New
New
Year 10
AQA
Foundation

Material cycles: the carbon cycle

I can describe the processes in the carbon cycle.

New
New
Year 10
AQA
Foundation

Material cycles: the carbon cycle

I can describe the processes in the carbon cycle.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Carbon is found in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
  2. The carbon cycle shows how carbon is recycled between organisms and the atmosphere.
  3. Carbon dioxide can be removed from the atmosphere by plants, who use it during the process of photosynthesis.
  4. Carbon is returned to the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels and the decay of dead plant and animal material.

Common misconception

The atmosphere is made up of mainly oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Explain that Earth's atmosphere is delicately balanced. There is enough oxygen to maintain life, and enough carbon dioxide to help insulate the planet, maintaining the temperature that allows life to exist.

Keywords

  • Atmosphere - The atmosphere is a layer of gases that surround a planet. It may contain small amounts of solid and liquid particles.

  • Combustion - In a combustion reaction, fuel is burned and reacts with oxygen to provide energy. Carbon dioxide is released in combustion reactions.

  • Cellular respiration - Cellular respiration is a chemical process in cells, which uses glucose as a fuel to provide energy for life processes.

  • Photosynthesis - Producers make their own food using a series of chemical reactions called photosynthesis. The reaction includes taking in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Teachers can show items to pupils that contain carbon from the carbon cycle. Examples might include coal, sedimentary rocks, fossils (linking to fossil fuels), shells (made of calcium carbonate) and even a glass of water to talk about dissolved carbon dioxide.
Teacher tip

Equipment

None.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
For some organisms, animal waste and dead organisms are a useful source of ...
Correct Answer: food, nutrition, nutrients
Q2.
Organisms that break down dead organisms and waste materials are called ...
herbivores
carnivores
Correct answer: decomposers
producers
Q3.
The apple tree in the image is an example of what type of organism?
An image in a quiz
herbivore
carnivore
decomposer
predator
Correct answer: producer
Q4.
What are the abiotic factors that can be seen in the image?
An image in a quiz
salmon
bear
Correct answer: rocks
Correct answer: water
Q5.
Snakes and succulents are two biotic factors in a desert ecosystem. Which two abiotic factors do they rely upon?
insects and light
water and insects
Correct answer: water and soil
soil and insects
Q6.
Which of the following shows an abiotic factor interacting with a biotic factor in the environment?
Correct answer: Low light intensity affects the growth of forest pine trees.
Moth caterpillars eat the leaves of apple trees.
Water temperature affects its oxygen level.
Eels survive by attaching themselves to trout.

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the layer of gas called that surrounds the planet Earth?
Correct Answer: atmosphere, the atmosphere
Q2.
Carbon dioxide is made up of two elements, carbon and oxygen. How many carbon atoms and oxygen atoms are in one molecule of carbon dioxide?
Correct answer: one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms
one carbon atom and one oxygen atom
two carbon atoms and one oxygen atom
two carbon atoms and two oxygen atoms
Q3.
What percentage of the air we breathe is carbon dioxide?
80%
20%
1%
Correct answer: 0.04%
Q4.
What is happening as a result of human activities such as deforestation and burning of fossil fuels?
Correct answer: It is adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Correct answer: It is contributing climate change.
It is removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
It is slowing climate change.
Q5.
Organisms that break down dead organisms and organic material are called ...
Correct Answer: decomposers, decomposer
Q6.
The image shows a part of the carbon cycle. Put the following words in the correct order from a to d.
An image in a quiz
1 - photosynthesis
2 - feeding
3 - respiration
4 - combustion