1. Ecosystems Unit Activity 3.2 Carbon Dice Game
Carbon: Transformations in Matter and Energy
Environmental Literacy Project Michigan State University
Ecosystems Unit Activity 3.2 Carbon Dice Game

2. Tracing Carbon Atoms
Remember the carbon pool patterns from the Meadows Simulation Game? They showed the consistent pattern of large producer pools, medium herbivore pools, and small carnivore pools in stable ecosystems.
Producers
Herbivores
Carnivores
Use Slides 2-4 to remind students of the pattern they discovered in Lesson 2; the organic matter pools always form a pyramid with the most mass in the producer pool, less in the herbivore pool, and the least mass in the carnivore pool. Tell students that they will be answering the part of the Carbon Fluxes Question and beginning to think about the Energy Question in this activity.
Image Credit: Michigan State University
Now that we know what the pattern is, the next thing we want to know is WHY it looks that way…

3. Why does biomass pyramid have the shape that it does?
To answer this question, we need to think about the Three Questions at the large scale: The Carbon Movement Question: How are carbon atoms moving among pools? The Energy Question: How does energy flow through environmental systems?
Use Slides 2-4 to remind students of the pattern they discovered in Lesson 2; the organic matter pools always form a pyramid with the most mass in the producer pool, less in the herbivore pool, and the least mass in the carnivore pool. Tell students that they will be answering the part of the Carbon Fluxes Question and beginning to think about the Energy Question in this activity.

4. Why does the biomass pyramid have the shape that it does?
To answer the Carbon Movement question and the Energy question, you will play the Carbon Dice Game and pretend to be carbon atoms cycling through an ecosystem with 5 carbon pools.
Use Slides 2-4 to remind students of the pattern they discovered in Lesson 2; the organic matter pools always form a pyramid with the most mass in the producer pool, less in the herbivore pool, and the least mass in the carnivore pool. Tell students that they will be answering the part of the Carbon Fluxes Question and beginning to think about the Energy Question in this activity.
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University

5. The Carbon Dice Game How to play:
Atmosphere
How to play:
Everyone starts at the atmosphere pool as part of a carbon dioxide molecule, which is a form of inorganic carbon.
Roll the dice and follow the instructions on the atmosphere pool poster to find out where you go and what happens to you along the way.
Use Slides 5-8 to explain the rules of the Carbon Dice Game. Show students where the different carbon pools are set up around the room. Explain that sometimes they will be a part of organic molecules (that contain chemical energy), and sometimes they will be a part of inorganic molecules (that do not contain useable chemical energy). When they are part of an organic molecule, they need to carry a yellow twist tie with them to represent this energy. Show students the containers where they should pick up and drop off their twist ties. At each pool, students should make tally marks on the Tally Cards each time they visit a pool.
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University

6. The Carbon Dice Game
Atmosphere
In the atmosphere pool, if you roll a 4-6, you convert sunlight energy into chemical energy as you change from inorganic CO2 into an organic molecule via photosynthesis. The energy is stored in the bonds of the organic molecule. Pick up one yellow twist tie to take with you to represent this energy. You only get to have 1 twist tie at a time.
Use Slides 5-8 to explain the rules of the Carbon Dice Game. Show students where the different carbon pools are set up around the room. Explain that sometimes they will be a part of organic molecules (that contain chemical energy), and sometimes they will be a part of inorganic molecules (that do not contain useable chemical energy). When they are part of an organic molecule, they need to carry a yellow twist tie with them to represent this energy. Show students the containers where they should pick up and drop off their twist ties. At each pool, students should make tally marks on the Tally Cards each time they visit a pool.
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University

