Carbon Cycle Station Lab - MS

This modular, student-led activity will keep your middle school students engaged while exploring the carbon cycle and the processes that move carbon through ecosystems. With everything included, you’ll save a ton of prep time while giving students the opportunity to take charge of their learning.

In this interactive lab, students will identify and compare the characteristics of respiration, combustion, and decomposition, discovering how these processes are part of the continuous cycling of carbon through Earth’s systems. Perfect for in-class or virtual learning, this lab makes the carbon cycle hands-on, relevant, and easy to teach.

Texas Teachers: This station lab aligns with the 2017 TEKS (not updated for the 2021 TEKS).

Differentiated, Modular, and Student-Centered

Each station lab features eight differentiated activities plus a bonus challenge station for early finishers. In this student-centered model, the teacher guides learning while students explore independently or in small groups—building confidence and scientific thinking skills.

All signage, task cards, and resources are included. The Explore It! station may require a few simple materials you already have in your classroom.

The Stations

Input Stations – Build Understanding

• Explore It! – Hands-on demo or digital drag-and-drop activity in PowerPoint/Google Slides

• Read It! – Differentiated reading passages (English & Spanish) with vocabulary and comprehension practice

• Research It! – Website-based tasks with visuals and guided questions

• Watch It! – Short video with comprehension prompts

Output Stations – Show Understanding

• Organize It! – Printable or digital card sorts/manipulatives

• Illustrate It! – Student-created sketches or diagrams showing how carbon moves through ecosystems

• Write It! – Open-ended short-answer prompts

• Assess It! – Task cards + vocabulary-in-context writing activity

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Fun extension tasks like crosswords, games, and mini-projects for advanced learners and early finishers

Virtual & In-Class Flexibility

This station lab is fully compatible with Google Slides and PowerPoint, making it easy to use in both traditional and digital learning environments.

Why Teachers Love It

• Differentiated for all learners

• Multimodal activities to engage every learning style

• Flexible for print or digital classrooms

• Minimal prep required

This resource is also part of the Carbon Cycle 5E Lesson Plan, which includes editable presentations, interactive notebooks, student-choice projects, assessments, and more!

This is a finished product; it will be updated with formatting or corrections as needed. Future improvements and new features will be sold as a separate product.