Name: Jasmine Castillo

PT 8.1: Photosynthesis
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Learning Target
(HS-LS1-5): I can use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light
energy into stored chemical energy.

Guiding Questions
How do plants obtain and use energy they need to grow and live?

Task 1 - Background info

DIRECTIONS: Read the following paragraph and answer the following questions. Refer to your
PT 8.1 notes for the answers. DO NOT GOOGLE ANSWERS, YOU WILL GET THEM WRONG!
Heterotrophs, such as humans and other animals, get energy from the food they consume.
As for plants, they are autotrophs, which means that they use abiotic factors, such as energy
from the sun, and other materials in their environment to make food that is used for energy.
Plants use carbon dioxide, water, and light to create glucose and oxygen. This process is
called photosynthesis (“photo” means “light,” and “synthesis” means “to create”). Plants use
photosynthesis to transform light energy into chemical energy, which is food for plants. Below
is the chemical equation for the process of photosynthesis:

1. Label the following diagram:

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 A energy

B Carbon dioxide

C water

D glucose

E oxygen

2. What are the reactants in photosynthesis? Write both the name AND the formula!
Name: Reactants are the substance that start the reaction

Formula: CO + HO
2 2

3. What is the catalyst to make photosynthesis happen?

The catalyst speeds up the reaction

4. What are the products from photosynthesis? Write both the name AND the formula!
Name: The product is the result of the reaction

Formula: C H O + O
6 12 6 2

5. What gas do plants use during the process of photosynthesis? What gas do plants
produce after the process of photosynthesis has completed?
Plants use co2 during the start of the process.
Plants produce a gas called oxygen after the process of photosynthesis is completed.

6. Autotrophs make their own food using energy from ___________.

Autotrophs make their own food.

7. What is the function of the chloroplasts?

Chloroplasts are specialized structures that absorb energy from the sun and convert
that into chemical energy.

8. What is chlorophyll?
Its a molecule in chloroplasts that absorbs sunlight.

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9. Explain in your own words, one of the four reasons why photosynthesis is important.
Photosynthesis is important because a lot of organisms need it.
Energy and food come from it.
Oxygen is released because of it.
It puts food into our systems.

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Task 2 - Analyzing Articles
DIRECTIONS: Please choose TWO of the following articles and answer the questions in the
charts below. Each answer needs to have at least 3-5 sentences.
Article 1: Scientists Built an 'Artificial Leaf' That Uses Sunlight to Produce Clean Synthetic Fuel
Article 2: As Climate Warms, Plants Will Absorb Less CO₂, Study Finds
Article 3: Plant scientists have found a way to 'hack' photosynthesis
Article 4: Growing Green on the Red Planet

Article Title : Article 1

1. How is this related to photosynthesis?

This is related to photosynthesis by sunlight

2. What did the scientists discover?

A artificial leaf

3. Why is this research important?

It's important because it helps the world and scientist discover things

Article Title : Article 2

1. How is this related to photosynthesis?

By Co2

2. What did the scientists discover?

Plants will absorb less Co2 as climate warms climate

3. Why is this research important?

This can affect so much environment life

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Task 3 - Floating leaf disk lab
DIRECTIONS: Read the following lab experiment.
Materials
● Sodium bicarbonate solution
● Plastic syringe
● 2-3 pieces of Leaf material (spinach)
● 1 straw (to create spinach leaf discs)
● 1 beaker and 1 plastic cup
● 1 small paper plate for each person
● Timer
Procedure
1. Using a marker, write the word “Light” and then your name(s) on your plastic cup.
2. Using the end of a straw, cut out 20-30 leaf disks. Place these disks on the paper towel.
IMPORTANT: AVOID THE LEAF VEINS! THEY WILL RUIN YOUR EXPERIMENT.
a. If the disk gets stuck in the straw, gently blow through the straw to remove it.

3. Remove the syringe plunger and then CAREFULLY place the leaf disks into the syringe
barrel. Use the straw to GENTLY push the disks to the tip of the syringe.
4. Replace the plunger but be careful not to crush the leaf disks. Push on the plunger until
only a small volume of air remains in the barrel (past the 2 mL mark is good).
5. Using the syringe, suck about 20 mL bicarbonate solution into the syringe barrel.
6. Pour the rest of the solution into your plastic cup.
7. Turn the syringe upside down so the tip points upwards.
a. Tap the syringe to suspend the leaf disks in the solution.
b. Once the leaf disks are all floating, GENTLY push out any air in the syringe.