7. The Carbon Dice Game
Producers
Also, if you rolled a 4-6 in the atmosphere pool, you move to the Producer pool. Here, if you roll a 1-2, you convert chemical energy stored in an organic bond into heat energy via cellular respiration. You must leave your twist tie in the heat basket.
If you do NOT do cellular respiration (a roll of 3-6), keep the twist tie and move to the next location. This process repeats at each pool.
Use Slides 5-8 to explain the rules of the Carbon Dice Game. Show students where the different carbon pools are set up around the room. Explain that sometimes they will be a part of organic molecules (that contain chemical energy), and sometimes they will be a part of inorganic molecules (that do not contain useable chemical energy). When they are part of an organic molecule, they need to carry a yellow twist tie with them to represent this energy. Show students the containers where they should pick up and drop off their twist ties. At each pool, students should make tally marks on the Tally Cards each time they visit a pool.
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University

8. The Carbon Dice Game
5. Keep a record! Each pool has a Tally Card. Be sure to make a tally mark each time you arrive at a pool (or if you stay in a pool after a dice roll). |
Use Slides 5-8 to explain the rules of the Carbon Dice Game. Show students where the different carbon pools are set up around the room. Explain that sometimes they will be a part of organic molecules (that contain chemical energy), and sometimes they will be a part of inorganic molecules (that do not contain useable chemical energy). When they are part of an organic molecule, they need to carry a yellow twist tie with them to represent this energy. Show students the containers where they should pick up and drop off their twist ties. At each pool, students should make tally marks on the Tally Cards each time they visit a pool.

9. The Carbon Dice Game: Results
6. When you’re done, collect all the Tally Cards from each station. Count the tallies and enter them into the spreadsheet to produce a “visitation” graph.
Evaluate the results of the game.
Use Slides 9-10 to evaluate the results of the game when it is over. Have students collect the Tally Cards from each station and add up the tally marks. Enter the number of tally marks in the Lesson 3.1 Carbon Dice Game Results Spreadsheet file under the “visitations” tab. This will automatically generate a graph for your class. Students can compare their data to sample data from another class on Slide 12. Ideally, the pools most visited are the Atmosphere, Producer, and Soil pools. The least visited are the Carnivore and Herbivore pools.

10. Compare to Mr. Terry’s class sample data
The Carbon Dice Game: Results
Compare to Mr. Terry’s class sample data
Evaluate the results of the game.
Use Slides 9-10 to evaluate the results of the game when it is over. Have students collect the Tally Cards from each station and add up the tally marks. Enter the number of tally marks in the Lesson 3.1 Carbon Dice Game Results Spreadsheet file under the “visitations” tab. This will automatically generate a graph for your class. Students can compare their data to sample data from another class on Slide 12. Ideally, the pools most visited are the Atmosphere, Producer, and Soil pools. The least visited are the Carnivore and Herbivore pools.

11. Was the Carbon Dice Game supposed to be real?
The game you just played is a model of a real ecosystem, which means that it represents some parts of an ecosystem, but with limitations. This means what happened in the game is not exactly how things happen in a real ecosystem. With a partner, brainstorm about ways you noticed that this ecosystem is different from real ecosystems. When you are done, share your ideas with the class.
Students discuss the limitations of the Carbon Dice Game as model of an ecosystem (Optional).
Use Slide 17 to have students brainstorm their ideas about the model’s limitations and compare them to the suggested ideas on Slide 18.

12. Rabbits don’t only eat grass, and foxes don’t only eat rabbits.
Here are at least 4 ways that the game differs from real ecosystems. How many of these did your class mention? Are there any ways you thought of that are not on this list?
Rabbits don’t only eat grass, and foxes don’t only eat rabbits.
If you go to the soil pool, there is a chance that you will not get digested for a long time. Some organic material is tough to digest even for a decomposer. This is why soil is such a large carbon sink!
In rabbits and foxes, carbon atoms are sometimes biosynthesized into fat. In this case, the fat may be used in cellular respiration and the carbon atoms will return to the atmosphere after a period of time. This is not represented in the game.
In a pregnant animal it is possible that a carbon atom is biosynthesized into a growing fetus in the mother. In this case, the carbon atom would travel from the parent to the body of the offspring. Very few carbon atoms get to do this!
Students discuss the limitations of the Carbon Dice Game as model of an ecosystem (Optional).
Use Slide 17 to have students brainstorm their ideas about the model’s limitations and compare them to the suggested ideas on Slide 18.