Carbon: Transformations in Matter and Energy (Carbon TIME) Units

Three units developed with support from the Carbon TIME project are available to teachers participating in the Pathways to Environmental Literacy Math-Science Partnership.

Systems and Scale

This unit introduces students to key ideas that form the basis for all the other units by developing a scientific account of organic and inorganic materials, and how combustion transforms organic materials to inorganic materials and chemical energy to heat and light.

Systems and Scale Teacher's Guide (download)
Systems and Scale Class Results (download)

Lessons 1, 4 Flame (download PPT)
Lesson 2 Powers of Ten--Air (download PPT), download Air Molecule Movement (.AVI and .MOV)
Lesson 3 Soda Water (download PPT)
Lesson 5 Organic (download PPT)

Print Materials
Systems and Scale Worksheets (download Word, PDF)
Powers of Ten card packets (download)
3 Questions poster (download)
Process Tool Poster (download)
Systems and Scale Posters (download)

Plants

This unit focuses on three carbon-transforming processes that take place in plants.  Plant growth starts with a process of photosynthesis, using the energy from sunlight to create an organic substance (glucose) from inorganic materials—carbon dioxide and water.  Plant cells grow by transforming glucose and soil minerals into all the complex organic materials that plants are made of, including fats, proteins, and complex carbohydrates—the process of biosynthesis.  Finally, plants get the energy they need to function by oxidizing glucose—the process of cellular respiration.

Plants Teacher Guide (download)

Materials
Energy Label Cards (download)
Molecule Card (download)
Molecules of Life (download)
Monomers Handout (download)
Plant Class Results (download)

Powerpoints
Famous Studies of Plants (download)
Plant pre Lesson (download)
Lesson 1 Harvest (download)
Lesson 2 Photosynthesis (download)
Lesson 3 Biosynthesis (download)
Lesson 4 Respiration (download)
Lesson 5 Other Examples (download)
Plant posters (download)

Plants Unit Feedback Form (download) NEW 9-27-12

The information for the nutrient solution: http://hydrodynamicsintl.com/ionicgrow.htm

Ecosystems

This unit focuses on carbon-transforming processes, photosynthesis, biosynthesis, digestion, and cellular respiration, that are constantly occurring in every ecosystem.  In combination, they constitute food chains, food webs, and energy and biomass pyramids—all components of the ecological carbon cycle, which cycles matter between inorganic carbon dioxide and organic materials.

 

Whole unit package (ZIP download )
Ecosystems Teachers Guide (download)
Lesson 1: Ecosystems (download)
Lesson 2: Activity1 Sunny Meadows (download)
Lesson 2: Activity2 Comparing Different Ecosystems (download)
Lesson 3: compressed file (ZIP download)
Lesson 4: Activity1 Carbon Pool Sizes (download)
Lesson 4: Activity2 Comparing Different Ecosystems (download)
Lesson 5: Farm Ecosystem (download)
Sunny Meadows Class Results and Sample Data (download)

Teachers' feedback form (download)

Development of these materials was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation: Targeted Partnership: Culturally relevant ecology, learning progressions and environmental literacy (NSF-0832173). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.