Describing the Carbon Cycle Station Lab - New TEKS 8.11C

This modular, student-led activity aligns with TEKS 2021 standard 8.11C and will keep your middle school students engaged while exploring the carbon cycle. With everything included, you’ll save a ton of prep time while giving students the opportunity to take ownership of their learning.

In this interactive station lab, students will describe the processes and movement of carbon through Earth’s systems, connecting how the carbon cycle supports life and energy flow within ecosystems. Perfect for in-class or virtual learning, this lesson makes an abstract concept hands-on and accessible.

Differentiated, Modular, and Student-Led

Each lab includes nine differentiated activities that allow students to create a personalized learning experience. Teachers facilitate while students work independently or collaboratively—building critical thinking, organization, and science literacy skills.

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

The Stations

Input Stations – Build Understanding

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

• Watch It! – Short video with comprehension and discussion prompts

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

• Research It! – Facts, visuals, and graphs that help students connect concepts and answer guiding questions

Output Stations – Show Understanding

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

• Illustrate It! – Students create sketches or diagrams that model the carbon cycle

• Write It! – Open-ended short-answer prompts for communicating knowledge

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

Bonus Station – Challenge It!
Extension activities like crosswords, games, and mini-projects for early finishers and advanced learners

Virtual & In-Class Flexibility

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

Why Teachers Love It

• Differentiated for all learners

• Multimodal activities to engage every learning style

• Flexible for print or digital instruction

• Minimal prep required

This resource is also included in the Describing the Carbon Cycle 5E Lesson Plan, which expands into editable presentations, interactive notebooks, student-choice projects, assessments, and more.

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