Join databot™ in exploring sunlight, CO2, and the amazing life of plants!

Green is Great!
  • Overview
  • PDQ 1
  • PDQ 2
  • Experiment
  • Challenge
  • Collaboration
  • About the Author

Scan this QR Code with your Phyphox sensor app to load the CO2 sensor settings for all activities in the CO2 Science Series.

Green is Great!

Photosynthesis and Light

Get out your green thumb and flashlight and GO!

Overview

Grades:
Time:

 

Subject:

5-8
50+ minutes (PDQ’s + Experiment) 
50+ Minutes (Challenge & Collaboration)

Life Science

 

Join databot™ in a carbon-based quest for the secret of the rainforest, jungle, woods, gardens, forests, and all other awesome places where green goodness resides!

Background

All life with which we are familiar is based on a magical element called carbon.  People, lizards, plants, etc. are all carbon-based life forms, and we all need carbon to grow, build, and repair our cells.  One major difference between plants and other organisms on the Earth is how we each acquire the carbon we need. Different living organisms acquire their carbon in different ways.

Plants are remarkable as they are the only living organisms that  live off carbon literally pulled out of thin air from the gas we know as Carbon Dioxide.  Because of this unique ability, powered by sunlight in a process called photosynthesis, we call plants producers.  Most of the rest of us are consumers gaining the carbon we need by consuming the carbon made accessible by these great, green producers.

Let’s explore photosynthesis and light with databot™. This can help us better understand the process as we  visualize live data from plants extracting CO2 from the air!

Let’s explore further with databot™!

Objectives

By completing this experiment and conducting the scientific observations associated with it you will master the following knowledge! Good luck science explorer!

  • Plants conduct photosynthesis to  provide themselves with the carbon needed to grow and survive.
  • Plants are considered producers because they harvest the carbon necessary for growth and repair from CO2 in the air.   
  • Consumers are animals and other life forms that obtain the carbon they need for growth and repair by consuming carbohydrates formed by producers in photosynthesis.
  • Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is:
    • An invisible and odorless gas.
    • Absorbed by plants during photosynthesis.
    • The source of carbon for plants.
  • Light intensity is measured in lux and effects the rate of photosynthesis.
  • Photosynthesis requires sunlight, CO2, and water to take place.
  • Plants store carbon in sugar molecules called glucose, a carbohydrate that can be consumed by people and other organisms to provide them with carbon.
  • Scientific sensors allow us to measure the scientific world around us with better precision and accuracy.

What You'll Need

  • IOS or Android smart device with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to connect to databot™
  • databot™ + Phypox App installed on your IOS or Android device
  • Gallon sized zip lock freezer bag
  • Plastic straw
  • A clamp light that can be positioned at different heights for varying light intensity
  • Assortment of green, broadleaf plants to experiment with. We selected romaine, red lettuce and spinach for our experiments assuming they would be easily sourced.  Other plants from your garden are fun to experiment with, and you may be surprised at some of the results you get!

Important Terms

Carbohydrates: Sugars containing oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon.

Carbon:  A highly abundant, incredibly important chemical element with the symbol C that, due to its unique ability to form bonds, serves as a common element to all known life. All life that we know of we refer to as “carbon-based” and our human body is made up of approximately 18.5% carbon. 

Carbon Dioxide (CO2): A colorless, odorless gas comprised of oxygen and carbon that is naturally present in the air you breathe and is absorbed by plants in photosynthesis. 

Chlorophyll: a pigment in plants that enables them to absorb and use light energy  in the process of photosynthesis.

Consumers (heterotrophs): Consumers are living organisms that acquire their carbon from means other than photosynthesis, such as eating plants and absorbing the carbohydrates stored in the plant.

Glucose: A simple carbohydrate, a sugar, that is used as a source of energy by plant and animal cells.

Light: A form of electromagnetic radiation capable of being seen by the human eye. Stars like our sun give off radiation, sunlight, that provides energy for the process of photosynthesis in plants.

Lux: The lux is unit of measurement used to express light intensity as perceived by the human eye.  For example, a dark overcast day might read 100 lux, classroom lighting 500 lux, a sunny day 25,000 lux, and direct sunlight 100,000 lux.

