Really Good Stuff Activity Guide
®
Photosynthesis Poster
Congratulations on your purchase of this Really Good
Stuff® Photosynthesis Poster—a colorful way to
introduce your students to the process of
photosynthesis. Students will find out how plants make
their own food and what things are necessary to
accomplish this job, as well as learn specific vocabulary
and content about photosynthesis.
This Really Good Stuff® product includes:
• Photosynthesis Poster, 24" by 19"
• This Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide
Introducing the Photosynthesis Poster
Before showing the Photosynthesis Poster, ask students
to explain what a “process” is. In the discussion, focus
students on the idea that a process is different from an
object or thing. Ask students to give examples of
processes. They will probably think of baking a cake or
planting a garden. Ask the students to name the steps in
the process of baking a cake. Ask them what happens if one
of the raw materials, such as flour, is not available (answer:
no cake) or if there is no equipment, such as an oven, to
bake the cake (answer: no cake). Ask if there is anything left
after a cake is made and what happens to it. (answer:
leftover material is disposed of).
Display the Photosynthesis Poster for the whole class
to see. The key concept for students to understand is
that a process is a series of steps or a way of doing
something. Photosynthesis is the process a plant goes
through to make its own food.
Activity 1: Photosynthesis Vocabulary
After looking at the pictures on the Photosynthesis Poster, fill in the blanks with the best possible word choice:
1. The process in which a plant makes food is called ______________________.
2. The sun provides the _______________, which the plant needs to make food.
3. The chemical substance in the leaves of a plant that absorbs the light is called ________________.
4. Carbon dioxide enters the leaves through the ________________.
5. In order to make food, the plant needs water, which is absorbed by the _____________ of the plant.
6. The plant uses carbon dioxide and water, and with the help of the absorbed light, it is able to make its own food.
The name of this food is _________________ .
7. A plant uses or stores the sugar it makes, but it has no use for the other products or leftovers. The gas
__________________________ is one of the leftovers.
8. The plant’s leaves give off the unwanted oxygen through the ________ of the plant.
9. All the steps described above explain how a plant makes its own food; these steps are called the process of
____________________________________.
All activity guides can be found online:
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2006 Really Good Stuff
®
1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #155242
Really Good Stuff Activity Guide
®
Photosynthesis Poster
Activity 2: A Plant is a Food Factory
Explain to your class that a plant is like a small factory. Just like any factory, a plant cannot make something from
nothing. It must take raw materials and use them to make something new. For example, a cake factory takes
chocolate, flour, sugar, and eggs and changes these raw materials into a finished product—a cake. The factory uses
equipment such as mixers and ovens. At the end of the process, there can be waste or extra things such as eggshells, heat, and burned crumbs that are not needed.
A plant is a mini factory that takes raw materials and goes through a series of steps to make something new. At
the end of the process, the plant has some waste or leftover materials it doesn’t need. The plant must have certain
things or equipment to help make the change. Remind your students that a plant is like a food factory, which:
• must have materials at the start (raw materials or reactants)
• must have the things it needs to make the change (equipment)
• must end with something new (finished product)
• often ends with extra stuff it doesn’t need (waste products)
The process of photosynthesis is the steps a plant must go through from start to finish to make its own food.
Complete the chart below comparing a plant with a cake factory.
Things needed
To make a cake
To make plant food
Raw materials
or reactants
Equipment
Finished product
Waste products
Think about it:
1. Can animals make their own food?
2. Explain why or why not. Be specific.
3. How do animals get the food or energy they need to live? Be specific.
4. Think of a factory that makes something other than a cake. Add a column to the chart above and add examples
for each of the four things needed to make the new product. (Be sure to write the name of product the new factory is
producing in the top box.)
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2006 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #155242
Really Good Stuff Activity Guide
®
Photosynthesis Poster
Activity 3: Photosynthesis Review
1. What is a “process”?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
2. This poster shows the process of _______________________________________ .
3. Name three materials a plant needs for photosynthesis:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
4. Explain what helps the plant capture the light it needs for photosynthesis.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What is the main product of photosynthesis that the plant makes and uses?
_____________________________________
6. What additional product does the plant produce, but not need, and therefore give off into the air during the
process of photosynthesis?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7. Different parts of the plant are useful in the process of photosynthesis. Explain what role each of these plant
parts plays in the process of photosynthesis:
Chlorophyll __________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
The leaves ___________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
The roots ___________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
The stem ___________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2006 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #155242
Really Good Stuff Activity Guide
®
Photosynthesis Poster
Activity 4: The Leaves of Plants
Although every part of a plant plays an important role, the leaves are the real “food factory” of the plant. Refer to
the poster to help explain how the process of photosynthesis works. Complete the questions below.
1. Fact: The pigment chlorophyll gives plants their green color. The chlorophyll helps plants use the light energy to
produce the food.
Think about it: What do you think would happen to a plant with no chlorophyll?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Fact: The epidermis is the skin of a leaf.
Think about it: Why do plant leaves need an epidermis?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Fact: Leaves have stomata and guard cells in the epidermis.
Think about it: What important role do these parts play in the process of photosynthesis?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Fact: Certain parts of the leaf contain many more chloroplasts than others.
Think about it: How can you tell which part of the leaf has a lot of chlorophyll?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Fact: At certain times of the year, some leaves change color.
Think about it: How do you know when a leaf is losing its chlorophyll?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Fact: Leaving a plant in a dark room will cause it to die.
Think about it: Why do you think the plant could die?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2006 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #155242