Photosynthesis Pedagogy and principles (not that kind, the other kind)

Elodea canadenis

Supplies: E. canadensis Nalgene bottles (come with probes) CO 2 probe dO 2 probe (methylene blue) Light meter probe Conductivity probe Light source Heat sink if light is incandescent Screening material Prepare in advance: Saltwater solutions

GroupLight environmentSalinity 1DarkA 2 B 3 C 4ShadeA 5 B 6 C 7LightA 8 B 9 C

What are other common student misconceptions? Photosynthesis is something that plants do for the benefit of people and animals. The massive amount of biomass in some plants could not possibly come from a (trace!) gas. Chlorophyll functions as an energy storage mechanism (as opposed to a molecule involved in energy absorption/conversion). Sunlight is a reagent (like water or CO 2 ) not a source of energy. Plants can’t grow unless they are undergoing photosynthesis. Plants don’t undergo respiration.

? Photosynthesis may be the dominant metabolic process on Earth. RUBISCO, a key enzyme in photosynthesis, is often cited as the most abundant protein on Earth. Despite its complexity it can be an easy biological concept to grasp, students are surrounded by it everyday. Photosynthesis links the biological, astronomical, and geological components of Earth. Photosynthesis links biology, physics, chemistry, geology, astronomy, and most other scientific disciplines that come to mind. Because of this a student who understands photosynthesis begins to develop some intuition regarding connections between the biological and abiotic Earth.

Formula How many unclear or incorrect statements can you catch? Where on Earth does most photosynthesis occur? Sequoia probe

Assessment Probe* Where did most of the matter that makes up the wood and leaves of a Giant Sequoia come from? Sunlight Water Soil Carbon dioxide Oxygen Minerals Chlorophyll *Uncovering Student Ideas in Science Vol. 2

Common misconceptions regarding photosynthesis Where did most of the matter that makes up the wood and leaves of a Giant Sequoia come from? Sunlight Water Soil Carbon dioxide Oxygen Minerals Chlorophyll Errors in uTube vid?

What misconceptions or concerns might we anticipate from math teachers?

12

13 O2O2 CO 2 NO 3 SO 4 Fe NH 4 H2H2

14 Carbon Dioxide Oxygen Carbon Dioxide Battery Charged! Take a moment to develop an explanation of this diagram with your partner

15 The barrel is like sugar in the previous slide, it is the reduced molecule. Gravity is like oxygen in the previous slide, it is the oxidant, and is responsible for pulling the electron. The water acts like falling electrons. As it falls it can do work (grind flour, produce electricity).

Global primary production

GroupLightConductivity dO initial dO final dO net

What questions are there for math teachers regarding what students could do with this data, or what they might learn from this data, or… ?