UNIT TITLE

UNIT TITLE: Plants and Photosynthesis

LESSONS

Unit Title: Plants and Photosynthesis
Caretaker: CLL

Unit No 9C

Lesson Title: A light reaction. Plants respire too.

NC Ref:
Sc2 1b, 1e, 2j, 2k, 3a, 3b, 3e

Objectives:

MK - plants make their own food by p/s in the leaves, plants use some of the glucose they make in respiration, respiration occurs in all living things all the time but p/s only happens in the light, glucose is stored as starch, word equation for resp and p/s, words aerobic resp, raw material, biomass, glucose, photosynthesis, starch

SK - p/s is a chemical reaction with reactants and products, there are many different kinds of sugar including glucose, words reactant, chlorophyll, phloem tubes, product, sugars, word equation

CK - how plants reduce water loss in dry conditions, balanced symbol equations for resp and p/s, word compensation point

PLEASE NOTE THAT SOME OF THE PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES NEED TO BE SET UP IN ADVANCE e.g. growing cress, destarching plants

This topic is essentially 4 lessons (if time is tight) so can cut out some of the practicals or do as demos if necessary:

1. What p/s is.

2. How leaves are adapted to their function

3. Roots

4. How resp and p/s interact

Can also do a Booster lesson (Lesson 7) with relevant group.

Lesson outline: Horsforth Commentary

: Where do plants get their food from? Do plants respire? What is photosynthesis?

Starter activities: Use flash cards to elict what is needed and produced during p/s or use Red Hot Starters book pg 22. Brainpop - photosynthesis

Main course:

A good opportunity to revise cells and the differences between plant and animal cells.

Use starter to elict reactants (raw materials) and products for p/s - work up to the word equation:

light

carbon dioxide + water oxygen and glucose

and that glucose is stored as starch

Higher ability students can learn the symbol equation 9Ca/8.

SK children can learn that sugars are transported around the plant in phloem tubes.

Possible experiments:

Factors that affect the rate of p/s - counting the bubbles released by Elodea (pondweed) under different conditons - inc CO2, temperature, light intensity etc. Could be a class prac of a demo 9Ca/1 - lower ability or 9Ca/2 - higher ability

Starch test - class practical 9Ca/3 - tells students how to carry out the procedure and 9Ca/4 - lower ability and 9Ca/5 - higher ability are task sheets. Testing a leaf for starch PPT 1 and Testing a leaf for starch PPT 2 could be projected. They do this again in GCSE.

These experiments may run to 2 lessons - opportunity for Sc1 - Horsforth Sc1 sheets Sc1 posters A4 Sc1 writing frames

Students need to understand the difference between resp and p/s and that plants respire too. Page 28 Exploring Science 9 or 9Ca/6 cover this for all abilities. 9Ca/7 and 9Ca/9 - higher ability.

Exploring Science 9 pages 26-28 - Questions. Boardworks slides

Plenary: Washing line with either word or balanced chemical equations (Set 1, possibly set 2) on - teacher calls out instructions ("products of resp / reactants of p/s") and children line up. Could play photosynthesis splat

Timings:

10 mins

40 mins

5 mins

Homework Suggestion: Poster / leaflet telling younger students there is NO FOOD IN SOIL and how a plant gets its food. SATS qs or write down why plants that grow beneath trees in forests make good house plants.

Video Clips:

Resources:

see technicians list For less able students there are additional worksheets in the Exploring Science access pack pages 454 - 455. Quizdom

Worksheets: 9Ca/1 9Ca/2 9Ca/3 9Ca/4 9Ca/5 9Ca/6 9Ca/7 9Ca/8 9Ca/9. L4 p/s SATS Qs L5 p/s SATS Qs L5 p/s SATS Qs - 2 L6 p/s SATS Qs L6 p/s SATS Qs - 2

Boardworks

Risk Assessment: wash hands after using pondweed, ethanol is highly flammable, eye protection needed.

Lesson 2

Unit Title: Plants and Photosynthesis
Caretaker: CLL

Unit No 9C

Lesson Title: A light reaction. Plants respire too.

NC Ref:
Sc2 1b, 1e, 2j, 2k, 3a, 3b, 3e

CK - how plants reduce water loss in dry conditions, balanced symbol equations for resp and p/s, word compensation point

Lesson outline: Horsforth Commentary

: Where do plants get their food from? Do plants respire? What is photosynthesis?

