Teacher Version

How much carbon is stored in a wooden pencil?

Task: In this activity students will calculate the amount of carbon stored in a brand
new wooden pencil.

1. Begin by asking students if they know how or where carbon is stored.

a. Tell them all living things contain carbon. In fact they are 50% carbon by dry
weight.
b. Some non-living things also contain carbon. Rocks often contain many types of
carbon minerals.

2. As a class, small groups or pairs, before handing out the student worksheet:
a. Have students determine the variables they will need to know in order to
calculate the amount of carbon in the pencil.
b. If students are successful in determining variables have them outline a
procedure. They can use their own procedure or the student worksheet.

Units Pencil Graphite Wood

Measured
Weight g Measured 4.95

Height cm Measured 18.00 18.00 18.00

Diameter cm Measured 0.70 0.20

3.14*(D/2)^2*
Volume cm^3 H 6.93 0.57 6.36

Density g/cm^3 Given 2.23 0.60

Calculated Volume*Densit
Weight g y 5.08 1.26 3.82

Carbon
Fraction Given 1.00 0.50

Total Weight*Fractio
Carbon gC n 3.17 1.26 1.91

Pencils
purchased
by the *approximately equal to the amount of
Carbon Carbon per Total Carbon carbon stored in a 26cm circumference
Cycle Team pencil (g C) Stored (g C) tree in the FirHemlock species group
2500.00 3.17 7923.88

GLOBEⓇ2017 Pencil Carbon Learning Activity Biosphere

Teacher Version

Standards
Addressed
NGSS
Planning and carrying out investigations,
Science and
Using mathematical and computational
Engineering
thinking
Practices:
NGSS
Crosscutting Scale, proportion and quantity
Concepts:

GLOBEⓇ2017 Pencil Carbon Learning Activity Biosphere

 How much carbon is stored in a wooden pencil?

Units Pencil Graphite Wood

Measured
Weight g Measured

Height cm Measured

Diameter cm Measured
pencil - graphite
3.14*(Diamete
Volume cm^3 r/2)^2*Height

2.23 0.60
Density g/cm^3 Given
graphite + wood
Calculate Volume*Densit
d Weight g y

Carbon 1.00 0.50

Fraction Given
graphite + wood
Total Weight*Fractio
Carbon gC n

1. If you were not given the values for density and carbon fraction how could you
determine them?

2. What happens to the stored carbon as the pencil is used?

3. How do you think carbon storage in your pencil is related to other carbon storage
methods?

4. How much carbon would be stored if every student in your school had a wooden
pencil? How does this value compare to carbon storage in trees?

GLOBEⓇ2017 Pencil Carbon Learning Activity Biosphere