1-2 Activity 12: The Carbon Puzzle

Overview

This activity helps students connect the concepts of carbon sequestration in pine forests, carbon storage in wood products, and saving carbon emissions through wood product substitution. Students participate in a Six Bits group exercise to assess a series of facts and answer this question: How can we best manage forests and wood to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide? With instructor guidance and a slide presentation, students learn how researchers have answered this question, and they then use a graph to explore changes in forest carbon pools over time.

Downloads

Full Activity (with student pages included)

Student Pages 

Presentation and Teacher Notes

Answer Key

Links

You can find more related websites at the end of Activity 12 or check out Additional Resources for the entire module.

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Teacher Comments

The previous activities on carbon are a must for this activity to be successful in the classroom.
AP Environmental Science Teacher, Florida
I had to use the information in Carbon on the Move, which I presented to my class before proceeding with The Carbon Puzzle, in order to give my students a bit more background.
Economics Teacher, Florida
I had to use the information in Carbon on the Move, which I presented to my class before proceeding with The Carbon Puzzle, in order to give my students a bit more background.I made up a study guide with questions about the background info.
Biology II Teacher, Virginia
This presentation was very well done, and, while challenging, it was very applicable to much of the content we have discussed in class earlier in the year.
Land Resources Teacher, Florida
The writing prompt in the assessment section was one of the best assessments and it was easy to assess student knowledge from responses.
Biology Teacher, Kentucky
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