Energy and climate change
The Earth Science Education Unit’s
professional development workshop
on ‘The carbon question – cycling,
releasing, capturing’ for teachers of
key stages 3 and 4
Chris King
ABSTRACT The revised National Curriculum for Science for key stages 3 and 4 (ages 11–16) in
England provides the opportunity to develop a new coherent approach to teaching about the
carbon cycle, the use of carbon as a fuel and the resulting issues. The Earth Science Education Unit
(ESEU) intends to develop a new workshop to support the teaching of this topic. The format will
mirror ESEU’s successful methodology whereby teachers rehearse activities and demonstrations in
a workshop and then receive additional materials to support classroom activity. Like all other ESEU
workshops, ‘The carbon question – cycling, releasing, capturing’ workshop will be available free to
science departments and teacher training institutions.
National Curriculum opportunities for
teaching about carbon across the UK
The new National Curriculum for Science
in England published for key stage 3 (ages
11–14) (DfE, 2013a) and in draft form for key
stage 4 (ages 14–16) (DfE, 2013b) provides an
opportunity to link teaching about the carbon
cycle and how energy is derived from the burning
of carbon and its compounds and the effects of
this, across the key stages, to present a coherent
picture to both science teachers and their pupils.
The curriculum opportunities for this in England
are given in Table 1 and in the other UK areas in
Tables 2 (Wales), 3 (Scotland) and 4 (Northern
Ireland). Comparison of these tables shows that the
English curriculum, which has been/is being revised
most recently, has more extensive opportunities
than elsewhere in the UK. This may be because of
its recent revision or because more specific detail
is given in the current English revisions.
The tables show that there are opportunities
across the whole of the UK for teaching about the
carbon cycle, energy from the combustion of carbon
and its compounds, and the effects of this. The most
appropriate way for the Earth Science Education
Unit (ESEU) to help teachers with the teaching of
this material seemed to be to develop a new carbonbased workshop, provisionally entitled: ‘The carbon
question – cycling, releasing, capturing’.
The Earth Science Education Unit (ESEU)
ESEU has a 15-year track record of presenting
professional development workshops to science
teachers across the UK. A review of ESEU
published in School Science Review (King
and Thomas, 2012), concluded: ‘The ESEU
industry–education partnership may be unique
not only in its format but also in its success and
effectiveness’ (p. 34).
The review cited empirical measures of
ESEU’s success which, updated for today, include:
l the longevity of the initiative – continuous
provision since 1999;
l the reach of the project – available to schools
and initial teacher education establishments
across the UK;
l the numbers of individual participants – more
than 31 000 teachers and trainee teachers so far;
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The ESEU KS3/4 teacher workshop on ‘The carbon question – cycling, releasing, capturing’
King
l the potential impact of these individuals on
l the highly positive feedback – for example,
many millions of pupils: secondary excluding
Scotland – 2 million; primary excluding
Scotland – 30 000; Scotland – 80 000; UK
trainees over their careers – incalculable;
l the low cost per participant – £32 per
participant in 2012/13;
English/Welsh secondary workshops rated in
2013 on a 1 (high) to 5 (low) Likert scale as:
effectiveness = 1.60; interest = 1.62; relevance
= 1.57; and value = 1.60;
l the demonstration by research of the positive
impact of the ESEU workshops on teaching in
schools.
Figure 1 Participants engaged in ESEU activities
Table 1 Curriculum opportunities for teaching about energy from burning carbon-based fuels in the English
KS3/4 curriculum (DfE, 2013a,b)
Key stage
Opportunities for teaching about energy from carbon
KS3
(ages 11–14)
l
KS4
(ages 14–16)
l
Biology: Material cycles and energy
the dependence of almost all life on Earth on the ability of photosynthetic organisms, such
as plants and algae, to use sunlight in photosynthesis to build organic molecules that are an
essential energy store* and to maintain levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Chemistry: Earth science
l the carbon cycle
l the composition of the atmosphere
l the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the impact on climate
Physics: Energy
l fuels and energy resources
Biology: Energy flow and material cycles
the importance of microorganisms as decomposers in the cycling of material, such as nitrates
and carbon in the environment and nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the root nodules of plants
l the carbon cycle, emphasising the relationship between respiration and photosynthesis
Chemistry: Earth science
l carbon dioxide and methane as greenhouse gases
l carbon capture and storage
l common pollutants and their sources: carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen,
ozone and particulates
l calcium carbonate as a raw material for the construction industry
Physics: Energy
l national and global fuel resources, renewable energy sources
* Organic molecules are fuels – energy is available when they combine with oxygen.
