Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

So we jumped into photosynthesis over the past couple of weeks in my class.  A tricky topic when it comes down to it, but rather manageable for 5th graders with a few special tools!   The first thing we did was to incorporate Close Reading into science.  I was pretty excited to see if Close Reading strategies would really work during science, but they did!  See the following passage that  I wrote to teach my students the basic concepts about photosynthesis and how they effect cellular respiration.

I like the format of the passage since the students can write their annotations in the side columns and even add diagrams, etc... Next, we discussed what role do petals, stems, leaves, and roots play in photosynthesis.

In order for the students to gain the information that was needed for the foldable seen below, I gave the cloze sentence format (seen above) so that they could plug in the information inside the foldable.  To make the flower petals, students used pages of an old book that we had in the classroom and they just colored over that.  For the center of the flower and for the roots, I cut up some ribbon and gave those to the students (although they could have just as easily drawn it themselves!)  

 To make the connection between Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis, I had the students make the foldable below.  They identified each and diagramed the Chloroplasts and Mitochondria (where both actually take place.)  On the inside, students recorded the scientific formula for photosynthesis AND cellular respiration.  This was a great reference!

If you would like to purchase these materials, click on the pic below.  

I also LOVE this freebie from Smith Science and Lit! It is a GREAT review of the the process of Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration! Click on the pics to be taken to her free download!

How do you teach photosynthesis in your classroom?

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