8. Holding your thumb TIGHTLY over the syringe-opening, gently draw back on the
plunger to create a vacuum (you’ll feel it pulling on your thumb. It will probably hurt a bit.
You will survive, I promise.). Hold this vacuum for about 10-15 seconds.
a. Take your thumb off the tip of the syringe and hold it up. The bicarbonate solution will sneak into
the air spaces in the leaf causing the disks to sink.
9. Place the syringe facing upwards on your desk. Hold your thumb on the opening. Then
gently push downward. Hold for about 10-15 seconds.
a. You will have to repeat step 7&8 about 2-3 times in order to get the disks to sink.
10. Once all of your disks are sinking, push out as much solution as you can back into the
cup without crushing the leaf disks! There will be some water left in the syringe.
11. Pull out the plunger and dump out the leaf disks into your plastic cup.
a. If they all (or at least most of them) sink to the bottom you are good so far. If not, you will have to
start all over. :(
12. Place your cup under a consistent light source. Place the cup under the light set up in
class. I will place a cup labeled DARK in a darkened cabinet with zero sunlight.
13. Use a timer and observe how many leaves are floating in your cup after each minute for
10 minutes. RECORD your minute by minute observations in TABLE 1 below! If you
forget to do this you will have to START ALL OVER!

Collecting Data

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To collect data, you will check the progress of your leaf disks every minute. Count how many
leaf disks are floating after each minute.
Table 1: Floating Leaf Disks
Time Disks Floating in Light Disks Floating in Dark

1 minute 1 0

2 minutes 4 1

3 minutes 4 1

4 minutes 7 1

5 minutes 9 1

6 minutes 9 1

7 minutes 9 1

8 minutes 9 1

9 minutes 9 1

10 minutes 9 1

DATA ANALYSIS:
1. At what time did some of the leaf disks first start to float? At what time did most of the
leaf disks float?
In the 1 time zone only 1 was floating after 5 minutes 9 leaves were floating

2. Which beaker had more floating leaf disks at the end of the experiment, LIGHT or DARK?
light

3. Do you think that all the leaf disks in the LIGHT beaker would float if enough time
passed? Use vocabulary words to explain why.
Yes I believe so as long as we have enough energy. All of them would have floated due to
photosynthesis

4. What about the leaf disks in the DARK beaker? Use vocabulary words to explain why.
The dark beaker still wouldn't have worked due to us. It may probably have been
because we weren't careful.

5. What gas is being consumed in photosynthesis? What gas is being produced?

Carbon dioxide is being consumed while oxygen is being produced

6. Would increasing the amount of light increase the rate of photosynthesis? Explain.

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 Yes the more light that showed the more it would drive the reaction
7. How do plants obtain and use they need to grow and live? (Write 2-3 Paragraphs. Each
7.

paragraph should be 7-8 sentences long)

Plants obtain and use energy by getting the energy they need from the sun. Water and
Oxygen is also a big thing that they need to survive and gather energy. Plants use
photosynthesis in order to absorb energy. They use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon
dioxide and water. The plants use these simple sugars as food.

The process of photosynthesis is very interesting; it involves transforming water, sunlight,

and carbon dioxide into oxygen, and simple sugars that the plants can use as food. It also
helps with their glucose. Glucose is one of the main sugars found in our bodies. Our blood
carries it all over our bodies to create energy. The plants would be reactant to the energies
and the foods, making them grow bigger and get stronger.

MASTERY RUBRIC AND COMPLETION CHECKLIST

Learning Target
(HS-LS2-6): I can evaluate the claims, evidence, and reasoning that stable conditions
result in consistent populations within an ecosystem, while changing conditions can
result in a new ecosystem.

Guiding Question
How do plants obtain and use energy they need to grow and live?

1 Concerns (2) Goal Achieved (3) Exceeded Mastery (4)

(Similar to a C) (Similar to a B or B+) (Similar to an A or A+)

A score of 2 means you 1) Topic and Content ❏ Answered the challenge question?
did everything you My argument has a ❏ Real-world examples or
knowledgeable and applications used not from the
were supposed to but class activity.
your answer may have thoughtful response to the
❏ Score 80% or above on the Unit
used some vocabulary learning target(s) and guiding quiz.
incorrectly or your use question(s). ❏ Supported my argument with
of evidence was unclear information that was not
2) Use of Evidence and provided in class and cited
or missing some
Analysis correctly.
important details. ❏ Used all score 4 vocabulary.
My argument is supported by
information from the
provided class resources You need at least 3 boxes
and class activities. checked from the above boxes to
have a chance at earning a
grade of 4 if you got a 3 on
everything else.

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IMPORTANT! Any information used that is NOT learned from class MUST be cited or you will have to
redo the assignment! You must use YOUR OWN WORDS.
Required Vocabulary: If you do not use ALL of the Score 2 words you will get NO CREDIT.

Score 2 Words Score 3 Words Score 4 Words

● Energy ● Energy
● Photosynthesis
● Energy ● Catalyst
● Photosynthesis
● Chloroplasts
● Photosynthesis ● Autotroph
● Chloroplasts
● Oxygen
● Chloroplasts ● Chemical Formula
● Oxygen
● Water
● Oxygen ● Carbon dioxide
● Water
● Glucose
● Water ● Chlorophyll
● Glucose
● Glucose
● Reactant
● Reactant
● Product
● Product
● Catalyst