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The ESEU KS3/4 teacher workshop on ‘The carbon question – cycling, releasing, capturing’
Generating an ESEU workshop on ‘The
carbon question’
Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) and its predecessor,
UKOOA, have funded the ESEU since its
inception in 1999. OGUK is the trade organisation
for the companies that explore for and produce
oil and gas on the UK continental shelf. The
industry supports earth science education to
secure the feedstock of future geoscientists that
it and many other industries require, but also
to promote the scientific literacy and informed
citizenship required to meet the challenges
presented by the stewardship of natural resources
and energy provision.
Table 2 Curriculum opportunities for teaching about energy from carbon in the Welsh KS3/4 curriculum
(Welsh Government, 2008)
Key stage
Opportunities for teaching about energy from carbon
KS3
(ages 11–14)
l
KS4
(ages 14–16)
l
Interdependence of organisms
how human activity affects the global environment, e.g. acid rain, greenhouse effect, and
the measures taken to minimise any negative effects and monitor them, e.g. by Earth
observation satellites
How things work
l how renewable* and non-renewable energy resources are used to generate electricity and
the implications of decisions made about their use
Environment, Earth and universe
The surface and the atmosphere of the Earth have changed since the Earth’s origin and are
changing at present
* Replenishable is a better term.
Table 3 Curriculum opportunities for teaching about energy from carbon in the Scottish Curriculum for
Excellence (Education Scotland)
Level
Opportunities for teaching about energy from carbon
Third and
fourth
(ages 11–14)
l
Through exploring the carbon cycle, I can describe the processes involved in maintaining
the balance of gases in the air, considering causes and implications of changes in the
balance.
l I can explain some of the processes which contribute to climate change and discuss the
possible impact of atmospheric change on the survival of living things.
l By investigating renewable* energy sources and taking part in practical activities to harness
them, I can discuss their benefits and potential problems.
l By contributing to an investigation on different ways of meeting society’s energy needs,
I can express an informed view on the risks and benefits of different energy sources,
including those produced from plants.†
l Through investigation, I can explain the formation and use of fossil fuels and contribute to
discussions on the responsible use and conservation of finite resources.
* Replenishable is a better term.
†
Biomass/plants are fuels – the energy source is the biomass/oxygen system.
Table 4 Curriculum opportunities for teaching about energy from carbon in the Northern Ireland KS3/4
curriculum (Northern Ireland curriculum, a,b)
Key stage
Opportunities for teaching about energy from carbon
KS3
(ages 11–14)
l
KS4
(ages 14–16)
As given in GCSE specifications
Investigate the effects of pollution, for example, water, air, land, sound etc. and specific
measures to improve and protect the environment, for example, renewable* energy, efficient
use of resources and waste minimisation etc.
* Replenishable is a better term.
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The ESEU KS3/4 teacher workshop on ‘The carbon question – cycling, releasing, capturing’
ESEU’s mission statement is to: ‘influence
teachers and pupils, using Earth science as a context,
to develop critical thinking in order to promote a
better understanding of how the Earth works and how
future generations could improve its management’.
The new curriculum provides a great
opportunity to develop a dedicated ESEU
workshop on the earth science elements of the
carbon cycle and how the use of fuels impacts
on us all. While OGUK continues to support the
provision of ESEU workshops and the national
network of facilitators, a broader sponsorship
model has been devised for developing new
workshops. A costed project plan is now being
discussed with additional sponsors.
Following normal ESEU practice, the
workshop development will comprise:
pattern and it is likely that a carbon-based
workshop will follow this approach:
l Workshops are normally 90 minutes long and
l
l
l running a two-day ‘writing workshop’ involving
ESEU facilitators and practising secondary
science teachers to develop materials for the new
workshop – the new ESEU activities would be
hands on, interactive, and planned to develop the
thinking and investigational skills of pupils while
developing their knowledge and understanding;
l editing the materials to prepare them for
publication on the ESEU CD-ROM, with a
workshop booklet of all the activities and
back-up details, together with a PowerPoint
presentation to present the workshop;
l training of ESEU facilitators to run the new
workshop;
l provision of the apparatus and materials
to facilitators to allow them to present the
workshop to schools and teacher training
institutions across their region.
