A producer is an organism that makes its own food.

In a chemical reaction, substances are broken down and react to form new substances.

Photosynthesis is a series of chemical reactions by which producers make their own food.

Carbon dioxide is a compound made of carbon and oxygen that is a gas at room temperature and a reactant in photosynthesis.

Glucose is a sugar (carbohydrate) produced by photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis

Science

Plant nutrition

Adaptations of plants for photosynthesis: absorbing light

Adaptations of plants for photosynthesis: gas exchange and stomata

Pupils will learn about differences in the cell structures of eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms.

Pupils learned about gas exchange in humans, and cellular respiration in all living organisms uses glucose as a fuel to provide energy for life processes.

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.

Plant nutrition and photosynthesis

What is the name of the process that plants use to make their own food?

**Alex:** “Roots are just an anchor to hold the plant in place.”

**Izzy:** “Root cells don’t need food to stay alive.”

**Jun:** “The roots take in all the food they need from the soil.”

**Lucas:** “There’s no light underground for photosynthesis.”

Four children suggest why photosynthesis does not take place in plant roots. Who is correct?

Light transfers _____ to plant leaves for photosynthesis.

Which of the following things are **reactants** of photosynthesis?

Which product is missing from the word summary of photosynthesis?

Plants would continue to take in food from their surroundings.

Plants would stay alive by making their own food.

Plants would survive forever by taking in water.

What would happen if a disaster plunged the Earth into darkness for a very long time?

Which **two** things do plants take in from their surroundings through their **roots**?

A plant’s **leaves** take in gases and {{}} to keep the plant alive.

**Laura:** “Plants don’t need food – they are food!”

**Aisha:** “Plants are producers. They make their own food.”

**Sam:** “Plants are consumers because they consume food.”

**Sofia:** “Plants take in nutrients, which is all the food they need.”

The food that plants make in their leaves is a type of {{}}.

If you looked at the leaf under a microscope, what would you see?

A substance that does **not** take part in the chemical reaction.

A substance that is made by the chemical reaction.

A substance that is used by the chemical reaction.

A substance that speeds up the chemical reaction but is **not** changed by it.

Chemical reactions have reactants and products. What is a **reactant** in a chemical reaction?

Starter Quiz

Which two things do plants take in from their surroundings through their roots?