Illuminating Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis in plants (and a few bacteria) is responsible for feeding nearly all life on Earth. It allows energy from the sun to be converted into a storable form, usually glucose, which plants use to grow and thrive. Photosynthesis also generates the oxygen that animals need to survive. But here we animals repay the favor. We exhale the carbon dioxide that plants need for photosynthesis. Here, take a closer look at the oxygen/carbon dioxide cycle and the process of photosynthesis.
This NOVA website provides students with a quick interactive to explain (in simple terms) how organisms exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide. The text is written in a catchy ABAB rhyming pattern that is easy to follow. This website could be displayed by the teacher as a direct instruction strategy, or students could explore the site individually as a discovery activity prior to any direct instruction or the interactive could be used as a formative assessment.
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eduToolbox® is a resource-sharing portal developed by the Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation with collaborative support and funding from the Tennessee Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Education's Math & Science Partnership program.