While sponsorship is being sought, an initial
‘brainstorming session’ was held at the recent
Annual ESEU Facilitator Meeting to take advantage
of the majority of facilitators being together. The
focus of the session broadly was: What material and
approaches do we have within the existing ESEU
repertoire? What else do we need? Where might we
get it from? The results of this initial brainstorming
session are presented below. How closely this
resembles any ESEU carbon-based workshop
eventually developed remains to be seen.
Draft ESEU workshop on ‘The carbon
question – cycling, releasing, capturing’
The most successful ESEU professional
development workshops run to the following
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King
l
l
designed to run in half-day or twilight sessions
or combined with other ESEU workshops
in longer events – the 90 minutes is chosen
as a balance between the amount of time
teachers and trainees are willing to focus on
one element of the earth science curriculum
and the cost of facilitator travel, set-up and
presentation time at an institution.
Each workshop normally has a ‘starter’ to
break the ice and engage the participants.
The starter is normally followed by a circus of
activities. Each group of teachers undertakes
one activity and then, during a group plenary
session, demonstrates the activity to all the
other participants while discussing its most
effective use with pupils, its relevance to the
curriculum and to the pupils, and any health
and safety implications.
A final plenary activity seeks to draw together
all the threads of the workshop.
Participants complete brief ESEU evaluation
sheets – providing feedback on the session.
Following this model, the results of the ESEU
brainstorming session on appropriate activities for
a carbon-based workshop are presented in Table 5.
The Earth Learning Ideas referred to
in Table 5 are available as free downloads
from the Earthlearningidea website at www.
earthlearningidea.com. The site currently contains
190 activities, with a new activity added to
the site every two weeks. Many activities are
translated into a range of languages. Each activity
is described, with back-up notes including
teaching points, scientific principles addressed,
‘the answers’, resources lists, follow-up work, and
so on. Currently more than 40 000 PDFs of the
activities are downloaded monthly and the site has
been accessed from 190 countries worldwide.
Releasing carbon: capturing carbon
This plenary demonstration in Table 5 involves
the apparatus shown in Figure 2, and runs as
described in Boxes 1 and 2.
Together these demonstrations and explanations
show how oil/gas is trapped naturally, is released
by drilling and then can be commercially replaced
by carbon dioxide through a carbon-capture
process. Carbon captured in this way will reduce
King
The ESEU KS3/4 teacher workshop on ‘The carbon question – cycling, releasing, capturing’
Table 5 Proposed ESEU workshop on ‘Energy from carbon – recycle, release, capture’
Activity
Title
Description/source
Starter activity
The E-Carbon cycle
ESEU’s existing PowerPoint interactive presentation from
the ‘Life, the atmosphere and everything’ KS4 workshop
Circus activity 1
‘Tagging’ carbon dioxide
molecules – to explore the
carbon cycle
Earthlearningidea* activity: ‘‘Tagging’ carbon dioxide
molecules – to explore the carbon cycle: a thought
experiment to investigate the carbon cycle’
Circus activity 2
What goes up must come
down – the carbon dioxide
story
From ESEU’s existing ‘KS3 Creative science: chemistry’
workshop – linking the white calcium carbonate precipitate
formed when CO2 is blown into limewater with the
deposition of the chalk and other limestones
Circus activity 3
The heat is on! – can heat
cause chemical breakdown?
From ESEU’s existing ‘KS3 Creative science: chemistry’
workshop – investigating the thermal breakdown of calcium
carbonate to calcium oxide and the reaction with water to
form calcium hydroxide which is then tested for pH
Circus activity 4
The watery world of
underground chemistry
Earthlearningidea* activity: ‘The watery world of
underground chemistry: using pH to link the atmosphere,
hydrosphere, biosphere and lithosphere together’
Circus activity 5
Carbonate testing the world
A modification of one of the E-Carbon cycle activities to test a
range of materials for (calcium) carbonate content using dilute
acid, including limestone, marble and other rock specimens;
calcite and other minerals; shells and other organic remains
such as leaves, twigs; and a range of other materials
Circus activity 6
To be devised
Plenary activity
Releasing carbon: capturing
carbon
A modification described below of the existing
Earthlearningidea* activity entitled: ‘Trapped! Why can’t
the oil and gas escape from their underground prison?
