The following is an OER completely adjustable lab worksheet for an "at home" photosynthesis lab. Students chose a variable to test and conduct an experiment at home. This lab can be adjusted to align with the NGSS standard, MS.LS1.6.

This lesson covers the process of photosynthesis and the related plant cell functions of transpiration and cellular respiration. Students will learn how engineers can use the natural process of photosynthesis as an exemplary model of a complex yet efficient process for converting solar energy to chemical energy or distributing water throughout a system.

This illustration shows both the linear and cyclic flow of electrons during the light reaction of photosynthesis.

Got oxygen? Got food? Well, then you've got to have photosynthesis! This video will break down photosynthesis into the "photo" part (capturing light energy and storing it) and the "synthesis" part (fixing carbon into carbohydrates). It's all a bit complicated, but take a deep breath and let's find out where that oxygen comes from.

Plants and trees may seem pretty passive, but behind the scenes, their cells are working hard to put on a magic show. In this episode of Crash Course Botany, we’ll explore how the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration work, why they’re so critical for all life on Earth, and how they’re helping us to forge a greener path to the future.

Chapters:
Plants' Magic Show
Photosynthesis
The Light-Dependent Reactions
The Light-Independent Reactions
Cellular Respiration
Biofuels
Review & Credits
Credits

Students learn about the basic principles of electromicrobiology—the study of microorganisms’ electrical properties—and the potential that these microorganisms may have as a next-generation source of sustainable energy. They are introduced to one such promising source: microbial fuel cells (MFCs). Using the metabolisms of microbes to generate electrical current, MFCs can harvest bioelectricity, or energy, from the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Students learn about the basics of MFCs and how they function as well as the chemical processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration

How and where photosynthesis evolved in the ancestors of cyanobacteria (along with a discussion of endosymbiosis).

Physical Chemistry is the application of physical principles and measurements to understand the properties of matter, as well as for the development of new technologies for the environment, energy and medicine. Advanced Physical Chemistry topics include different spectroscopic methods (Raman, ultrafast and mass spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic and electron paramagnetic resonance, x-ray absorption and atomic force microscopy) as well as theoretical and computational tools to provide atomic-level understanding for applications such as: nanodevices for bio-detection and receptors, interfacial chemistry of catalysis and implants, electron and proton transfer, protein function, photosynthesis and airborne particles in the atmosphere.

What do plants need? Students examine the effects of light and air on green plants, learning the processes of photosynthesis and transpiration. Student teams plant seeds, placing some in sunlight and others in darkness. They make predictions about the outcomes and record ongoing observations of the condition of the stems, leaves and roots. Then, several healthy plants are placed in glass jars with lids overnight. Condensation forms, illustrating the process of transpiration, or the release of moisture to the atmosphere by plants.

This lesson covers plant processes including photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration. This represents a portion of the Introduction to Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) series in Nebraska middle and high school agricultural education.

What do plants eat? This unit explores plants and how they make food.

Students explore whether rooftop gardens are a viable option for combating the urban heat island effect. Can rooftop gardens reduce the temperature inside and outside houses? Teams each design and construct two model buildings using foam core board, one with a "green roof" and the other with a black tar paper roof. They measure and graph the ambient and inside building temperatures while under heat lamps and fans. Then students analyze the data and determine whether the rooftop gardens are beneficial to the inhabitants.

The topic of photosynthesis is a fundamental concept in biology, chemistry, and earth science. Educational studies have found that despite classroom presentations, most students retain their naive idea that a plant's mass is mostly derived from the soil, and not from the air. To call students' attention to this misconception, at the beginning of this lesson we will provide a surprising experimental result so that students will confront their mental mistake. Next, we will help students better envision photosynthesis by modeling where the atoms come from in this important process that produces food for the planet. This lesson can be completed in 50-60 minutes, with the students working on in-class activities during 20-25 minutes of the lesson. As a prerequisite, students need an introductory lesson on photosynthesis, something that includes the overall chemical equation. If students have already studied the intracellular photosynthetic process in detail, this video can still be very helpful because students often miss the big picture about photosynthesis. Materials needed include red, white and black LEGO bricks (described in downloadable hand-out) or strips of red, white and black paper plus paper clips (directions provided in downloadable hand-out). In addition to class discussions, the major in-class activity of this video involves the students' modeling with LEGO bricks or colored paper where the atoms come from in photosynthesis.

A very short video introduction to how photosynthesis cycles energy through an ecosystem and a "real-world" application of ratios! Lindsay Hollister, JPPM's horticulturalist, taps a black walnut tree for its sap and park staff boil it down to create syrup. Included in this video are an animated food web showing the directions of energy flow during photosynthesis and when sap is "rising," which can be extended by students to include humans or more parts of their local ecosystem. Use the video as an introduction to activities about sugar and biological storage, and an excuse to sample maple syrup to taste the sugar. Alternatively, research trees nearby students could help tap and witness the biological transfer of energy themselves.

