Modeling Photosynthesis

Lesson Title
Your Name

Aaron Oberman

Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is to use a model to explain and

illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored
chemical energy. After the students model photosynthesis using
marshmallows they will watch a video and be asked reinforcement
questions to further understanding.
HS-LS1-5 Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms
light energy into stored chemical energy.

State/National/NG
SS Standards

3.1.B.A2 Identify the initial reactants, final products, and general

purposes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Explain the
important role of ATP in cell metabolism. Describe the relationship
between photosynthesis and cellular respiration in photosynthetic
organisms. Explain why many biological macromolecules such as
ATP and lipids contain high energy bonds. Explain the importance
of enzymes as catalysts in cell reactions. Identify how factors such
as pH and temperature may affect enzyme function.
BIO.A.3.2.1 Describe the basic transformation of energy during
photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
Materials &
Equipment

Instructional
Objectives

ENGAGE
Activities

6 pink marshmallows- these will represent Carbon atoms

18 green marshmallows- these will represent Oxygen atoms
12 yellow marshmallows- these will represent hydrogen
atoms
toothpicks
colored pencils

At the end of this lesson the students will be able to:

1. Identify the initial reactant, final products, and general purposes
of photosynthesis
2. Explain why ATP molecules contain high energy bonds
3. Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light
energy into stored chemical energy
Teacher will lead class discussion about what substances plants
need to survive and how they obtain these substances.
Students will be given a list of important vocabulary involving the
topic prior to the lesson.
Questions to ask to spark discussion:

EXPLORE
Activities

1. We need to eat a proper diet and get plenty of sleep in order

to stay healthy and obtain energy. What does a plant need
to do in order to obtain energy?
2. Do you think a plant would grow better in an area with
plenty of sun or and area with no sun?
Describe the hands-on activity the students will complete. Teacher
will address the essential question that the students will need to
focus on.
Students will model the reactants and products of
photosynthesis by using different color marshmallows to
build the various chemical compounds involved with the
photosynthesis process
Essential Question:
o Describe how plants absorb energy from light
during photosynthesis and what happens to the
energy when it is absorbed?

EXPLAIN
Activities

After completing the activity students should acquire knowledge of

the following concepts:
Photosynthesis uses carbon dioxide and water to produce
sugar and oxygen
Photosynthesis takes place within the chloroplasts
Sunlight is absorbed using chloroplast pigments
This reaction is powered by sunlight
Questions to ask:
Explain in your own words the interpretation of the
equation for photosynthesis.
Describe what happens during the light independent and
light dependent reactions of photosynthesis.
Would a plant grow well in an environment with no
sunlight?

ELABORATE
Activities

Who students YouTube video on photosynthesis- How Plants Feed

Themselves.
Ask students where does the mass of a tree come from? This
question should spark a discussion that will reinforce concepts
about the reactants and products of photosynthesis.

EVALUATE

Ask students to relate photosynthesis to everyday life. Introduce

topic of producers vs. consumers and flow of energy.
Students will be assessed verbally during the engagement part of

Activities

References

Handouts (attach)

the lesson. I will ask the key questions to gauge student knowledge
of photosynthesis. During the hands-on activity I will make myself
available for questions while I circulate the room looking over
students work. I will try to correct any misconceptions students
might have by reading over their responses and looking at their
models. The question Where does the mass of a tree come from
is an assessment question because students should be able to
accurately answer the question at the end of the lesson.
Johnson, G.B. and Raven, P.H. (2004). Biology, Teacher Edition.
Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Orlando, Florida.
Knappins, K. (2013). Modeling Photosynthesis. Retrieved from
http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/15
4436
Worksheet taken from: Knappins, K. (2013). Modeling
Photosynthesis.
Retrieved
from
http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewResourceLesson/Preview/15
4436

Name ___________________________________
Date ____________
Modeling Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis

Period ____

QUESTION:
What are the molecules that are part of photosynthesis?
PREDICTION:
I think the molecules are...
EXPERIMENT:
Materials:
6 green marshmallows
12 pink (or orange) marshmallows
18 white (or yellow marshmallows

32 toothpicks
colored pencils / crayons

Procedures:
1) Gather materials per person
2) Copy the products of photosynthesis from the board (include the bonds) below...