Oxygen (O2): A molecule formed of two oxygen atoms and is a major component (21%) of the air we breathe.  When we breathe, we extract oxygen from the air and absorb it into our bloodstream.  Our cells then use oxygen to convert food to energy!

Photosynthesis: The chemical process in plants, driven by sunlight, that absorbs carbon dioxide from the air and combines it with water to provide the carbon needed by the plant to form complex molecules that enable it to grow and repair itself. Glucose, its source of energy, is one of these complex molecules.

Producers (autotrophs): Plants are considered producers due to their unique ability to produce complex molecules from carbon gained through the process of photosynthesis.  They draw the carbon supply needed to survive from CO2 molecules in the air!

Stomata: Tiny pores found on plant leaves used for gas exchange. Carbon dioxide enters the plant through the stomata and oxygen is released.

Water: A chemical substance that covers over 70% of Earth’s surface and is essential to all living things.  Water is an important component of photosynthesis as it, sunlight, and carbon dioxide work together to produce carbohydrates, the source of energy for the plant.

Prep

Read the background information and learning objectives, study the terms, and explore the additional resource links.  

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Next stop – PDQ1 – that means Pretty Darn Quick. Go dog, go!

This way to PDQ1

Go!

Educator Info

Educator Info

  • Read the background information, study the terms, and explore the additional resource links.
  • Practice the PDQs and Experiment and review the accompanying educator information.
  • Note that this module can take considerably longer than the normal PDQ and experiment times due to the time required to collect the data from photosynthesis.  If you are on a tight timetable you can use the provided data instead, but it’s much more fun to collect the data live!
  • Review the Challenge and Collaboration extensions if of interest. These are both designed to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the concepts associated with the data.

The following learning objectives are emphasized in this module, please note that this module on photosynthesis focuses on the significance of carbon to life forms on earth.  

  • Plants conduct photosynthesis to  provide themselves with the carbon needed to grow and survive.
  • Plants are considered producers because they harvest the carbon necessary for growth and repair from CO2 in the air.   
  • Consumers are animals and other life forms that obtain the carbon they need for growth and repair by consuming carbohydrates formed by producers in photosynthesis.
  • Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is:
    • An invisible and odorless gas.
    • Absorbed by plants during photosynthesis.
    • The source of carbon for plants.
  • Light intensity is measured in lux and effects the rate of photosynthesis.
  • Photosynthesis requires sunlight, CO2, and water to take place.
  • Plants store carbon in sugar molecules called glucose, a carbohydrate that can be consumed by people and other organisms to provide them with carbon.
  • Scientific sensors allow us to measure the scientific world around us with better precision and accuracy.
  • 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.
  • MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. (Grades 6 – 8)
  • MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved. (Grades 6 – 8)

Cross Cutting Concepts

  • Systems may interact with other systems; they may have sub-systems and be a part of larger complex systems.
  • Models can be used to represent systems and their interactions.
  • Energy and Matter. Matter is conserved because atoms are conserved in physical and chemical processes.
  • Within a natural or designed system, the transfer of energy drives the motion and/or cycling of matter.
  • Cause and Effect. Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems.

Engineering Practices

  • NGSS Practice 4: Analyzing and Interpreting Data
    Excerpt: When possible and feasible, students should use digital tools to analyze and interpret data. Whether analyzing data for the purpose of science or engineering, it is important students present data as evidence to support their conclusion.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

  • LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms. Within individual organisms, food moves through a series of chemical reactions in which it is broken down and rearranged to form new molecules, to support growth, or to release energy.

It often comes as a surprise to students that plants are green because they actually reflect the green light wavelength.  Green is the wavelength of light “not” used in the process of photosynthesis.

Are plants consuming CO2 all day and all night?

Plants give off oxygen as they process CO2, does this happen only during the day when there is sunlight?

Why do you suppose plants are green?

Can you think of any plants that are not green?

Awesome plant image by Miklós Kocsis from Pixabay.

Important terms developed using Simple English Wikipedia.  Users are encouraged to donate!

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