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  • Course Biology Global - for use with NGSS (NEW)
  • Unit 2 Energy and Life
  • Concept 2.2 Photosynthesis

    • Photosynthesis

    Shedding Light on Photosynthesis

    Sometimes, it’s difficult to believe that plants are living organisms. Do plants move? Do plants have needs to survive? Plants are everywhere—and they are definitely busy. But we can’t easily see all the complex processes that are happening inside all of these plants. Why do plants need sunlight? How do plants produce their own food? How do plants provide you with the energy you need to live and grow?

    The World of Plants
    The World of Plants
    Plants are living things. How do plants get the food they need to survive?

    Do you have to eat your vegetables before you can have dessert? You may not be thrilled about finishing your broccoli before having a bowl of ice cream, but without plants, you couldn’t survive. Would you prefer a burger to broccoli? Hamburger meat comes from cows, and cows survive by consuming grass and other plants. Even the ice cream you enjoy ultimately comes from plants. Ice cream doesn’t grow on trees—so how is that possible?

    Consider the cow again and the grass it eats. Now think about all the foods you eat. How many of these foods come from plants or from organisms that eat plants? The food you eat is fuel for your bodily processes. This means that plants are responsible for providing you with that energy. So how do the plants get that energy in the first place? And what do plants eat?

    The Sun as an Energy Source
    The Sun as an Energy Source
    Energy cycles begin with plants because they produce food that fuels almost all other life. Where do most plants get energy needed to produce food?

    Plants get their food through a process called photosynthesisglossary term (opens in a new window). As the name suggest this process involves making (synthesizing) something using light. What is involved in this process? What are its reactants and products?

      Photosynthesis: Overview and Introduction
      Photosynthesis: Overview and Introduction
      The process of photosynthesis fuels most forms of life on Earth. How do plants convert the energy from sunlight into substances other organisms can use to survive?

    Teacher Note

    Students should answer this using the assessment item and revisit their answers when they start the Explain part of the concept.

    Explain Question

    Can you explain the steps involved in converting sunlight into the energy that is stored in food and compare the processes of cellular respiration and photosynthesis?

    Teacher Note

    Use this student response to evaluate students’ prior knowledge of the concept. The Model Lesson provides information on common student misconceptions. This may be used first as a small-group discussion to allow students to recall as much as they can about the topic. Individuals should enter their response to give you the best idea of each student’s prior knowledge.

    Your teacher wants you to resubmit.

    Screen Resolution - This interactive media is not optimized for the current screen resolution. To view the interactive, try changing your device orientation to a horizontal landscape view.
    Describe the steps involved in converting sunlight into the energy that is stored in food and compare the processes of cellular respiration and photosynthesis.
    Press Space or enter key to Enter Text
     

    Before You Begin

    What do I already know about photosynthesis?

    Teacher Note

    This activity is intended to provide the teacher with feedback on prior knowledge of this topic. In middle school, students should have learned that photosynthesis has reactants and products and should have an understanding of what these are and how they are related. Use this as a think-pair-share activity.

    This is a formative assessment.

    Your teacher wants you to resubmit.

    Screen Resolution - This interactive media is not optimized for the current screen resolution. To view the interactive, try changing your device orientation to a horizontal landscape view.
    Classify some of the following as a product or a reactant in the process of photosynthesis.
    • carbon dioxide
    • heat
    • water
    • glucose
    • helium
    • oxygen
    • light energy
    • ATP
    •
      Reactants
    •
      Products
    Incorrect Answer
    Correct Answer

    Teacher Note

    This activity will help identify students who may not yet understand the concept of photosynthesis and the role of chlorophyll and the sun.

    Students choosing A may not understand how we see color and the different waves of visible light. Students selecting C or D may not understand that it is the visible light waves that are needed for photosynthesis. Students selecting E may not understand that the energy must be absorbed and stored in the plant. Use this as a think-pair-share activity.

    This is a formative assessment.

    Your teacher wants you to resubmit.

    Screen Resolution - This interactive media is not optimized for the current screen resolution. To view the interactive, try changing your device orientation to a horizontal landscape view.
    Show your knowledge of photosynthesis by choosing the correct role of sunlight in the photosynthesis reaction.
    • A.
      <div use-dimensions="false" tinymce="true">Chlorophyll in a plant reflects most visible light except green and yellow. <br></div>
      Chlorophyll in a plant reflects most visible light except green and yellow.
    • B.
      <div use-dimensions="false" tinymce="true">Chlorophyll in a plant absorbs and transfers energy from most visible waves of light from the sun, except green and yellow.</div>
      Chlorophyll in a plant absorbs and transfers energy from most visible waves of light from the sun, except green and yellow.
    • C.
      <div use-dimensions="false" tinymce="true">Plants create energy from infrared and ultraviolet light from the sun.<br></div>
      Plants create energy from infrared and ultraviolet light from the sun.
    • D.
      <div use-dimensions="false" tinymce="true">Energy from the sun comes from the invisible spectrum, such as infrared, and is stored in plants.<br></div>
      Energy from the sun comes from the invisible spectrum, such as infrared, and is stored in plants.
    • E.
      <div use-dimensions="false" tinymce="true">Chlorophyll reflects the visible light from the sun and this creates energy.<br></div>
      Chlorophyll reflects the visible light from the sun and this creates energy.

    Teacher Note

    This activity is intended to provide the teacher with feedback on prior knowledge of this topic and possible misconceptions students may have about chlorophyll and the color it can appear. Students may work with partners to discuss the possible definitions and the matching terms. Students will have to separate correct definitions from those that do not apply to the terms listed. The Model Lesson has remediation available for students struggling to master the concepts.

    This is a formative assessment.

    Your teacher wants you to resubmit.

    Screen Resolution - This interactive media is not optimized for the current screen resolution. To view the interactive, try changing your device orientation to a horizontal landscape view.
    Read the terms below. Read the possible definitions and separate the incorrect definitions from ones that correctly relate to the terms. Connect the definition to its correct term.
    Use this trash can to delete all connections. To delete individual connections, select it and then click on its trash can.
    Delete selected connection.
    Terms
    nutrients
    chlorophyll
    photosynthesis
    carbon dioxide
    cellular respiration
    autotroph
    chloroplasts
    Definitions
    a conversion of light energy into chemical energy
    the location in plants that holds chlorophyll and where photosynthesis takes place
    a reactant in the process of photosynthesis
    a major energy molecule in cells
    a substance essential for the growth and maintenance of life
    a sugar that is the product of photosynthesis
    an organism capable of synthesizing its own food from inorganic sources
    electromagnetic radiation
    a series of metabolic processes where chemical energy is released to produce ATP
    primary pigments responsible for the absorption of light energy in the process of photosynthesis

    Find out More About...

    • plant leaves
    • energy
    • how plant cells use food

    Lesson Questions

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