Photosynthesis- How
plants eat!!!
Grade 4
Heterograph vs.
Autograph
 Heterograph (or consumer): Organisms
that need to get their energy from the
foods they eat.
 Example: Humans and animals
 Autographs (or producer): Organisms
that use light energy from the sun to
produce the food they need.
 Example: Green plants
Photosynthesis
 Autographs use photosynthesis to produce their
own food.
 Photosynthesis- made up of a prefix- Photo (light)
and suffix- synthesis (to put together)
 Photosynthesis is the production of carbohydrates
from carbon dioxide and water, using sunlight as
the source of energy and with the aid of chlorophyll.
 Chlorophyll: pigment in leaf that absorbs light.
Ingredients needed for
Photosynthesis
 Photosynthesis could be compared to a
recipe. It is a set of steps that happen inside
the cells of green plants.
 Before we can start the “recipe” there needs
to be all of the right ingredients.
 Ingredients:




Light energy- from the sun
Water- gathered from the soil by roots
Carbon dioxide- from the air
Chlorophyll- found in the cells of green
plants
Steps of photosynthesis
 1. The chlorophyll in the cells of the plant absorbs
light from the sun
 2. The sun’s energy splits the water molecules into
hydrogen and oxygen
 3. The hydrogen joins with carbon dioxide to make
sugar (food)
 4. The sugar is carried to other parts of the plant.
The extra oxygen is released into the air
Photosynthesis
Plants do that, Plants do this, Plants do photosynthesis! Green plants do, Make their food, Water,
sunlight, C-O-2! Every time, They wanna' meal, Plants photosynthesize, With zeal! Pigment
called, Chlorophyll, Fills green plants, On windowsill, Lets those plants, Feed us all, Lets green
plants, Feed the world! And they give, O-2 To breathe, Better hope, Those plants, Don't leave!
Now just give, Plants a kiss, For their photosynthesis...
Diagram of photosynthesis
Twenty Questions
Subject: Photosynthesis
Twenty Questions
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1. Organisms that get their
energy from the food they
eat, are called?
 Heterographs
2. What is an example of a
heterograph?
 Human or animal
3. Organisms that use light
energy from the sun to
produce the food they
need,
are
called?
 Autographs
4. What is an example of
an autograph?
 Green plants
5. What is it called when
autographs produce their
own food?
 Photosynthesis
6. What does the prefix in
photosynthesis mean?
 Photo- light
7. What does the suffix in
photosynthesis mean?
 Synthesis- to put together
8. What is the definition of
Photosynthesis?
 Production of carbohydrates from carbon dioxide
and water, using sunlight as the source of energy
with the aid of chlorophyll.
9. What is chlorophyll?
 A pigment in leaf that absorbs light
10. Where do plants get
“light energy”?
 The sun
11. How do plants gather
water?
 Roots in the soil
12. Where do plants get
carbon dioxide?
 From the air
13. What are the 4
“ingredients” for
photosynthesis?
 1. Light energy
 2. water
 3. Carbon dioxide
 4. Chlorophyll
14. What does the suns
energy do inside the plant?
 Splits the water molecules into hydrogen and
oxygen.
15. What is the plants
food?
 Sugar or glucose
16. Hydrogen joins with
carbon dioxide to make?
 Sugar (food for the plant)
17. What happens to the
extra oxygen?
 Released into the air
18. True or false: Sugar is
carried to other parts of the
plant, besides the leaves.
 True
19. What do plants give off
that humans need?
 Oxygen
20. What is the most
interesting thing you
learned?
 Something they learned in the slides 