Description

This greenhouse effect experiment is a hands-on lab that requires very little prep time.  Students will get to see how the production of carbon dioxide changes the intensity of the greenhouse effect.  This lab is a perfect introduction to the carbon cycle or a high school ecology unit.

Please note: This experiment is also part of my Full-Year Biology Curriculum and Biology Unit 11: Ecology. 

This resource is an electronic download.  No physical items will be sent to you.

This downloadable resource includes:

• Teacher instructions with materials list (see below)
• Pre-lab background reading and questions
• Student lab instructions, data table, and discussion questions
• Answer keys

This lab begins with a pre-lab reading about the greenhouse effect and greenhouse gases.  Students then set up an experiment in which one plastic bag contains antacid tablets to create carbon dioxide and the other bag does not.  The comparison of the temperature between the bags illustrates how the build-up of carbon dioxide can increase the intensity of the greenhouse effect.

Materials required: large plastic zipper bags, plastic cups, antacid tablets, small thermometers