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Photosynthesis

Seventh graders explore how a plant turns sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into the sugar it lives on — and why the oxygen it gives off matters to nearly every living thing.

Grade 7Photosynthesis40 minutes1 class period5E ModelExplicit teaching4 StandardsNGSS
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain what photosynthesis is.
  • ✓Name the inputs and outputs.
  • ✓Describe the role of chlorophyll.
  • ✓Connect it to energy flow.
Essential Question

Almost all the energy in living things can be traced back to the Sun. How does a plant capture sunlight and turn it into food, and why does that matter for the rest of us?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Explore Photosynthesis

Project this and open each card to explore the ingredients and products of photosynthesis, from sunlight to the oxygen a plant releases.

🌱 Explore the parts of photosynthesisTry it

The Lesson · 5E Instructional Model (Engage · Explore · Explain · Elaborate · Evaluate)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Hook — Where Does a Tree's Mass Come From?

5 min

A giant tree grows from a tiny seed. Where does all that wood actually come from?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show a seed and a tree.
  • Collect guesses.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Think.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Use — Explore the Parts

12 min

Students explore each ingredient and product of photosynthesis.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Explore Photosynthesis.
  • Open each card.
  • Note inputs vs outputs.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explore.
  • Read.
  • Note it.
3

Modify — Write the Equation

13 min

Students build the word equation.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • List the inputs.
  • List the outputs.
  • Write the word equation.

🎒 Student Actions

  • List.
  • List.
  • Write.
4

Create — Model a Leaf

15 min

Students diagram photosynthesis in a leaf.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Draw a leaf cross-section.
  • Label chloroplasts and stomata.
  • Add arrows for each ingredient.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Draw.
  • Label.
  • Arrow.
5

Reflect — Why It Matters

5 min

Students reflect on photosynthesis and life.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Where does the energy start?
  • Why does oxygen matter to us?
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (Grade 7 / Middle School Science).

NGSS
MS-LS1-6

Construct a scientific explanation for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.

NGSS
MS-LS1-7

Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth.

NGSS
MS-LS2-3

Develop a model to describe the cycling of matter and flow of energy among living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem.

CCSS
RST.6-8.7

Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words with a version expressed in a diagram or model.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Picture cards: Sun, water, air, sugar.
  • Sentence frame: “Plants use ___ to make ___.”
  • Match one ingredient at a time.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with sunlight and water.
  • Use a simple inputs/outputs chart.
  • Build the equation one part at a time.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Compare photosynthesis and respiration.
  • Research C3 vs C4 plants.
  • Design an experiment testing light and plant growth.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🌿Leaves / plant samples
  • 💻Explore Photosynthesis
  • 🔬A leaf cross-section model
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

photosynthesisthe process plants use to make food from light, water, and carbon dioxidechlorophyllthe green pigment in plants that captures light energychloroplastthe part of a plant cell where photosynthesis takes placeglucosethe sugar a plant makes and uses for energycarbon dioxidea gas plants take in from the air during photosynthesisoxygenthe gas plants release as a by-product of photosynthesisstomatatiny pores in a leaf that let gases in and outby-productsomething extra that is made during a process
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What three ingredients does a plant need for photosynthesis?
Sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.
QUESTION 2
What does a plant make during photosynthesis, and what does it release?
It makes glucose (sugar) for food and releases oxygen into the air.
QUESTION 3
Why is chlorophyll important to photosynthesis?
Chlorophyll captures the light energy that powers the whole process.

Create: model a leaf.

Have students draw a leaf cross-section, label the chloroplasts and stomata, and add arrows showing where sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide enter and where glucose and oxygen are made. A printable photosynthesis worksheet is in the Science library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 PhotosynthesisFlip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 PhotosynthesisQuiz
Score: 0
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Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ PhotosynthesisPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: by-product, carbon dioxide, chlorophyll, chloroplast, glucose, oxygen, photosynthesis, stomata
  1. the sugar a plant makes and uses for energy
  2. a gas plants take in from the air during photosynthesis
  3. tiny pores in a leaf that let gases in and out
  4. something extra that is made during a process
  5. the part of a plant cell where photosynthesis takes place
  6. the gas plants release as a by-product of photosynthesis
  7. the process plants use to make food from light, water, and carbon dioxide
  8. the green pigment in plants that captures light energy

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What three ingredients does a plant need for photosynthesis?
  2. What does a plant make during photosynthesis, and what does it release?
  3. Why is chlorophyll important to photosynthesis?
Answer key — Part A: 1) glucose · 2) carbon dioxide · 3) stomata · 4) by-product · 5) chloroplast · 6) oxygen · 7) photosynthesis · 8) chlorophyll
Part B: 1) Sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. 2) It makes glucose (sugar) for food and releases oxygen into the air. 3) Chlorophyll captures the light energy that powers the whole process.