Nutrient Cycles - The Carbon Cycle and The Nitrogen Cycle

✓ Engaging powerpoint
✓ Recaps previous linked learning
✓ Worksheet with diagrams
✓ Past paper questions and mark scheme

This lesson on Nutrient Cycles is designed for KS4 Science students enrolled in the CIE Cambridge IGCSE Biology 0610 (2023-25) course. This is the second lesson in the topic 19 Organisms and Their Environment.

The lesson recaps previous learning from other linked topics to ensure students have a strong foundation before diving into the material. It also includes concise and easy-to-understand information and a variety of quick assessment for learning tasks to help students solidify their understanding of the topic. Just glance through the PowerPoint presentation and you are ready to go!

This resource also includes a worksheet with two diagrams; the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle. Students are asked at first to match up the image with the statements. This can be printed on one sheet of A4. There are also lots of example exam questions taken from past papers to deepen students understanding of the topic.

Objectives

• Describe the carbon cycle, limited to: photosynthesis, respiration, feeding, decomposition, formation of fossil fuels and combustion
• Describe the nitrogen cycle with reference to: decomposition of plant and animal protein to ammonium ions, nitrification, nitrogen fixation by lightning and bacteria, absorption of nitrate ions by plants, production of amino acids and proteins, feeding and digestion of proteins, deamination, denitrification
• State the roles of microorganisms in the nitrogen cycle, limited to: decomposition, nitrification, nitrogen fixation and denitrification (generic names of individual bacteria, e.g. Rhizobium, are not required)

This lesson would also be adaptable for all GCSE students (whether AQA, Edexcel, OCR) and great for KS3 Science or as a GCSE revision resource.