1. A Lesson by Lara and Aman
Photosynthesis
A Lesson by Lara and Aman

2. Questions?
How do plants make food?
Why do we need plants?
Experiment

3. How do Plants make food?
The procedure is called Photosynthesis. Light strikes the leaves of a plant (any light will do) and reacts with cells inside the leaves called “Chloroplasts”.
A green pigment inside the chloroplasts called “Chlorophyll” reacts with the light, taking water from within the plant, and storing the energy.

4. The plant takes in carbon dioxide from the air, through tiny holes called “Stomata”.
This causes a chemical reaction with the light energy stored in the chloroplasts creating a “sugar”.
The sugar is transported throughout the plant, to wherever it is needed.
Throughout this process, the leaves release oxygen into the air.

6. Experiment
1. Get a sprig of the water plant provided. Remove several leaves from around the cut end of the stem. Slice off a portion of the stem at an angle and lightly crush the cut end of the stem.
2. Place the water plant into the test tube, stem end up, filled with water.
3. Hold the test tube up to a lamp no more than 5 cm away for about a minute.

7. What Will Happen?
Record your predictions on the sheets provided.

8. Procedure
1. Place the lamp no more than 5 cm from the plant. After one minute, count and record the number of oxygen bubbles rising from the cut end of the stem. If bubbles fail to appear, cut off more of the stem and re-crush.

9. Why do we need Plants?
Plants take Carbon Dioxide out of the air. We breathe Carbon Dioxide out, but we can’t breathe it in.
Plants release Oxygen into the air, which we need to breathe.
Plants produce food, that is healthy for us to eat.

10. Elodea Experiment provided by Karen F
Elodea Experiment provided by Karen F. Adams of Burnside Scholastic Academy of Chicago, Illinois