βοΈ Plants Are Amazing!
Photosynthesis is how plants make their own food using sunlight. This process is essential for almost all life on Earth β it produces the oxygen we breathe and forms the base of food chains.
π§ͺ The Equation
Word equation:
Carbon dioxide + Water β Glucose + Oxygen
Chemical equation:
6COβ + 6HβO β CβHββOβ + 6Oβ
(requires light energy and chlorophyll)
π¦ What Plants Need
βοΈ
Sunlight
Energy source for the reaction
π¨
Carbon Dioxide
Absorbed from the air through leaves
π§
Water
Absorbed from soil through roots
π’
Chlorophyll
Green pigment that captures light
π€ What Plants Make
Products of Photosynthesis
- π¬ Glucose (sugar) β energy for the plant to grow, make flowers, fruits, seeds
- π¨ Oxygen β released into the air (what we breathe!)
π Where It Happens
- Chloroplasts β tiny structures inside leaf cells where photosynthesis occurs
- Chlorophyll β the green pigment inside chloroplasts that absorbs light
- Stomata β tiny holes on leaves that let COβ in and Oβ out
π Why It Matters
Photosynthesis Powers the Planet
- π¬οΈ Produces the oxygen we breathe
- π Creates food β all food chains start with plants
- π‘οΈ Removes COβ β helps reduce climate change
- β‘ Stores energy β fossil fuels are ancient photosynthesis!
βοΈ Activities
Activity: Diagram a Leaf
Draw and label a leaf showing:
- Sunlight hitting the leaf
- COβ entering through stomata
- HβO coming up from roots
- Oβ leaving through stomata
- Chloroplasts inside cells
Draw your leaf diagram here
π©βπ« Teacher Notes
Curriculum Links
- Science: Living World β life processes
- Science: Material World β chemical reactions
Experiment: Destarching leaves and testing for starch with iodine.