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Seventh Graders Explore the Mechanics of Photosynthesis
Seventh graders are learning the process of photosynthesis, while practicing and honing science skills such as creating and viewing microscope slides. They began with a review of the famous photosynthesis experiment by Van Helmont (a seventeenth-century Flemish chemist), who deduced that a plant’s mass must come from water, and in asking pertinent questions, discovered that in fact the mass of a plant comes from the air (the carbon molecules in CO2) and the water together—not from the soil, as most people think. After reviewing this experiment in groups, the students diagrammed the photosynthesis equation, then performed a stomata search to see the place on leaves where plants take in the CO2 they need to survive. (The stomata are tiny openings that one can sometimes see with the naked eye, that essentially breathe for the plant. The students created microscope slides to better see these small openings.)
"I love how the subject of science is based on asking questions,” says science teacher Lindsay Mackintosh. “We always like to begin our units and classes by encouraging students to 'wonder' about a concept that we are about to dive into, permitting them to practice this skill while also allowing us to tailor our unit to the students’ interests.”
After learning about the specific mechanics of how photosynthesis works, the students will also explore how people have used "plant technology" when creating solar panels. Says Ms. Mackintosh, “Plants (and animals) have evolved so well that we humans often mimic their natural structures to create purposeful, efficient, and practical things that better our world today.” MORE PHOTOS
