate/carbon_cycle.html
4. Give students time to work
5. Discuss analysis questions.

Answers:
1. 0.04%
2. CO2, water vapor, methane & nitrous oxide – all these molecules vibrate when
they absorb heat, they help keep heat in the atmosphere
3. 3%
4. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants or other autotrophs take water and
carbon dioxide and change it into sugar and oxygen
5. 65%
6. phytoplankton
7. answers will vary
8. No, carbon will cycle forever
9. Answers will vary
10. More greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
Title: Carbon Cycle Web Game Name______________________________

Procedures:
1. Go to the website: http://www.windows.ucar.edu/earth/climate/carbon_cycle.html
2. Read the introduction.
3. Click to begin your journey.
4. Go to each source of carbon and fill out the data section. Describe the form of carbon, how
it
5. Answer each carbon challenge question.
6. Answer the analysis questions.

Data:

Location How You Got There Other Information

Analysis:

1. What percent of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide?

2. What are greenhouse gases?

3. How much of Earth’s total carbon is stored in soil?

4. What is photosynthesis?

5. How much of Earth’s carbon is stored in the deep ocean?

6. What kinds of marine organisms take in carbon?

7. How many stops can you make on your trip?

8. Will your journey ever end? Why or why not?

9. Was everyone’s journey the same? Why or why not?

10. What would happen if we burned more fossil fuels?

Go to http://epa.gov/climatechange/kids/carbon_cycle_version2.html
Read through the information and watch the animations until you have gone through all five scenes.  Take the 
quiz and write down your percent.

1. List five places carbon is found according to the website
 2. Plants and trees use _____________  ______________ from the atmosphere through 
________________.  Plants _________ carbon as they grow.

3. Plants release carbon to the atmosphere through a process called ___________________

4. When plants dies and decompose they are eventually transformed into __________ _______ such as 
oil and coal.

5. Some sea creatures can remove carbon gas from the ocean water and used it to make their _________.

6. List five ways humans influence the carbon cycle

7. Burning fossil fuels is called _____________________

8. How does the addition of carbon to the atmosphere contribute to global warming?

Conclusion: Summarize in 2-3 sentences how carbon cycles.