Starter activities: Q&A from last lesson.

Main course:

Finish the possible experiments:

Opportunity for Sc1 - Horsforth Sc1 sheets Sc1 posters A4 Sc1 writing frames

Plenary: Washing line with either word or balanced chemical equations (Set 1, possibly set 2) on - teacher calls out instructions ("products of resp / reactants of p/s") and children line up. Could play photosynthesis splat

Video Clips:

Resources: see technicians list For less able students there are additional worksheets in the Exploring Science access pack pages 454 - 455. Quizdom

Worksheets: 9Ca/1 9Ca/2 9Ca/3 9Ca/4 9Ca/5 9Ca/6 9Ca/7 9Ca/8 9Ca/9. L4 p/s SATS Qs L5 p/s SATS Qs L5 p/s SATS Qs - 2 L6 p/s SATS Qs L6 p/s SATS Qs - 2

Boardworks

Risk Assessment: wash hands after using pondweed, ethanol is highly flammable, eye protection needed.

Lesson 3

Unit Title: Plants and Photosynthesis
Caretaker: CLL

Unit No 9C

Lesson Title: Leafy adaptations.

NC Ref: Sc2 1b, 1e, 3c,

Objectives:

MK - how leaves are adapted to take in CO2 & absorb light, how plants use glucose, words adapted, leaf, stomata, chloroplast, palisade cell, mineral
SK - palisade cells have lots of chloroplasts, leaves are thin to allow CO2 to enter easily, stomata are opened and closed by guard cells, gases diffuse into and out of leaves via the stomata, plants need minerals to stay healthy, glucose is used to make cellulose, proteins, fats and starch, words absorb, guard cell, diffusion, chlorophyll, nitrate, cellulose, fat, protein, amino acid, oil
CK - transpiration, how plants arrange their leaves in a leaf mosaic, how some plants are adapted to dry conditions, words leaf mosaic, transpiration

Lesson outline: Horsforth Commentary

: How are leaves adapted to their function? What does a plant do with the glucose it makes? How are some plants adapted to dry conditions?

Starter activity: Red Hot Starters book pg 23 or 24.

Main course:

How are leaves adapted to their function?

9Cb/1 - all abilities and 9Cb/2 - higher ability. Relate structure to function. Page 29 Exploring Science 9.

Adaptation	Reason
Thin	easy entry of CO2
lots of chloroplasts in palisade cells	to maximise p/s
palisade cells arranged vertically	to absorb as much light energy as possible
stomata on underside of leaf	to minimise water loss

Possible activities:

Submerge a boiled leaf under water to show the bubble come from the underside

Petroleum jelly on stomata - but they have done this in CASE in year 7 and is GCSE coursework!

Looking at sections of leaves with a microscope.

Could look at a range of products made from plants (cotton, wool, rice, potato etc). Children to devise (higher ability) a table to show which substances are found in each product (e.g. cellulose, starch, protein etc). Could produce a poster showing the different products from biomass.

How is glucose used by plants? It is used to make starch, cellulose, fats and proteins. (Biomass is the new material an organism makes.)

Could reinforce key points by looking at how ideas about plant growth developed - 9Cb/3 use as basis for class discussion or as hwk

How are some plants adapted to dry conditions?

9Cb/4 - higher ability only

Plenary: Quizdom

Timings:

5 mins

15 - 40 mins

10 mins

Homework Suggestion: 9Cb/3 pupils could invesigate one or more economically important plant products - cotton, wheat, rice, oilseed rape etc, higher ability could research social and environmental issues related to logging in tropical and northern forests.

Video Clips:

Resources:

Boardworks see technicians list For less able students there are additional worksheets in the Exploring Science access pack pages 456 - 457. Quizdom

Worksheets:

9Cb/1 9Cb/2 9Cb/3 9Cb/4

Risk Assessment: eye protection needed when boiling leaves, don't eat any food!

Lesson 4

Unit Title: Plants and Photosynthesis
Caretaker: CLL

Unit No 9C

Lesson Title: The root of the matter.

NC Ref: Sc2 1c, 1e, 3c, 3d

Objectives:

MK - roots absorb water from the soil, how roots are adapted to this function, too little water makes the plant wilt, words root, wilt
SK - root hairs increase surface area, xylem cells are hollow, water is needed for p/s, carrying dissolved mineral salts and providing support for the cells, words root hair cell, xylem

CK - using too much fertiliser can harm aquatic habitats (eutrophication), why some plants catch insects.

