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Year 9 - Science

Photosynthesis

Plant nutrition and photosynthesis

Unit Summary

This unit covers photosynthesis, including how plants produce carbohydrates, absorb water and minerals, and the role of leaf stomata in gas exchange. It highlights the importance of photosynthesis in sustaining life on Earth and explores the adaptations of leaves for photosynthesis.

Lesson Summary

You can identify the reactants and products of photosynthesis and write a word summary of the process.

Key Notes

  • Producers make their own food using a process called photosynthesis.
  • Photosynthesis can only happen when there is light.
  • Photosynthesis is a series of chemical reactions that take place inside cells.
  • The reactants of photosynthesis are water and carbon dioxide, and the products are oxygen and glucose (a carbohydrate).
  • Photosynthesis involves many chemical reactions; a word summary of the reactants and products is a model of the process.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • producer: A producer is an organism that makes its own food.
  • chemical reaction: In a chemical reaction, substances are broken down and react to form new substances.
  • photosynthesis: Photosynthesis is a series of chemical reactions by which producers make their own food.
  • carbon dioxide: Carbon dioxide is a compound made of carbon and oxygen that is a gas at room temperature and a reactant in photosynthesis.
  • glucose: Glucose is a sugar (carbohydrate) produced by photosynthesis.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Light is a chemical reactant in photosynthesis and it is turned into food.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.

Producers make their own food using a process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis can only happen when there is light.

2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'producer'

A producer is an organism that makes its own food. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.

3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.

Mistake: Light is a chemical reactant in photosynthesis and it is turned into food. Correction: Challenge the misconception that light is a chemical reactant in photosynthesis.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 9 Science guide library.