Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Activity: Chef Chlorophyll


Students will participate in a skit to learn that plants make food through the process of photosynthesis.


Materials:
  • Images of the sun, water, and air (available in the "Teaching Tools" section of www.gotdirtwisconsin.org)
    • You may choose to substitute props for the images
  • Soup pot
  • Large spoon


Activity:


  • Ask the students how they think that plants eat. 
    • Use humans as an analogy.  Humans eat food to get energy.  Have they seen plants eat food?
  • Explain that leaves help plants make food through the process called photosynthesis.   
    • If humans could make their own food, it would be like making a piece of lasagna in their arm.
  • Perform the following skit to illustrate what a plant needs to make food.
    • Holding your soup pot and spoon, introduce yourself as Chef Chlorophyll. Tell your students that you live inside the leaves of a plant and are making food to help the plant grow.
    • Taste the soup in your pot and explain, “It tastes okay, but it needs a few ingredients.”
    • Ask the students what ingredients the plant needs to grow.
    • Each time a student answers a correct ingredient (sun, air, and water) give the student the image of the ingredient and allow them to place it in the pot.
    • Repeat until all of the ingredients are in the pot.
    • Tell students that the soup tastes just right and now the plant can grow big and strong.
  • Have students create recipe cards with what plants need to make food.

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