The Hydrologic and Carbon Cycles
Videos
Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APChemistry, Biology, Earth and Space Sciences
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Provided by Crash Course
What it is
- This video describes the processes within two biogeochemical cycles: the carbon and hydrologic cycles.
- The narrator describes the connection between the carbon hydrologic cycles and how global climate change connects to the carbon cycle through burning fossil fuels.
- Students will also learn about positive feedback loops, permafrost, and how various carbon dioxide-releasing processes are causing climate change.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The explanations of the two biogeochemical cycles are thorough, accurate, and explained with diagrams, examples, and supporting vocabulary.
- This video helps students connect individual phenomena to a larger concept of the cycling of all matter and energy.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should be familiar with terms related to the hydrologic cycle, including precipitation, condensation, evaporation, and reservoir.
- Students should also be familiar with terms related to the carbon cycle, including carbon, carbon dioxide, respiration, decomposition, fossil fuels, and photosynthesis.
Differentiation
- Use this video as a learning tool or review of the hydrologic and carbon cycles rather than an introduction to these concepts since it is so information-dense.
- Consider providing students with graphic organizers to diagram the stages of the two cycles.
- Pause the video often to check for students' understanding since the narrator covers many topics quickly, and consider watching the hydrologic cycle and carbon cycle portions separately rather than in one sitting.
- Before watching this video, consider setting up demonstrations and models around the classroom related to the two cycles and have students explore and connect the different phenomena to different concepts in the biogeochemical cycles.
- The video is an excellent summative tool to review the hydrologic and carbon cycles after exploring some of their respective phenomena, such as evaporation, precipitation, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, decomposition, and climate change.
From the scientist review
In this video, Hank Green introduces the water and carbon cycles. The video is an engaging overview of these cycles and climate change. This resource opens the conversation to several related topics, such as weather, life, rock formation, plants, oceans, etc. The theme woven throughout the video is the idea of cycles. The video is older, but as it covers the basics of these topics, it is still relevant and will likely not become dated. The information presented is accurate, and this resource is recommended for teaching.
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