Trees From Thin Air

• This math and science activity about photosynthesis and calculating the biomass of trees includes a video and a linked worksheet for students to complete a similar investigation on their own. 
• The video leads students through a fast-paced investigation to determine the mass of a tree, where the mass comes from, and how much carbon dioxide a tree has absorbed in its lifetime. 
• Students will learn what percentage of a tree is made up of carbon, how a tree’s biomass can be estimated using only the diameter of the tree’s trunk, and how to calculate the amount of carbon dioxide a tree has absorbed.
  

Positives

• The linked activity contains a written recap of the concepts covered in the video and is located in the description of the video. 
• The linked activity provides students with a chance to practice estimating the amount of carbon dioxide sequestered in a tree in their own community. 

Additional Prerequisites

• Students should be familiar with basic chemistry to understand the discussion of the mass ratio of carbon dioxide to carbon.
• Students will need to understand the relationship between the circumference and the diameter of a circle. 
• The video provides a short description of both photosynthesis and allometry, but students unfamiliar with the topics will need more background knowledge to fully understand the concepts. 
  

Differentiation

• Connections can be made with math classes that are learning about geometry, graphing, or data collection and analysis.
• Biology classes can use this video and activity to hook students before a lesson about photosynthesis or as a lab exercise after learning about the carbon cycle.
  
• After estimating the amount of carbon dioxide sequestered in a tree, students can use a carbon footprint calculator to estimate their own carbon footprint and then determine how many trees it would take to cancel it out.
• Advanced students can research why different tree species have different biomass estimations, even when their diameters are the same. 

This resource addresses the listed standards. To fully meet standards, search for more related resources.