1. Carbon: Transformations in Matter and Energy
Environmental Literacy Project Michigan State University
Plants Unit Activity 3.2 Explaining How Plants Make Food: Photosynthesis
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University

2. Answering the three questions for photosynthesis
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University

3. Where are atoms moving from?
The movement question
Where are atoms moving from?
Where are atoms moving to?
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Use Slides 2-6 of the Lesson 2.2 Modeling Photosynthesis Presentation to show students how materials are moving in and out of plants, including:
A whole plant view (Slides 2-4)
A leaf scale view (Slide 5)
A view of a leaf cell (Slide 6).
Tell students that in this Lesson they will learn how plants can make sugar (or glucose) from inorganic materials: carbon dioxide and water.

4. Which atoms and molecules move so that plants can do photosynthesis?
water
carbon dioxide
oxygen
glucose
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Use Slides 2-6 of the Lesson 2.2 Modeling Photosynthesis Presentation to show students how materials are moving in and out of plants, including:
A whole plant view (Slides 2-4)
A leaf scale view (Slide 5)
A view of a leaf cell (Slide 6).
Tell students that in this Lesson they will learn how plants can make sugar (or glucose) from inorganic materials: carbon dioxide and water.

5. How do glucose water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen move for a plant leaf to photosynthesize?
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Use Slides 2-6 of the Lesson 2.2 Modeling Photosynthesis Presentation to show students how materials are moving in and out of plants, including:
A whole plant view (Slides 2-4)
A leaf scale view (Slide 5)
A view of a leaf cell (Slide 6).
Tell students that in this Lesson they will learn how plants can make sugar (or glucose) from inorganic materials: carbon dioxide and water.

6. Plants make glucose from carbon dioxide and water in their leaves.
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Use Slides 2-6 of the Lesson 2.2 Modeling Photosynthesis Presentation to show students how materials are moving in and out of plants, including:
A whole plant view (Slides 2-4)
A leaf scale view (Slide 5)
A view of a leaf cell (Slide 6).
Tell students that in this Lesson they will learn how plants can make sugar (or glucose) from inorganic materials: carbon dioxide and water.

7. What happens inside the leaf cell as it photosynthesizes?
Chemical change
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Use Slides 2-6 of the Lesson 2.2 Modeling Photosynthesis Presentation to show students how materials are moving in and out of plants, including:
A whole plant view (Slides 2-4)
A leaf scale view (Slide 5)
A view of a leaf cell (Slide 6).
Tell students that in this Lesson they will learn how plants can make sugar (or glucose) from inorganic materials: carbon dioxide and water.

8. What happens to glucose made by photosynthesis?
Glucose moves from a plant’s leaves to all of its cells
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Use Slides 4 and 5 to overview which molecules are moving into the plant at a cellular scale. Tell students that it is this rearrangement of atoms inside of the plant cells that is the focus of this lesson: biosynthesis.

9. The Carbon Question: What is happening to carbon atoms?
What molecules are carbon atoms in before photosynthesis?
How are the atoms rearranged into new molecules during photosynthesis?
The Energy Question: What is happening to energy?
What forms of energy are involved in photosynthesis?
How is energy changing from one form to another during photosynthesis?
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Use Slides 7-10 to overview the main details of photosynthesis, including the Carbon Question and the Energy Question, which students should ideally be able to answer after the molecular modeling in the next few steps.

10. How can we answer the carbon question and the energy questions now?
The Carbon Question: What is happening to carbon atoms?
What molecules are carbon atoms in before photosynthesis?
How are the atoms rearranged into new molecules during photosynthesis?
The Energy Question: What is happening to chemical energy?
What forms of energy are involved in photosynthesis?
How is energy changing from one form to another during photosynthesis?
Image Credit: Craig Douglas, Michigan State University
Show Slides to have students practice constructing answers to the Three Questions for photosynthesis.
After they have done this, have students record their ideas on Part C of their worksheet.
Finally, have students document any remaining questions they have about photosynthesis in Part D of their Worksheet.

11. The carbon and energy questions
Carbon: carbon atoms move from CO2 molecules in the air (inorganic) to C6H12O6 molecules in the plant (organic).
Energy: energy is transformed from light energy into chemical energy in the high-energy (C-C and C-H) bonds of the glucose molecule.
Show Slides to have students practice constructing answers to the Three Questions for photosynthesis.
After they have done this, have students record their ideas on Part C of their worksheet.
Finally, have students document any remaining questions they have about photosynthesis in Part D of their Worksheet.

12. Plants make their own food
Materials for growth: Biosynthesis
Food
To Cells
Energy: Cellular respiration