Lesson outline: Horsforth Commentary

: Why do plants need roots?

Starter activity Revise specialised plant cells - root hair cells, xylem, phloem, palisade cells etc.

Main course:

Why do plants need roots?

Discuss root structure and root hair cells. Inform students that water and dissolved mineral salts travels in the hollow xylem tubes (made of specialised xylem cells). Discuss what happens to a plant that has too little water (wilts). 9Cc/1 9Cc/2

Possible activities

Looking at germinating mung beans
Examining root hairs of cress seeds using a hand lens
Celery in coloured dye - can snap celery after 10 - 15 mins to show colour has moved up. Can examine small sections under microscope. Can also look at celery leaves to see veins where the xylem is.

Why do farmers put fertiliser on their fields?

Mineral salts include nitrates (potassium nitrate), phosphates (potassium hydrogen-phosphate) and potassium. (NPK) Page 52 Teachers Guide has an extensive list.

Could examine bags / boxes of plant fertiliser and find out what they contain and why.

Mineral	Needed for	Deficiency symptoms
nitrate	making proteins	poor growth
phosphate	cell membranes and healthy root growth
potassium	enzymes that control resp and p/s	leaves turn yellow

Could design a poster / page for a gardening magazine for this section.

Could discuss why using too much fertiliser can harm aquatic habitats (eutrophication) and why some plants catch insects 9Cc/3 with higher ability sets.

Plenary: Q&A

Timings:

Homework Suggestion: Finish work from lesson.

Video Clips:

Resources: Boardworks see technicians list For less able students there are additional worksheets in the Exploring Science access pack page 458. Quizdom

Worksheets: 9Cc/1 9Cc/2 9Cc/3

Risk Assessment: Food dye stains clothes. Mounted needles need careful handling.

Lesson 5

Unit Title: Plants and Photosynthesis
Caretaker: CLL

Unit No 9C

Lesson Title: A changing atmosphere.

NC Ref: Sc2 3a, 5a

Objectives:

MK - plants remove CO2 from resp and replace it with O2, amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing and may lead to global warming, words global warming
SK - O2 and CO2 levels have varied over time, why deforestation is a concern and the advantages and disadvantages from a range of view points, CO2 is not the only greenhouse gas, words methane
CK - the concs of CO2 and O2 depend on season and hemisphere, land plants are more important than sea life in term of p/s.

Lesson outline: Horsforth Commentary

: How could the atmosphere change?

Starter activity: Recap the word (and chemical for higher ability) equations for resp and p/s - could use washing line again.

Main course:

Note that p/s and respn equations are the reverse of each other. Ask children what they think would happen if all the on earth plants suddenly died.

Discuss

which kinds of plants are the most important for using up CO2 (forests, incl tropical rainforests - plants in ocean do p/s but not as much as land plants)
deforestation and the knock on effect on global warming - 9Cd/4.
the balance of gases in the atmosphere - 9Cd/6.
the idea of sustainable development (also covered in 9D - Plants for food)
greenhouse effect (CO2 is not the only greenhouse gas - methane is too) - discuss that there are many factors contributing to global warming, not just the greenhouse effect and that it is a complex issue (this is covered further in 9G Environmental Chemistry)

Activity:

Role play debate 9Cd/1. At simplest level could just be a "for" and "against" decision per group. More able groups can try debating to persuade the opposition of their stance. Students will have covered this in geography so encourage them to use their geog books and textbooks and other sources to add to the debate.

can organise the debate by drawing names from a hat for "for" and "against" or all pupils research and prepare a 2 - 3 minute speech

Plenary

Summary poster on p/s - 9Cd/2. Less able students could do a cut and stick activity more able pupils can use the worksheet as a base for creating their own poster and could include details on respiration and uses for glucose. All students should be including arrows to show the direction of flow of substances into and out of the plant.

Plants true and false statements - could be used in Quizdom - 9Cd/3

Plants crossword - 9Cd/5

Plenary:

Timings:

Homework Suggestion: Prepare for debate, 9Cd/5

Video Clips:

Resources: Boardworks see technicians list For less able students there are additional worksheets in the Exploring Science access pack page 459. Quizdom