How Plants Make Food: Photosynthesis for Grade 5

Learning Objectives

• Name the things a plant needs for photosynthesis: sunlight, water and carbon dioxide.
• Describe what a plant makes in photosynthesis: sugar and oxygen.
• Explain where each part of photosynthesis happens and why it is important for living things.

Lesson Procedure

• Use the lesson plan to teach the lesson in about 45 minutes.
• Print the worksheet for guided and independent practice.
• Use the answer key to check students' work.

Assessment

Check the inputs and outputs in activities 1 and 2. Activity 6 shows whether students can explain the process and why it matters.

Differentiation

Support: give students a labelled diagram and a word list. Challenge: ask students to explain why a plant kept in the dark turns pale.

Classroom Activity Ideas

• Light and dark: put one plant on a sunny windowsill and one in a dark cupboard for a week and compare.
• Leaf chromatography: students separate the colors in a green leaf with a coffee filter and a safe solvent.
• Photosynthesis diagram: students draw a plant with arrows showing what goes in and what comes out.

Teacher Tips

Use the word equation: carbon dioxide + water, with light, makes sugar + oxygen. Remind students that plants take in water through roots and carbon dioxide through tiny holes in leaves. Say that plants also use oxygen for respiration, but they make more oxygen than they use during the day.

What's Included

• 6-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
• Key vocabulary list (6 words with meanings and examples)
• Student worksheet (6 activities)
• Editable Word version of the worksheet
• Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

• Editable Worksheet (Word) (DOCX)
• Answer Key (PDF) (PDF)

Teacher Reviews