3) Build a model of these molecules. Use green for carbon, pink (or orange) for hydrogen,
and white (or yellow) for oxygen. Use the toothpicks to represent the bonds.
RECORD AND ANALYZE DATA:
A) count the number of carbon atoms you used

________

B) count the number of hydrogen toms you used

________

C) count the number of oxygen atoms you used

________

D) count the number of bonds (toothpicks) used

________

E) What are the building materials (reactants) that plants use to make food?

F) Take apart the models that you made, and now make new models of the reactants you just
mentioned.
G) Count how many new molecules you made. Write the equation for photosynthesis below,
and put the names of all the molecules underneath.

What should we have learned from this activity?

1) Write a paragraph (3-4 sentences) describing the process of photosynthesis. What do
plants need to perform this process? What do they make during this process?

2) Why are plants important to ALL life on Earth? Why are animals just as important?
Describe in terms of the two process that were demonstrated in this activity.

Reflection:
My recent lessons I have planned have not yielded the level of student engagement I
desired. At points classroom management has been difficult to maintain possibly due to lack of
student engagement throughout my lessons. Because of this I have decided to try a different
approach and write a 5E lesson plan. I learned about the 5E lesson plan through my scientific
methods course and I thought it was a great format that revolved around student engagement.
After teaching the lesson, I was pleasantly surprised of how well it went. At first I was little
worried about leading an inquiry based lecture, but my students engagement level drastically
improved.
I began the lesson clearly communicating the expectations and learning outcomes of the
lesson to the students. Throughout the lesson I was guiding student learning through questions
and hands-on activity. While I was planning the questions I was going to ask during the lesson I
prepared myself for possible student questions and misconceptions. The entire lesson was
planned around asking questions that sparked discussion and student curiosity. I started the
lesson asking the question, We need to eat a proper diet and get plenty of sleep in order to stay
healthy and obtain energy. What does a plant need to do in order to obtain energy? Student
responses ranged from plants needing to be watered and receive sunlight to living in a clean
environment. I wrote some of their responses on the board to highlight the key terms such as
sunlight and water.
When I felt the class was ready to move on, I introduced the hands-on activity that the
students were to complete during class. I handed the students their bag of materials and
instructed them to write the chemical equation of photosynthesis along the top of their
worksheet. I then asked students to model the reactants and products of photosynthesis using

different color marshmallows. Some of the students were not too excited to model using
marshmallows but I sensed the majority of the class was engaged and enjoyed the non-traditional
lesson to this point. I circulated the room as the students prepared their models to make myself
available for questions as well as assess student learning by looking at responses and models.
Some of the students had difficulty identifying the reactants of photosynthesis based off the
products.
As the students were completing their modeling activity I starting to ask them questions
to aid student engagement and gauge understanding. Some students struggled when asked to
explain in their own words the interpretation of the equation for photosynthesis. Every student
concluded that a plant would not grow well in an environment with no sunlight. My favorite
question I asked towards the end of class was, Where does the mass of a tree come from? This
question was my main assessment of student learning and related what the students learned to a
real life situation. It was gratifying to see the students eyes light up when they realized that all of
the mass of a tree comes from carbon dioxide obtained from the air.

Overall Reflection of Instruction:

I scored myself proficient within the communicating with students component. While
planning I tried to anticipate possible student questions. I planned the lesson around reaching the
learning outcomes by the end of the lesson. I felt as though I could have had clearer directions
during the modeling part of the lesson. I noticed some of the students were confused as to how
to start their modeling activity, however I immediately tried to help when I saw off task behavior.
I definitely implemented many questioning and discussion techniques throughout the
lesson. I carefully chose questions to build student knowledge during the lesson. I started with
broad questioning and slowly narrowed my questions as students gained more knowledge on the
topic. I also used the questions as an assessment to gauge student learning. This was the highest
level of engagement I observed from my students while teaching. I feel like it was a fun and safe
learning experience for the entire class. I tried to use questions that would promote student
discussion as well as engage the student in a higher level of thinking. By constructing the lesson
by scaffolding my questions to become more and more advanced I felt as though students did not
even realize that they were thinking at a higher level.
Even though this was an inquiry based lesson, I feel as though it was still structured in a
way that inhibited flexibility. I found that demonstrating flexibility is one of the most
challenging components to reach within the Danielson Framework. I am still trying to develop
with-it-ness and confidence to be able to integrate flexibility within my teaching instruction.