A green plant's food factory

A plant is not eating the pot

A green plant cannot stroll to a sandwich shop. It makes sugars using a process called photosynthesis. Let's follow the jobs of its roots, stem and leaves. Our drawing is a simple job map; it does not show every tiny process inside living cells.

Start at the roots

Roots take up water and dissolved minerals from their surroundings. Those minerals matter, but ordinary soil is not a ready-made sugar dinner. Draw a water arrow toward the roots. Think about materials entering a system before trying to explain what the whole plant makes.

The stem connects the parts

The stem helps support the plant and transports materials between its parts. Our picture uses a single line to keep things clear. A real stem is more complicated. One simple drawing can explain connections without pretending that the plant is made from drinking straws.

A green leaf makes sugar

Green leaves can use light energy with water and carbon dioxide from the air to make sugars. Light is the energy source, not a spoonful of food. The materials and energy have different roles. Follow each label and explain its role in your own words.

Pause: choose the missing label

Pause and complete a new paper diagram. It already shows water from the roots and light supplying energy. One label for a material arriving from the air is missing. Is it carbon dioxide, sand, or ready-made bread? Explain which belongs in our photosynthesis model.

The missing material

Carbon dioxide is the missing label. It is a gas in the air used in photosynthesis. Sand and bread do not fill that job. Remember that this is a model of a green plant making sugars, not a claim that light replaces all of its other needs.

Leaves are not the only place

Fun fact: some plants have green stems that also carry out photosynthesis. Leaves are a useful starting point for our model, but nature has variations. A good explanation can describe a common pattern while leaving room for real examples that work differently.

Draw the connected jobs

Continue to the worksheet below. Draw roots, a stem and leaves, then label water, light and carbon dioxide. Explain where sugar is made in this model. Use paper instead of depriving a real plant of water or light. Your labels should do more than decorate the page.