Science · Grade 9

Active learning ideas

Carbon Sequestration Technologies

Active learning works especially well for carbon sequestration technologies because the topic blends complex science with real-world decision making. Students need to visualize abstract processes like mineral reactions or geological trapping and then weigh trade-offs between engineering, economics, and policy. Hands-on modeling and role play let them experience these tensions firsthand, building both conceptual understanding and critical thinking skills.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• HS-ESS3-4
• HS-ETS1-3

• 35–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Jigsaw
• 50 min · Small Groups

Jigsaw: Sequestration Tech Experts

Assign small groups one technology (DAC, CCS, BECCS, enhanced weathering). Groups research key features, pros, cons, and scalability using provided articles. Regroup into mixed expert panels to teach peers and complete a shared comparison matrix.

Explain what role carbon sequestration plays in slowing the rate of global warming.

Facilitation Tip

During Jigsaw: Sequestration Tech Experts, provide each expert group with a one-page schematic of their assigned technology and a specific question to answer before teaching the home group.

What to look for

Pose the following question to small groups: 'Imagine you are advising a government on which carbon sequestration technology to invest in. Which technology would you recommend and why? Consider factors like cost, efficiency, and environmental impact in your justification.'

• Understand
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Relationship Skills
• Self-Management

Activity 02

• Problem-Based Learning
• 45 min · Pairs

Stakeholder Debate: Tech Feasibility

Pairs represent stakeholders (scientist, policymaker, industry leader, community member) and prepare 2-minute arguments on scaling a chosen technology. Hold whole-class debate with voting on most feasible option, followed by reflection on evidence used.

Compare different carbon capture and storage technologies.

Facilitation Tip

For Stakeholder Debate: Tech Feasibility, assign roles with pre-written briefs that include both technical facts and conflicting stakeholder interests to force nuanced arguments.

What to look for

Provide students with a short case study describing a hypothetical industrial facility. Ask them to identify whether point-source capture or direct air capture would be more appropriate for this facility and to briefly explain their reasoning.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Problem-Based Learning
• 40 min · Small Groups

Prototype Station: Carbon Capture Models

Set up stations with materials for models: vinegar-baking soda CO2 generation captured by limewater (CCS sim), plant pots with biochar (soil seq.), and fan-blown 'air' through soda straw filters (DAC). Groups rotate, test, and record efficiency data.

Analyze the feasibility and scalability of various carbon sequestration methods.

Facilitation Tip

At Prototype Station: Carbon Capture Models, circulate with a checklist that asks each group to explain the scientific principle behind their model before they refine its design.

What to look for

On an index card, have students define one carbon sequestration technology in their own words and list one potential benefit and one potential challenge associated with its implementation.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Problem-Based Learning
• 35 min · Individual

Feasibility Matrix Challenge

Individuals score four technologies on a matrix for cost, energy use, scale, and risks using rubric and data sheets. Small groups discuss and revise scores, then present top recommendation to class with justifications.

Explain what role carbon sequestration plays in slowing the rate of global warming.

Facilitation Tip

During Feasibility Matrix Challenge, give teams a blank matrix with headers like 'Energy Use' and 'Storage Security' and require them to define measurement units before filling cells.

What to look for

Pose the following question to small groups: 'Imagine you are advising a government on which carbon sequestration technology to invest in. Which technology would you recommend and why? Consider factors like cost, efficiency, and environmental impact in your justification.'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers often underestimate how much students conflate sequestration with emission reduction, so start with a concrete comparison: show a graph of global CO2 emissions and a smaller line representing sequestered carbon. Avoid overloading with jargon; instead, anchor each new term to a visual or a physical model. Research shows that when students build artifacts—like a clay model of a saline aquifer or a flowchart of a DAC system—they retain both the science and the trade-offs more reliably than with lectures alone.

Successful learning looks like students confidently explaining how different sequestration methods work, identifying their limitations, and justifying technology choices based on data rather than assumptions. You will see them using technical vocabulary accurately in discussions, referring to calculations from their prototype models, and revising their initial positions after evidence-based debates. Collaboration should feel purposeful, with clear roles and shared accountability for learning.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Jigsaw: Sequestration Tech Experts, watch for students claiming that carbon sequestration alone can reverse climate change.

  Have each expert group present a slide showing historical CO2 levels alongside projected sequestration capacity, then ask home groups to identify the gap and brainstorm policy or behavior changes needed to close it.

• During Feasibility Matrix Challenge, watch for students assuming that direct air capture can be deployed anywhere with equal results.

  Require teams to add a row to their matrix labeled 'Site Suitability' and fill it with geology maps, energy source data, and population density for three contrasting locations, forcing them to compare context-specific constraints.

• During Stakeholder Debate: Tech Feasibility, watch for students dismissing geological storage as unreliable due to media reports of leaks.

  Provide student stakeholders with a 100-year leakage probability graph and ask them to quantify risk versus benefit in their opening statements, using the data to ground their arguments.

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Methods used in this brief

• Jigsaw
• Problem-Based Learning