Download The importance of photosynthesis in the

The importance of photosynthesis in the composition of air
Questions
As you can see, oxygen makes up about a fifth of the earth's atmosphere. If
human beings are constantly breathing in oxygen, why doesn't the
proportion of oxygen in the air decrease?
What is the name of the gas that human beings breathe out? Can you think
of possible reasons why this gas does not make up a significant proportion
of the pie chart?
© Education Umbrella, 2014 1 The Word Equation for Photosynthesis
Activity
Rather than simply giving the word equation for photosynthesis to students,
encourage them to work it out by considering the pie chart, their knowledge
about what plants require in order to survive, and the purpose of
photosynthesis.
Questions
•
Thinking about the gases that human beings breathe in and out, which
gas do you think is absorbed/given off by plants?
•
What substance do you think will be important for plants to make in
order to survive? (Biological molecules are not covered until year 8 in
our biology scheme of learning. Therefore, 'sugar' or 'carbohydrate'
will both be accepted as answers, although students should be made
aware that 'glucose' is the correct term to use in the word
equation.)
•
Use the diagram on the right to explain the relationship between
plants and animals in terms of the gases they take in and release into
the atmosphere
Plant Adaptation
© Education Umbrella, 2014 2 Leaf of a pear plant
Questions
•
What features make the plant well adapted for photosynthesis?
Features to consider are :
• Colour (Students should use there knowledge about plant cells to
explain the significance of the leaf's colour)
• Surface area
• Location of the leaf on the plant
Pear plant
© Education Umbrella, 2014 3