This document provides the lesson plan for a 10th grade biology class on how carbon dioxide is connected to climate change. The lesson plan has the students create a model to track the flow of carbon through an ecosystem. They will observe experiments showing how plants absorb CO2 and animals release it. This will help them understand how carbon is cycled between inorganic and organic molecules. The lesson concludes by having students use their carbon cycle model to explain how human activities like burning fossil fuels increase CO2 in the atmosphere and impact the climate.

1. How is carbon dioxide connected to climate change?
Subject: Biology-Grade 10
Teacher: Amescua
Dimensions of Science Proficiency:
1. Science and Engineering Practice: Developing and using models
2. Cross-cutting Concept: Systems and System Models
3. Disciplinary Core Idea: BIO1.LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
Tennessee Content Standard:
 BIO1.LS2.2: Create a model tracking carbon atoms between inorganic and organic molecules in an
ecosystem. Explain human impacts on climate based on this model.
WIDA English Language Development Standard:
 ELD-SC 9-12 Explain Expressive: Construct scientific explanations that develop reasoning to illustrate
and/or predict the relationships between variables in a system or between components of a system.
Student Learning Objective:
1. Content: Students will:
a. Create a model of the flow of carbon in an ecosystem using notes and discussion.
b. Use the model to investigate the role of human activities in climate change.
2. Literacy: Students will:
a. Collect information about the flow of carbon in ecosystems using excerpts from the text and
diagrams.
b. Explain how carbon flows in ecosystems using excerpts from the text, diagrams, and sentence
frames.
Background:
 Entering this lesson, students have:
o Built vocabulary to prepare for class readings and note-taking.
o Investigated the connection of global warming and the strengthening of hurricanes.
o Collected notes on the biological cycle of carbon in ecosystems.
 Students will think and act like scientists by:
o collecting evidence that organisms expel carbon dioxide using a bromothymol blue quick lab.
o collecting evidence that plants absorb carbon dioxide using an elodea demonstration.
o exploring the connections between inorganic and organic stores of carbon using their
observations to build a model matter cycling.
o collaborating during the process.
o using their model to develop an understanding of human action on climate change.
Grouping: Students were grouped using:
1. past performance in class
2. level of English language proficiency
3. student personality
4. gender
EE and EL Accommodations:
1. sentence frames
2. word wall (for word bank)
3. components of interactive notebook placed in PowerPoint to utilize subtitles

2. 4. multiple checks for understanding
5. sentence frames
6. text chunking
7. translation of text
8. content chunking
9. videos were chosen that had CC functioning with auto-translate feature
Texts and Text-Dependent Questions:
1. Textbook excerpts:
a. How is carbon removed from the atmosphere?
b. How is carbon released into the atmosphere?
c. How is carbon stored in fossil fuels?
d. How do humans release carbon into the atmosphere?
2. Why CO2 matters for climate change - BBC News
a. How is carbon dioxide connected to climate change?
Class Activities:
Segment Activity Time Allotted
1 Place students in new seating chart and poster groups. 5min
2 Set up carbon model elements on posters in collaborative groups. 20min
3 Observe color change in Bromothymol Blue Quick Lab 15min
4 Biological Cycle of Carbon Focused Notes: ApplicationPlace cycle on
poster
20min
5 Closure: Connect work to human influence on climate change with video
with exit ticket
10min
Student Reflection:
1. Students will have an opportunity to share their self-perceived level of understanding of the day’s
content in the Schoology Formative.
Assessment:
1. Teacher observation of poster creation
2. Exit Ticket

3. Interactive Notebook Components:
PowerPoint Slides:
Exit Ticket: