Carbon cycle and deforestation (AQA GCSE)

This lesson describes how carbon is returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide to be used by producers in photosynthesis. The PowerPoint and accompanying resources are the 1st in a series of two lessons which have been primarily designed to cover the content of point 7.2.2 of the AQA GCSE biology and combined science specifications, but also links to deforestation (7.3.4) and uses prior knowledge checks to challenge the students on their recall of the cell and menstrual cycles.

As shown in the cover image, the lesson begins by challenging the students to identify the connection between the terms carbon, cell, water and menstrual, to recognise them as biological cycles. A series of exam-style questions then checks on their knowledge of the cell cycle and the menstrual cycle, and all the answers are embedded into the PowerPoint to allow students to assess their progress. Moving forwards, the students will learn that materials in the living world are recycled to provide the building blocks for future organisms. This lesson focuses on the carbon cycle, whereas the water cycle is covered in the next lesson.

A series of quiz rounds challenge the students to recognise reactions from their symbol equations and this allows photosynthesis, respiration and combustion to be revealed. A diagram detailing the carbon cycle builds up as the lesson progresses and time is taken to ensure that students recognise how organisms are linked in the cycle. The importance of microorganisms for the cycle is emphasised, and students will learn how the decomposition of dead and decaying matter by bacteria returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

The final part of the lesson focuses on deforestation and students are given guidance to support them to form an answer to a 6-mark question about the impact of deforestation on carbon dioxide levels.