Photosynthesis

Procedure

Anticipatory Set
Ask students what they ate the night before.  Make a list of these items on the board.  Ask if they've ever seen a flower or tree eat any of these items.  Ask if they know how plants get food.  After a few guesses tell the students we are going to read about plants characteristics and how they get food. 

Instructional Activities:
Input and Modeling:
Read Photosynthesis: Changing Sunlight into Food by Bobbie Kalman aloud to the class. 
Stop periodically to ask questions and summarize what is being read.  At the end of the book lead a short disscussion.  Guide the discussion by asking the following questions.

Discussion Questions:

1. What are three characteristics of plants? (knowledge)
2. In what part of the plant cell does photosynthesis occur? (knowledge)
3. Photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplast which contains chlorophyll which makes plants green.  What can you conclude about a plant that is not green? (synthesis)
4. Can you predict what would have happened if plants were unable to get one of the components needed for photosynthesis? (synthesis)

Guided Practice and Check for Understanding
Explain photosynthesis with a little more detail.  Begin by asking what the components of photosynthesis are.  If the students can’t remember from the book then have them look in their science textbooks on page 48.  As the students name the components write them on the board.  Then put the photosynthesis diagram overhead on the projector and describe the different parts to the students.  After discussing the photosynthesis diagram have the students label their own copy of the photosynthesis diagram for their science notebook.  After diagrams are labeled ask what three things are needed for photosynthesis to occur and what the waste products of photosynthesis are.
When all students have completed the photosynthesis diagram put in The Magic School Bus Gets Planted video and tell students to watch the video to see if all the components of photosynthesis just discussed are in the video.  When the video is over discuss the process of photosynthesis again in term of what Phoebe has to do to be able to grow once she becomes a plant. 

Independent Practice:
Give out one set of cards to each student and ask them to put all the things needed for photosynthesis to occur on one side of the arrow and put the waste products of photosynthesis on the other side of the arrow.  When a child thinks they have the cards arranged correctly, they raise their hand.  Check their work and have them glue the cards onto a sheet of paper if they are correct.  If they are incorrect explain what they put in the wrong place and why and then have them glue.  After all cards are glued students are to put the paper in the science section of their binder. 

 

Closure:
Write the question “What is photosynthesis?” on the board.  Under the question write four bullets that outline the four things they need to include in order to get full credit.  These bullets can be taken from section four of the Photosynthesis Description Rubric. 

Assessment:
The students’ attainment of the behavioral objectives will be assessed through their independent practice paragraph.  The Photosynthesis Description Rubric will be used to assess these paragraphs.  If a student receives a three or four on their paragraph then it is known that they understood and processed the lesson.  If a students receives a zero, one, or two then it is evidence he/she didn’t understand something and the material from the lesson should be reviewed or retaught to him/her.