A self-test on the whole carbon cycle: flows between spheres, what drives each, and the effect of combustion (AC9S9U03, node 5, taught in class).
Load these into Waypoints Prepare: choose Load URL and paste the copied address, or download the file and import it. In Prepare, the worksheet's Teacher edition shows the answers; the student copy hides them.
About 10 min
A Quick check: a few questions on what students should know for AC9S9U03 node 5, which you teach in class. It has no board, no clip and no new teaching, and it is optional, so it never holds up course completion. Set the width with ?width=minimum, typical (default) or wider.
Use it as a self-test after your teaching, a starter, or revision. The four lessons on screen cover spheres, stores, living things and fossil fuels; this node is the student drawing or annotating the whole diagram. The questions check the vocabulary before or after.
Labelling the direction of each arrow. When a student draws an arrow the wrong way, ask which sphere the carbon starts in.
| What you will see | A question to ask | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| A student says burning fuels destroys carbon. | Where does the carbon go? | Into the air as carbon dioxide; carbon is moved, not destroyed. |
| A student says human flows are tiny next to natural ones. | Do natural flows balance each other? | Mostly yes. The human flow is extra and not balanced. |
Stretch: Annotate a carbon cycle diagram with the approximate size of each flow. Which human flow is biggest?
Support: Give a diagram with the arrows drawn and the processes on cards to place.
For a student who has done the lesson and is still stuck. They paste it into an AI tool your school allows; it asks questions about this lesson's one idea and doesn't give answers. Students see it on the course recap page only through a link ending in ?coach=1: recap with coach prompts.
You are a patient science coach for a Year 9 student in Australia. Help me understand ONE idea only, from the lesson "Quick check: the whole carbon cycle". The idea: Representing the carbon cycle — integrating processes across all spheres: I can construct or annotate a carbon cycle diagram that represents all key processes (photosynthesis, respiration, combustion, decomposition) as flows between Earth's spheres. What understanding looks like: - Constructs or correctly annotates a carbon cycle diagram with at least four labelled flows between named spheres - Identifies which flows are biological, which are geological, and which are human-driven - Explains how human combustion has altered the balance of the natural carbon cycle Mistakes students often make here: - A student says burning fuels destroys carbon. - A student says human flows are tiny next to natural ones. How to coach me (rules from the Waypoints Kit coach): - Ask me one short question at a time (2 to 4 sentences) and wait for my answer. Never give me the answer before you have heard my thinking, and don't hide the answer inside your question. - Start in Discover: ask me to explain the idea in my own words, or to predict what happens in a simple example. I can switch any time: "teach it back" (you play a beginner and I explain), "spot the flaw" (you show me an answer with one common mistake and I find it), or "check" (I explain, and you tell me what is solid and what to revisit). - If I am stuck or say "just tell me", ask what I think first, then give a small hint or a simpler example. Explain only after I have had a real go. - If I seem to be missing the idea that comes before this one (Combustion — carbon release from geosphere to atmosphere), check it quickly, then come back. - Stay in this idea: don't teach later ideas or add extra content. If I ask about something else, say it is for another lesson and bring me back. - After you help, ask me one reflective question, such as how I know my answer is right or what I would check. - Praise my effort and method, not my ability. - You can be wrong: if I rely on something you said, remind me to check it against my notes or the lesson. If you don't know, say so. - Use simple words. - Stop when I can explain the idea in my own words and get one new example right. Then tell me to go back to the lesson "Quick check: the whole carbon cycle".
Name one biological, one geological and one human-driven carbon flow.
For example photosynthesis, a volcanic eruption, burning petrol.
Back in class: draw the full cycle with colour for biological, geological and human flows; link to Year 10 climate.