1. What Is Carbon?
An element that bonds with other elements to form compounds.
Organic compounds (formed only by living things):
Carbohydrates, fats, proteins
Inorganic compounds (not formed by living things):
Carbon dioxide, chalk

2. Carbon cannot be created or destroyed on the earth.
The same carbon atoms are used repeatedly on earth by changing form.

3. Where Is Carbon?
Carbon atoms continually move through living organisms, the oceans, the atmosphere, and the crust of the planet.

4. The Carbon Cycle
This movement is known as the carbon cycle.

5. From the atmosphere to plants
Plants pull carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to make glucose–this process is known as ____?____
The carbon becomes part of the plant (stored food).

6. Animals Eat Plants
When organisms eat plants, they take in the carbon and some of it becomes part of their own bodies.
The carbon that is in the
plant moves to the animals
that eat them.

7. Animals eat other animals
Animals that eat other animals get the carbon from the meat of the animals they eat.

8. Plants and Animal Die
When plants and animals die, their bodies are broken down by organisms call decomposers. 
Decomposers return the carbon to the soil.

9. Plants and Animal Die
Some plants and animals are not decomposed fully and become buried. After millions of years, the carbon ends up in fossil fuels (oil, coal, natural gas)

10. Animals exhale Each time you exhale, you are releasing
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This carbon comes from the breakdown of glucose through the process of ____?____

11. Carbon dissolves in water
The ocean and other bodies of water soak up some carbon from the atmosphere.
Oceans contain earth’s largest store of carbon

12. Rock breaks down
When rocks break down they can add carbon to surface water which eventually runs off to the ocean