Matter Through Systems Investigation

Name:

Date:

Part 1: Read and Trace the Pathways

Word bank: atmosphere (air), hydrosphere (water), geosphere (rock, soil, and land), biosphere (living things)

Water pathway

[W1] Water vapor in the atmosphere cools and falls as rain. Some rain enters the soil, part of the geosphere. Some water flows over land into a stream or lake in the hydrosphere.

[W2] Plant roots take in water from the soil. The water becomes part of the plant, a biosphere process. Plants release some water vapor back into the atmosphere through their leaves.

Carbon pathway

[C1] Carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere enters a plant when the plant makes food. The carbon becomes part of the plant’s leaves, stems, and roots in the biosphere.

[C2] When a plant dies, decomposers break down its matter. Some carbon enters the geosphere as soil matter, and some returns to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Process guide

Rainfall: atmosphere → hydrosphere or geosphere

Plant uptake: geosphere → biosphere

Photosynthesis: atmosphere → biosphere

Decomposition: biosphere → geosphere or atmosphere

Water falls from clouds.

Roots absorb water from soil.

A plant uses carbon dioxide to make food.

Dead matter is broken down.

Diagrams

[D1] Water: atmosphere → rainfall → geosphere → plant uptake → biosphere → water vapor → atmosphere

[D2] Carbon: atmosphere → photosynthesis → biosphere → decomposition → geosphere and atmosphere

Trace table: Record evidence from the passages or diagrams.

Movement 1: From __________ to __________

Movement 2: From __________ to __________

Movement 3: From __________ to __________

Process: ____________________

Source evidence for the three movements: [____], [____], [____]

Part 2: Explain with Evidence

1. Cause and effect: How can rainfall cause water to move from the atmosphere to the geosphere? Use because or as a result.

Sentence frame: When ____________________, water moves from ____________________ to ____________________ because ____________________.

2. Cause and effect: What causes carbon to move from the biosphere to the geosphere or atmosphere during decomposition?

Sentence frame: Decomposition causes carbon to move from ____________________ to ____________________ because ____________________.

3. Summary: In your own words, summarize one water or carbon pathway. Combine information from at least two sources, such as a passage, the process guide, or a diagram. Cite the sources in your response.

Sentence frame: Matter moves from ____________________ to ____________________ when ____________________. The passage says ____________________, and diagram/table ____________________ shows ____________________.