Modeling Photosynthesis Class Simulation Activity with NGSS Practices
Christi Moore ResourcesDescription
Transform your class with this fast-moving activity that illustrates the process of photosynthesis & nutrient transport in plants! Your students will be laughing and you will be smiling when they can recall how various molecules move throughout a plant. This whole class activity works with small groups or larger classes. Labels are placed around the room to represent the structure of a plant including the leaves (leaf cells, stomata, and chloroplasts), stem (xylem and phloem tissue), and roots (root cells). Each student will represent part of the plant and will complete a specialized task such as transporting water (xylem tissue) to the leaf cells. The following labels are included: leaf cells, root cells, xylem tissue, phloem tissue, chloroplast, stomata, CO2, H2O, O2, glucose, and sunlight. Also included is the cell & tissue job descriptions for students to reference, teacher instructions & tips, and a follow-up discussion worksheet with a peer modeling activity.
*Check out the video preview for a demonstration of this fun activity!
Next Generation Science Standards Incorporated:
MS-LS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function.
MS-LS1-6. Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms.
MS-LS1-7. Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.
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