NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas. MS-ESS2.D – Weather and Climate. Weather and climate are influenced by interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things. These interactions vary with latitude, altitude, and local and regional geography, all of which can affect oceanic and atmospheric flow patterns.
ask groups to share at least one thing they discovered through their group’s journey
NGSS Crosscutting Concepts. 1 – Patterns. MS. Patterns may be used to identify cause and effect relationships.
If you were to randomly place your finger on a map of the world, with what certainty might you predict the climate of the place you land?
NGSS Science and Engineering Practices. 6 – Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions. MS. Construct a scientific explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources (including the students’ own experiments) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe nature operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
Carbon flows through biological, physical, and geological systems with different processes and at different timescales.
NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas. MS-ESS2.A – Earth’s Materials and Systems. All Earth processes are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling within and among the planet’s systems. This energy is derived from the sun and Earth’s hot interior. The energy that flows and matter that cycles produce chemical and physical changes in Earth’s materials and living organisms.
To introduce the topic of the carbon cycle, ask students to brainstorm what they already know about carbon.
NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas. MS-ESS2.A – Earth’s Materials and Systems. All Earth processes are the result of energy flowing and matter cycling within and among the planet’s systems. This energy is derived from the sun and Earth’s hot interior. The energy that flows and matter that cycles produce chemical and physical changes in Earth’s materials and living organisms.
Explain to students that they will model a carbon atom moving through the carbon cycle
NGSS Crosscutting Concepts. 4 – Systems and System Models. MS. Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions—such as inputs, processes and outputs—and energy, matter, and information flows within systems.
draw a carbon cycle diagram on a large sheet of paper that represents the places each member in their group visited
NGSS Science and Engineering Practices. 2 – Developing and Using Models. MS. Develop and/or use a model to describe and/or predict phenomena.
use the information for those dates to complete the chart and answer the questions
NGSS Science and Engineering Practices. 6 – Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions. MS. Construct a scientific explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from sources (including the students’ own experiments) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
have them use the balance and the graduated cylinder to find the density
Common Core. Math.7.EE.B.4. Use variables to represent quantities in a real-world or mathematical problem, and construct simple equations and inequalities to solve problems by reasoning about the quantities.
Have groups write responses to the following questions in their lab journals or on scrap paper
Common Core. ELA-Literacy. W.6-8.1. Write arguments focused on discipline content.