Name: Reilly Belton
Content Area: Life Science
Date: 4 December 2012
Grade Level(s): 7th Grade
Topic(s): Photosynthesis
(and Cellular Respiration
review)
Standards (NSES or Benchmarks)
 One of the most general distinctions among organisms is between plants, which use
sunlight to make their own food, and animals, which consume energy-rich foods.
Some kinds of organisms, many of them microscopic, cannot be neatly classified as
either plants or animals. 5A/M1
 Animals and plants have a great variety of body plans and internal structures that
contribute to their being able to make or find food and reproduce. 5A/M2
 Plants use the energy from light to make sugars from carbon dioxide and water.
5E/M1b
 Plants can use the food they make immediately or store it for later use. 5E/M1c
 Almost all food energy comes directly from sunlight. 5E/M3c
Standards (SOL)
LS.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning, logic, and the
nature of science by planning and conducting investigations in which
a) data are organized into tables showing repeated trials and means;
b) a classification system is developed based on multiple attributes;
c) triple beam and electronic balances, thermometers, metric rulers, graduated
cylinders, and probeware are used to gather data;
d) models and simulations are constructed and used to illustrate and explain
phenomena;
e) sources of experimental error are identified;
f) dependent variables, independent variables, and constants are identified;
g) variables are controlled to test hypotheses, and trials are repeated;
h) data are organized, communicated through graphical representation, interpreted,
and used to make predictions;
i) patterns are identified in data and are interpreted and evaluated; and
current applications are used to reinforce life science concepts.
LS.2
The student will investigate and understand that all living things are composed of
cells. Key concepts include
a) cell structure and organelles;
LS.5
The student will investigate and understand the basic physical and chemical
processes of photosynthesis and its importance to plant and animal life. Key
concepts include
a) energy transfer between sunlight and chlorophyll;
b) transformation of water and carbon dioxide into sugar and oxygen; and
c) photosynthesis as the foundation of virtually all food webs.
Objectives (UKD’s)
Understanding
Students will understand
that…
 All parts of a cell and
organism have specific
functions and roles.
 All cells perform
numerous functions and
processes including
cellular respiration, waste
breakdown and removal,
growth and division, and
cellular transportation.
 Photosynthesis is a
necessary life process
that transforms light
energy into chemical
energy.
Know
Students will know…
Do
Students will…







The purpose of /
implication of: cell wall,
cell membrane,
chloroplast, vacuole,
chlorophyll,
photosynthesis, cellular
respiration, root, stem,
leaf, non-vascular,
vascular, xylem, phloem,
flower, stamen, pistil,
anther, ovary, pollen,
seed, stigma, style,
monocot, dicot.
Plants perform
photosynthesis and
cellular respiration.
Photosynthesis makes
glucose using energy
from the sun.
Cellular respiration makes
energy in the form of ATP
using glucose.
The formula for
photosynthesis.
The formula for cellular
respiration.



Explain why plants do
photosynthesis.
Compare and contrast
plant and animal cells.
Compare and contrast
photosynthesis and
cellular respiration.
Design an experiment
that tests the factors that
keep a plant healthy.
Topic/Essential Question
Photosynthesis. How do plants make their own food?
Materials & Resources
Textbooks
“The Circle of Life” video clip
Photosynthesis animation
Plant books reviewed and ready to return
Safety Considerations
Students will not be handling anything that could harm them. I can’t prevent paper cuts.
The volume on the video will be loud enough that they can hear it but not give them
irreparable hearing damage.
Engage – Time Estimate 20 minutes
*First, students will make the final observations for their plant experiments.
Students will watch the clip from the Lion King on “The Circle of Life”. I will ask students
what they think the circle of life means, leading them to connect that animals eat other
animals and some animals eat plants, so that’s how they get food. But what about plants?
Where do plants get their food? I will help students make the connection that plants make
their own food. To connect with the previous lesson, I will ask students to try and think
where plants make their own food: chloroplasts, which are organelles found only in plant
cells.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX07j9SDFcc
Explore / Explain – Time Estimate 10 minutes
I will then show students an animation on photosynthesis:
(http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/earthguide/diagrams/photosynthesis/photosynthesis.html),
students will do Think-Pair-Share to design a generic formula for photosynthesis, using their
textbook and the animation. (This activity will be familiar to them because we would have
done a similar activity when learning about cellular respiration in the unit on cells.) So,
students will work independently at first, and then compare their formulas in pairs, and then
we will compare as a class so all the student will get the correct formula for photosynthesis.
To ensure students have the correct formula and understand why it is the way it is, I will
monitor the proposed formulas and ask leading questions / comment about the factors and
products we saw in the animation and whether they are present in the generated formula.
Extend – Time Estimate 13 minutes
After we have established a good formula for photosynthesis (CO2 + H2O + sunlight 
glucose (sugar / food) + O2), I will ask students to think of another formula we have talked
about in class (i.e. cellular respiration) and compare it to photosynthesis. Students will see
that the formulas are basically the opposite of one another.
Evaluate -- Time Estimate 7 minutes
Students will modify their Y-Chart from the day previous, as needed and turn the worksheet
in. Students will also complete an exit card answering the questions:
True / False Both plant and animal cells do cellular respiration.
True / False Both plant and animal cells do photosynthesis.
Plans for Diversity
Special Needs Students: This lesson addresses the needs of special needs students because
of the different media used to introduce information. Other modifications can be
made depending on the student’s need (captions, modified Y-Chart worksheet, etc.)
Reading Difficulties: Students with reading difficulties will be able to engage in the content
because of the use of a most likely familiar video clip from The Lion King, as well as
the use of the animation. The primarily discussion-based class will also help these
students get the information without running into difficulties with too much text.
ADHD: The familiar video clip from The Lion King will help capture these students’ attention
and the Think-Pair-Share activity will give these students an opportunity to move and
interact with other students.
ELLs: The familiar video clip from The Lion King will help ground these students in the idea of
where each organism gets its food. The visual with the animation about
photosynthesis will help illustrate the concept without words.
Gifted / Advanced: This lesson offers gifted / advanced students the opportunity to make
connections between plants and animals. While we won’t go further in depth about
how photosynthesis occurs, I will have resources available if these students want to
explore it further.
Connections
This is the fourth lesson plan (Day 5) and follows students’ exploration of plant macroscopic
and microscopic structures. This lesson ties in tightly to the concept that plant cells have
some organelles that animal cells don’t, thus there is continuity between these lessons. In
this lesson, students will also make their final observations and data collections for their
plant experiments. Following this lesson, students will spend a day analyzing their data,
making a brief presentation to their classmates on their findings, and cleaning up their
experiments (detailed in Lesson Plan #1). The following lesson will be a multi-day lesson on
plant classification in which students will explore the different types of plants and how to
identify them.