Photosynthesis

​Science Wonders with

Mr. Flores

​If leaves don't have mouths to eat, then how do they eat?

​30 seconds to discuss:

If leaves don't have mouths to eat, then how do they eat?

​"Photosynthesis:
Nature's Cooking Kitchen"

​"A Leaf's Little Kitchen"

​Objectives:
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1. Define chloroplast.

2. Define photosynthesis.

3. Identify what plants need for photosynthesis and what they produce.

4. Explain why photosynthesis is important for life on Earth.

Just like we need food to survive, plants need food to grow, stay healthy, and support life on Earth.

​A tiny kitchen called chloroplast.

Chloroplasts- What are they?
Chloroplasts are found, and move around the cytoplasm (a jelly-like liquid) inside the leaf's cell like cars on the road as they look for sunlight.

They chase the sunlight!

What is the function of a chloroplast?

The main job of chloroplasts is to capture sunlight and turn it into food for the plant.

How does it work?

A Chloroplast's structure.
1. Outer membrane

This is like the kitchen’s outer wall, protecting everything inside.
2. Stroma

This is the kitchen’s production area where important reactions happen. Like the counter and oven where ingredients are mixed and cooked.
3. Thylakoids

They look like pancakes with green molecules called chlorophyll that capture sunlight. Like pots and pans processing energy.
4. Grana

Imagine these as stacks of pancakes neatly piled up. The chlorophyll captures sunlight here.

Kitchen Prep
Prepping the ingredients

Round 1

Multiple Choice

In a chloroplast, what part of a kitchen could the outer membrane be compared to?

• a counter or an oven

  where things are mixed and cooked

• pots and pans processing energy

• a wall protecting everything inside

• stack of pancakes capturing chlorophyll

Multiple Choice

In a chloroplast, what part of a kitchen could the stroma be compared to?

• a counter or an oven

  where things are mixed and cooked

• pots and pans processing energy

• a wall protecting everything inside

• stack of pancakes capturing chlorophyll

Multiple Choice

In a chloroplast, what part of a kitchen could the thykaloids be compared to?

• a counter or an oven

  where things are mixed and cooked

• pots and pans processing energy

• a wall protecting everything inside

• stack of pancakes capturing chlorophyll

Multiple Choice

In a chloroplast, what part of a kitchen could the grana be compared to?

• a counter or an oven

  where things are mixed and cooked

• pots and pans processing energy

• a wall protecting everything inside

• stack of pancakes capturing chlorophyll

Structure?
5. Starch Granules

Chloroplasts store energy in the form of starch granules. Like jars storing the finished sugar product.
6. Lamellae

Help the plant cell make food (photosynthesis) by using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. Like conveyor belts connecting cooking stations.
7. Ribosomes

Inside this kitchen there are tiny chefs making proteins called “ribosomes.” They help make the food.

Recipe Review
Checking if you know the steps and ingredients

Round 2

Multiple Choice

In a chloroplast, what part of a kitchen could the ribosomes be compared to?

• Like conveyor belts connecting cooking stations

• Like tiny chefs making proteins

• Like jars storing the finished sugar product.

Multiple Choice

In a chloroplast, what part of a kitchen could the lamellae be compared to?

• Like conveyor belts connecting cooking stations

• Like tiny chefs making proteins

• Like jars storing the finished sugar product.

Multiple Choice

In a chloroplast, what part of a kitchen could the starch granules be compared to?

• Like conveyor belts connecting cooking stations

• Like tiny chefs making proteins

• Like jars storing the finished sugar product.

Photosynthesis is the process where plants convert light energy into chemical energy in the form of sugars, using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

Ingredients in -->

And here's the plant's kitchen in action where...

Food out -->

​If leaves don't have mouths to eat, then how do they eat?

They don't have mouths but they "eat" by taking in sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, and then they cook it into sugar and oxygen!

​Why is photosynthesis important for life on Earth?

Without leaves, there would be no life; the food chain would stop, and we wouldn't have the oxygen we need to survive!

Exit ticket:
Draw and label the chloroplast and photosynthesis diagrams

​😊