Photosynthesis: Food for Thought WebQuest

Introduction | Task | Advice | Process | Internet Sites |
Evaluation | Conclusion |

Introduction
Have you ever seen a plant munching on a yummy McDonald’s cheeseburger? Of course not! People love to eat in restaurants and make food they bought in a supermarket, but plants do not. So you ask, "Where do they get their food?" Good question! If you are curious about how plants eat, grab a fellow cheeseburger lover and take a bite out of some interesting web sites!

Task
To find out how plants obtain their food through a process known as photosynthesis, you and a partner will find information by using the Internet sites listed below. Take good notes in your Science notebook, so that you may go back and summarize them in a short paper using Word. Have "plant-y" of fun!

Advice
Be sure to read the information carefully. There is tons of information to "leaf" through that you might find quite interesting. Take your time with this—such information may "sprout" up later!

Process
Answer the following questions in your Science notebook.

bulletWhat is photosynthesis?
bulletHow would you describe chlorophyll?
bulletConstruct a list of "ingredients" that you think plants need in order to grow. Explain your reasoning.
bulletWhat are the main parts of a plant where photosynthesis takes place?
bulletYou want to plant a garden. How will photosynthesis play a role in the plants’ growth?
bulletCompare and contrast a plant’s photosynthetic process during the day and at night.
bulletBased on what you know, how would you explain the differences in food sources between plants and animals?
bulletIf you were a plant, where would you choose to live? Why?
bulletCan you make the distinction between the effects of sun and heat on a plant? Explain.

Internet Sites

http://library.thinkquest.org/3715/photo3.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/22016/photo/index.html
http://www.brainpop.com/science/plantsandanimals/photosynthesis
http://www.alienexplorer.com/ecology/topic3.html
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/SRPage.aspx?search=%22photosynthesis%22

 

Evaluation
Science notebook facts
Word-processed summary
Cooperative effort
 

Conclusion
At the end of this research, the students should understand the photosynthetic process, and that plants and animals differ in their food gathering habits.