Year 9 - Science
Plant nutrition
Plant nutrition and photosynthesis
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
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 describe what plants need from their surroundings to stay alive and grow, and how they get food.
Key Notes
- Plants are living organisms that need light, air, water and minerals to stay alive and grow
- Plants take in light and gases from air through their leaves, and take in water and minerals through their roots
- Water and minerals are not food, but plants do need food to stay alive and grow
- Plants do not take in food from their surroundings, they are producers that make their own food
- The food that plants make is carbohydrate, which they use for growth and as a source of energy
Vocabulary To Learn
- minerals: Plants need chemicals called minerals to stay healthy and grow.
- food: Food is any substance that an organism uses as a source of both energy and materials for growth and repair.
- producer: A producer is an organism that makes its own food.
- carbohydrate: Carbohydrates are a type of nutrient found in foods. Sugar and starch are examples of carbohydrates.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Plants take in food from their surroundings.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Plants are living organisms that need light, air, water and minerals to stay alive and grow. Plants take in light and gases from air through their leaves, and take in water and minerals through their roots.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'minerals'
Plants need chemicals called minerals to stay healthy and grow. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Plants take in food from their surroundings. Correction: This lesson explores why the things taken in by plants are not food, and the idea that plants make the food they need to survive.
More Lessons In This Unit
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