In this NASA coloring activity, students will color a page that represents the carbon dioxide cycle: the movement of carbon dioxide (CO2) between the land, the atmosphere, and the ocean.
Teaching Tips
Positives
The downloadable PDF file includes a second page with definitions for each labeled term.
The activity visualizes the important aspects of the carbon cycle and it is also available in Spanish.
Students will learn about the carbon cycle in a fun coloring activity.
Additional Prerequisites
Students should be familiar with the carbon cycle.
The teacher must download and print the PDF document with the coloring task and prepare the coloring utensils for the students.
Differentiation
This activity could be used as a hook for a lesson about the carbon cycle.
The teacher could divide students into groups based on the image and use an object that can be passed around to demonstrate the movement of carbon dioxide from one group to another for various activities.
Students could add in additional activities that contribute to the carbon dioxide cycle.
This resource visualizes some of the important aspects of the carbon dioxide cycle, from the burning of fossil fuels to deforestation to photosynthesis. This resource is recommended for teaching.
Standards
Science and Engineering
ESS2: Earth’s Systems
5-ESS2-1 Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.
ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-5 Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
