This is part three of a five part Christian Home School Lesson Series for first graders on plants that aims to fulfill the Science Content Standards from the California Department of Education.
Lesson 3: Photosynthesis
Purpose: To explore and know more about God’s work of plant’s photosynthesis
Book(s) read:
Molly Bang’s Living Sunlight.
Other tools:
Paper
Pencil
Crayons
Learning Objectives:
- Learn general knowledge about photosynthesis.
- Learn the vocabulary concerning photosynthesis.
- Illustrate what is learned in this lesson about photosynthesis.
- Learn a spiritual lesson concerning God’s creation of plant.
Lessons
1. Learn general knowledge about photosynthesis.
Tool 1: Read Molly Bang’s Living Sunlight.
Tool 2: Questions
What is your favorite picture from what we read?
Can you point to pictures that shows a plant.
Tool 3: Further period of interactive instructions
The Sun is helpful for life.
Photosynthesis is making life with sunlight (Molly Bang, Living Sunlight, 14).
Plants have something called chlorophyll which catches sunlight and use it for energy to break down water (Molly Bang, Living Sunlight, 9-10).
Where photosynthesis takes place in the leaves are cells rich with what is called Chloroplasts. Specifically these are pigments that are molecules that are good at absorbing sunlight (Christine Zuchora-Walske, Photosynthesis, 22-24).
The plant then store the energy in little packets (Molly Bang, Living Sunlight, 10).
Plants take from the air carbon dioxide which is what humans and animals breathe out (Molly Bang, Living Sunlight, 11-12).
Carbon dioxide is used with plant’s energy packet to make sugar (Molly Bang, Living Sunlight, 12-13).
With sugar all the parts of plants are being built (Molly Bang, Living Sunlight, 13).
As human being we don’t have leaves to make energy from sun; but we get energy when we eat plants!
Plants also releases oxygen which all living creatures need to breath in order to live (Molly Bang, Living Sunlight, 20).
Thus we see plants helps us with life form as energy and also for making oxygen for us to breathe!
2. Learn the vocabulary concerning photosynthesis.
(Note: Write down the vocabularies on a white board)
- Plant life cycle: A life cycle is when a plant begins, grow and make more plants (Aaron Carr, Plants (Science Kids Life Cycles), 5).
- Seed: What a plant produces that contain the materials to start a new plant.
- Germination: This is when a seed is on or in the soil and soaks in water ends up having its seed coat soften and broken which then begin to grow into a plant. (Gail Gibbons, From Seed to Plant, 21-22).
3. Illustrate what is learned in this lesson about photosynthesis.
Have four blocks to draw in.
First block draw a picture of sun light shining on a plant.
Second block draw roots of a plant getting water.
Third block draw chloroplasts.
Fourth block draw a person next to a plant and eating a fruit (this is to show how we depend on plants for life).
Switch paper and see the similarities and differences in one another’s drawings.
4. Learn a spiritual lesson about God’s creation of photosynthesis.
Tool 1: Bible
“Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;” (Genesis 1:29)
This is on the sixth day of God’s creation.
Here God speaks to man.
God tells man that plants are to be his food.
If you remember that seeds are in some plant’s fruit. These fruits are then eaten by animals or humans and the seed are then scattered elsewhere and new plants arise. Here we see God’s design even with food for humans but also for plant life cycles!
Tool 2: Questions
Are you amazed at God’s creation of plants?
Review: Share what you learn today.
Excellent !
Thanks! God’s creation is so awesome all around us!
Yes. He is Awesome… I love gardening. Each flower each plant speaks of the beauty of the creator.
Amazing to see how the Creator set up plant life balancing/complementing animal and human life with regards to oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Yeah it is so amazing. It can’t just be a coincidence. Even with the oxygen produced it can easily float away if it wasn’t for the fact that the Earth has the gravitational pull it has with its shape and size. That and the right distance for the sun for heat and an atmosphere to retain the heat are necessary condition for human life among other things. And the plants are also source of energy for other animals and humans. I’m not a big fan of using the design argument but nevertheless you see design all around us. Incredible. Providence. What an amazing God who created our world! Enjoy your post-Christmas Day R&R!
Thanks! Had to work from home for Kodak for four hours, had visitors for two hours, went to grocery store for a few things, and will prepare dinner in an hour. Maybe after that I can start my R&R! 😊
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Thanks for the reblog! I hope you had a blessed Christmas yesterday?
Yankee Whiskey Bravo and I did. Likewise for you and yours as well
Photosynthesis! A wonderful allegorical lesson in God’s creation. Living things being fed by The Light.
Yeah I agree! A wonderful apologetics illustration too actually! Everything depending upon the Light of the World. I wonder if this theme and analogy would make its way into your comic artwork when you pick it up again?
I haven’t thought of anything specific but it’s possible. Some of the devout citations produce food and drink. Then again, the analogy itself would make a good side story.
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