The Carbon Cycle Game

Cheryl Manning, The National Association of Geoscience Teachers

In this activity, students develop concept maps of the carbon cycle through a die-rolling game that simulates carbon reservoirs and fluxes. By the end of this activity, students should be able to describe and explain how the carbon cycle has changed in the last 250 years.

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Notes from our reviewers

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This activity could be adjusted to be done virtually in the event that class is online. This resource will engage students in movement and has the potential to include art if they decorate or color-in their carbon maps. If used at the middle school level, the vocabulary might need modification or scaffolding.
Students develop an understanding of chemical reservoirs, residence times, and the flux mechanisms required to move nutrients from one place to another. Students must synthesize the different chemical pathways in the Earth System and analyze how these pathways have changed since the industrial revolution. Students use their preexisting knowledge of different carbon sinks and sources to move through the carbon cycle before and after the industrial revolution. Teachers should note that the source of where the amount of gigatons for each carbon reservoir is not included so they will need to research this themselves if they need that information. Expert science review pending
The activity is engaging and well organized. There is a helpful teacher guide. Students should have a basic understanding of natural cycles, like the geologic and water cycles. Students develop concept maps and compare them in a paragraph or a Venn Diagram. A homework assignment is provided for assessment.