Demonstrate how oil and gas can be trapped in reservoir
rocks beneath the surface’
* Available on the Earthlearningidea website as described in the main text.
clamp, stand
and boss
beaker large
enough to
contain funnel
funnel
with
bung
rubber tube,
to connect
to the funnel
teat pipette with a
‘bent end’ in a beaker
of cooking oil
glass tube with a
‘bent end’ connected
to a gas supply
Figure 2 The oil/gas field apparatus. The ends of the
glass teat pipette and glass tube are bent into hook
shapes beforehand by holding over a Bunsen flame.
the amount of carbon dioxide released to the
atmosphere from carbon-based (gas/oil/coal)
power stations, with its effect on global climate
change. This is a potentially expensive process
and so has not proved to be commercially
viable as yet; this may change in the future.
Conclusion
The fossil-fuel part of the carbon cycle could
be dull and abstract, but not if presented
through a practical, hands-on, interactive
approach, as detailed above. The task is to
present the ‘The carbon question – cycling,
releasing, capturing’ material in ways that
will demonstrate the scientific processes to
pupils, while capturing their imagination and
interest and developing their thinking about all
these processes.
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The ESEU KS3/4 teacher workshop on ‘The carbon question – cycling, releasing, capturing’
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BOX 1 Releasing carbon – tapping an oil/gas field
Demonstration process
l Fill the beaker to near the top with water.
l Invert the funnel and use the clamp, stand and
boss to hold it as deep in the water as possible.
l Insert the bung in the emergent end of the
funnel, ensuring a good seal.
l Begin the demonstration by explaining that this
is a model of an oil/gas field.
l Ask the pupils where the oil will go if you use
the teat pipette to squirt some under the edge
of the inverted funnel and why this might be so
– most will predict that, being less dense than
water, it will rise to the top of the water inside
the inverted funnel.
l Then do this, to show that they are correct –
squirt in enough oil so that the yellow layer is
clearly visible (Figure 3).
l Next ask the pupils where the natural gas will go
if you use the glass tube to bubble it under the
edge of the funnel; most will predict that it will
rise above the oil in the funnel.
l Then do this, to show that they are correct –
bubble in enough gas to nearly fill the funnel,
the thin layer of yellow oil on the water surface
beneath the gas should still be visible.
l Ask the pupils what will happen when you
remove the bung – most will predict that the
gas will flow out and the oil will rise back to its
previous level.
l Remove the bung quickly and stand back – the
pupils will be surprised when oil is fired up out of
the end of the funnel by the escaping gas – like an
‘oil gusher’ of the bad old days of oil exploration.
Explanation process
Explain to the pupils that five things are
necessary to make a viable oil/gas field in the
rocks beneath the surface. They are:
– an oil/gas source rock;
– enough heat/pressure to release the oil/gas;
– a reservoir rock to contain the oil/gas;
– a cap rock under which the oil/gas can be
trapped before it reaches the surface;
– a trap to trap a ‘bubble’ of oil/gas underground.
l
The ESEU hopes to develop a full professional
development package with workshop activities
and supporting materials. Once complete, like
other ESEU workshops, it will be presented free
of charge (apart from travelling and other minimal
expenses) to science departments in schools and at
teacher education institutions across the UK.
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Figure 3 The oil/gas field apparatus, with trapped
oil
Ask the pupils, in the demonstration, what
represents the oil/gas source – the answer is
the sources of cooking oil and natural gas (the
heat/pressure necessary to release the oil/
gas from the sources cannot be shown in this
demonstration – the main source of oil is huge
accumulations of buried marine plankton and
the main source of natural gas is coal).
l Ask what represents the reservoir rock – the
answer is the beaker (representing a rock with
100% porosity – with no grains, just ‘space’).