Always be sure you can successfully identify a plant before using it and take precautions to avoid negative reactions.

This resource is part of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum’s open educational resources project to provide history, ecology, archaeology, and conservation resources related to our 560 acre public park. More of our content can be found here on OER Commons or from our website at jefpat.maryland.gov. JPPM is a part of the Maryland Historical Trust under the Maryland Department of Planning.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Just as it does for humans, morning signals the time to wake up for plants. Sunlight triggers stomata, which are tiny pores on plant leaves, to open. This boosts photosynthesis by letting CO₂ in and O₂ out. Cells known as guard cells are the gatekeepers of this process, and opening the stomata requires a lot of energy. But scientists have long wondered where this energy comes from. Because while guard cells serve a key photosynthetic function, they appear less equipped than surrounding cells to perform photosynthesis. Now, researchers from HKU and ETH have discovered guard cells’ secret source of fuel. Experiments on Arabidopsis plants showed that guard cells import most of their energy in the form of sugar from surrounding mesophyll cells. Mesophyll cells contain many more chloroplasts than guard cells, helping them produce large amounts of sugar through photosynthesis..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource has been prepared for one semester of an introductory-level college biology course with foundational themes of evolution, ecology, and comparative body systems. The first unit explores the origins and defining characteristics of living things and compares the earliest and simplest life forms with more complex cellular life. One of the common features of all life is that it requires energy; the next section explores the why and how of energy acquisition and relationships between the metabolic pathways. After a primer on photosynthesis and energy production via respiration, the next few sections delve into the form and physiology of plants and animals, focusing on water and food transport in plants, and in the respiratory, circulatory, digestive and reproductive systems of diverse animals. These systems were selected to serve as an introduction to animal physiology because they can be easily interleaved with other core course concepts such as energy flow and nutrient cycling through ecosystems, population genetics, bioenergetics, or speciation. The final sections of the text provide a basis for understanding evolutionary change, biodiversity, and the history and relatedness of life on Earth.

Understanding Organisms is an adapted textbook remixed from a variety of openly licensed sources, with additional content introduced by the author. Throughout the chapters, embedded media and special content boxes linking a diverse collection of web-based resources (e.g., popular science articles, podcasts, interactive tutorials, simulations, etc.) promote engagement and independent learning. Many of these highlight the work of biologists from diverse backgrounds or make connections between the biology content and real-world concerns. Chapter content was adapted to improve accuracy and inclusivity in topics such as sexual reproduction, sex determination, and sexual selection. Each section includes interactive H5P content in the form of no-stakes practice activities with instant feedback that allows students to self-check their understanding while engaging with the text.

This unit is under construction and should be ready by January 2019. Some of the materials for this unit will be taken from the former Unit 4 (Ecosystems Matter and Energy) but will also contain new material. Here is some of the source material that will be in the new unit when we get to it.

Hank introduces us to one of the most diverse and important families in the tree of life - the vascular plants. These plants have found tremendous success and their secret is also their defining trait: conductive tissues that can take food and water from one part of a plant to another part. Though it sounds simple, the ability to move nutrients and water from one part of an organism to another was an evolutionary breakthrough for vascular plants, allowing them to grow exponentially larger, store food for lean times, and develop features that allowed them to spread farther and faster. Plants dominated the earth long before animals even showed up, and even today hold the world records for the largest, most massive, and oldest organisms on the planet.

Chapters:
1) 3 Tissue Types
2) Primary Growth
3) Secondary Growth
4) Dermal Tissue
a) Epidermis
5) Parenchyma Cells
6) Vascular Tissue
7) Xylem
8) Collenchyma
9) Sclerenchyma
10) Ground Tissue
a) Mesophyll
b) Photosynthesis
11) Phloem

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Across all three domains of life, organisms have adapted to earth’s natural light-dark cycle, setting their genetic, metabolic, and behavioral clocks to it. That includes the single-celled cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus, one of the most dominant phytoplankton in the oceans. Recent lab experiments revealed that cyanophages, viruses that infect Prochlorococcus, also show light-dark rhythms and express different genes according to their stage of infection: early, middle, or late. But whether that phenomenon occurs in the open ocean remained unclear. To find out, researchers analyzed genetic material from the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. They set out to test whether cyanophages express infection genes in unsynchronized or synchronized patterns. In unsynchronized expression, early, middle, and late infection genes are transcribed at any time. While in synchronized expression, gene transcription evolves with the time of day. Early genes, for example, are expressed at sunrise and late genes close to sunset..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

The activity walks the students through the processes of Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration.