Assignment: The Cycling of Matter

Match each water cycle description with the correct process name. Look at the water cycle diagram showing evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and transpiration.

• rain, snow, sleet

• precipitation

• evaporation of water in plants

• condensation

• clouds

• evaporation

• water vapor

• transpiration

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Word Bank :

Evaporation

Condensation

Precipitation

Transpiration

Photosynthesis

Respiration

Decomposition

Carbon Dioxide (CO2​)

Nitrogen Fixation

Bacteria

Fossil Fuels

Runoff

From the word bank, choose the best term that matches each definition below. A. The process of water turning from a liquid to a gas (water vapor): __________

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

1. Word Bank:

   Evaporation

   Condensation

   Precipitation

   Transpiration

   Photosynthesis

   Respiration

   Decomposition

   Carbon Dioxide (CO2​)

   Nitrogen Fixation

   Bacteria

   Fossil Fuels

   Runoff

2. From the word bank, choose the best term that matches each definition below.

3. The process plants use to take in carbon dioxide and create food: __________

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

Word Bank

Evaporation

Condensation

Precipitation

Transpiration

Photosynthesis

Respiration

Decomposition

Carbon Dioxide (CO2​)

Nitrogen Fixation

Bacteria

Fossil Fuels

Runoff

From the word bank, choose the best term that matches each definition below:

The process where special bacteria change nitrogen gas from the air into a form plants can use: __________

List the three main stages of the water cycle that cause water to move from the sky to the ground and back to the sky.

Use Sentence Starter: The three main stages of the water cycle are...

Answer explanation

The three main stages of the water cycle are Evaporation, Condensation and Precipitation.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Explain the role of both plants and animals in the carbon cycle. How do they each move carbon through the ecosystem?

Use sentence stem for your answer: In the carbon cycle, plants take in carbon through the process of _____ and release carbon through _____. Animals get carbon by _____ and release it through _____.

Answer explanation

In the carbon cycle, plants take in carbon through the process of photosynthesis and release carbon through respiration. Animals get carbon by eating and release it through respiration.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS1-6

Compare the role of sunlight in the water cycle to the role of bacteria in the nitrogen cycle.

Use sentence stem for your answer : Sunlight is important to the water cycle because it causes _____. This is different from the nitrogen cycle, where bacteria are important because they...

Answer explanation

Sunlight is important to the water cycle because it causes evaporation. This is different from the nitrogen cycle, where bacteria are important because they fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form plants can use.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

5. Imagine a large factory is built that burns a lot of fossil fuels. Predict how this activity could affect the carbon cycle. Explain your reasoning.

6. Use sentence starter for your answer : If a factory burns more fossil fuels, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will likely _____ because...

Answer explanation

5.  If a factory burns more fossil fuels, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will likely increase. This is because fossil fuels (like coal and oil) are ancient carbon stores. Burning them releases that stored carbon into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas much faster than natural processes can remove it.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS2-6

NGSS.HS-LS2-5

A farmer stops planting crops that have nitrogen-fixing bacteria on their roots. How would this decision likely affect the soil and future plant growth in that area?

Use Sentence Starter for your answer : If a farmer stops planting crops that help with nitrogen fixation, the amount of usable nitrogen in the soil would likely _____. This would affect future plants by...

Answer explanation

If a farmer stops planting crops that help with nitrogen fixation, the amount of usable nitrogen in the soil would likely decrease. This would affect future plants by making it harder for them to grow. They might be smaller or less healthy because nitrogen is a critical nutrient for plant growth.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Design a simple plan for our school to help improve one of the matter cycles (water, carbon, or nitrogen). Your plan must include at least two specific actions and explain how each action helps the cycle.

Use sentence stem for your answer: My plan is to improve the _____ cycle. A first action our school can take is _____, which helps the cycle by _____. A second action is...

Answer explanation

My plan is to improve the carbon cycle. A first action our school can take is to start a composting program for food waste. This helps the cycle by ensuring that the carbon in the food is returned to the soil through decomposition, rather than going to a landfill where it might produce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. A second action is to organize a tree-planting day on school grounds. This helps by increasing the number of plants that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-1