(Explain that if grains were used, you would
not be able to see what was happening so the
results would be less spectacular and none of the
oil/gas or the way it is expelled would be visible.)
l Ask what represents the cap rock – the answer
is the glass of the inverted funnel and the bung.
l Ask what represents the trap – this is the shape
of the funnel with its bung.
l Ask what the stem of the funnel represents
– answer, a borehole drilled into an oil/gas
reservoir.
l Ask what it is that drives the oil/gas out of
the ‘borehole’ – the answer is the hydrostatic
pressure of the water, which propels the less
dense oil/gas out of the hole.
l
You can either look out for the new ESEU
workshop being advertised, book an existing
ESEU workshop to sample the ESEU approach,
or try out the activities yourself using the
information provided above.
King
The ESEU KS3/4 teacher workshop on ‘The carbon question – cycling, releasing, capturing’
BOX 2 Capturing carbon
Demonstration process
l Connect the rubber tube to the emergent end of
the funnel and blow gas from your mouth into it
until the funnel is nearly filled by a ‘bubble’ of gas.
l Nip the rubber tube to ‘capture’ the gas in
the funnel to show how carbon gas could be
captured underground (Figure 4).
Explanation process
Explain that, commercially, the carbon dioxide
from the burning of hydrocarbon fuel will be
collected in power stations, e.g. from the
combustion of methane:
CH4 + 2O2 → 2H2O + CO2.
l This will be pumped to old oil/gas fields, from
which most of the oil/gas has been removed.
l It will be liquefied under pressure and then
pumped into the oil/gas fields, forcing out more
of the oil/gas (giving ‘enhanced recovery’ of the
oil/gas).
l Ask the pupils whether the carbon dioxide is
likely to escape – the answer is that, providing
boreholes are sealed properly, the carbon dioxide
is as safe underground as the original oil/gas was.
l
Acknowledgements
Figure 4 The oil/gas field apparatus, with ‘carbon’
captured
l
Ask them if the carbon dioxide is likely to react
with the rocks – the answer is that at least
some of the carbon dioxide will react with the
rock, forming solid compounds that will remain
underground.
The work of the ESEU would not be possible without the long-term sponsoring partnership with Oil
and Gas UK (formally UKOOA), the infrastructure
support of Keele University and the material and
support provided by the Earth Science Teachers’
Association (ESTA). We are most grateful to these
organisations and to the many individuals involved
who have provided strong support over many years.
Particular thanks go to Annette Thomas, Peter
Kennett and Bernadette Callan for their valuable
comments on an earlier draft of this article.
References
Department for Education (DfE) (2013a) National
Curriculum in England: Science programmes of study
– key stage 3. Available at: www.gov.uk/government/
publications/national-curriculum-in-england-scienceprogrammes-of-study.
Department for Education (DfE) (2013b) Science:
Programme of Study for key stage 4. Available at:
webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130904084026/
https://www.education.gov.uk/schools/
teachingandlearning/curriculum/nationalcurriculum2014/
a00220610/draft-pos-ks4-english-maths-science.
Earthlearningidea: www.earthlearningidea.com.
Education Scotland Curriculum for excellence: sciences
– experiences and outcomes. Available at: www.
educationscotland.gov.uk/learningteachingandassessment/
curriculumareas/sciences/eandos/index.asp.
King. C. and Thomas, A. (2012) Earth Science Education
Unit workshops: an evaluation of their impact. School
Science Review, 94(347), 25–35.
Northern Ireland Curriculum (a) KS3 Science and
Technology: Science. Available at: www.nicurriculum.
org.uk/key_stage_3/areas_of_learning/science_and_
technology.
Northern Ireland Curriculum (b) KS4 Science and
Technology. Available at: www.nicurriculum.org.uk/
key_stage_4/areas_of_learning/science_and_technology/
index.asp.
Welsh Government (2008) Science in the National
Curriculum for Wales. Available at: wales.gov.uk/topics/
educationandskills/schoolshome/curriculuminwales/
arevisedcurriculumforwales/nationalcurriculum/
sciencenc/?lang=en.
Chris King is a professor of earth science education at Keele University and Director of the
Earth Science Education Unit (ESEU). ESEU workshops can be booked via the website www.
earthscienceeducation.com, by emailing [email protected] or at The Earth Science Education Unit,
Keele University, Keele ST5 5BG, tel. 01782 734 437.
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