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Sun's Secret Recipe

Lesson Plan

Sun's Secret Recipe

Students will be able to identify the basic inputs (sunlight, water, carbon dioxide) and outputs (food, oxygen) of photosynthesis and understand its importance for plants and living things.

Understanding photosynthesis helps us appreciate how plants create the food we eat and the air we breathe, showing how all living things are connected. It's a fundamental process that supports life on Earth!

Audience

Autistic Middle School Students

Time

20 Minutes

Approach

Visuals, hands-on activity, and simplified language.

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

10 Minutes

Review all generated materials: Photosynthesis Power-Up Slide Deck, Warm Up: Plant Power Poll, and Photosynthesis Story Mat Activity. Gather any optional physical materials like a small plant. Ensure projector/screen is ready for the slide deck. You will need to print and cut out the pieces for the Photosynthesis Story Mat Activity in advance.

Step 1

Warm Up: Plant Power Poll

5 Minutes

  1. Distribute the Warm Up: Plant Power Poll to each student.
    2. Read each statement aloud and ask students to circle 'Yes' or 'No' or raise a hand for their answer.
    3. Briefly discuss their responses, focusing on what they already know or wonder about plants.
    Teacher Note: Encourage participation through non-verbal cues or individual check-ins if students are hesitant to speak.

Step 2

Introduction: Sun's Secret Recipe (Slide Deck)

5 Minutes

  1. Project the Photosynthesis Power-Up Slide Deck.
    2. Go through the slides, using clear, simple language and pointing to the visuals. Emphasize keywords like 'sunlight,' 'water,' 'air,' 'food,' and 'oxygen.'
    3. On Slide 3, briefly explain that 'food' for plants is sugar, but we'll call it 'plant food' for simplicity.
    4. Use the interactive question on Slide 4 to prompt responses about where plants get their 'ingredients.'
    Teacher Note: Keep the pace slow and allow time for students to process each slide's visual information. Rephrase if needed.

Step 3

Activity: Photosynthesis Story Mat

7 Minutes

  1. Distribute the Photosynthesis Story Mat Activity mats and the pre-cut ingredient/product pieces to each student or small group.
    2. Explain that students will place the pieces on the mat to tell the story of how plants make food.
    3. Model the first few placements: "The plant needs Sunlight... and Water... and Air." Place these pieces onto the 'inputs' areas of the mat.
    4. Then model placing the products: "And the plant makes Plant Food... and Oxygen!" Place these on the 'outputs' areas.
    Teacher Note: Provide clear verbal instructions and scaffold as needed. The mat and cut-outs are designed for direct manipulation and visual learning.

Step 4

Wrap Up

3 Minutes

  1. Briefly review the main idea: plants use sun, water, air to make food and oxygen.
    2. Ask students to share one new thing they learned or one thing they found interesting.
    Teacher Note: This serves as a quick cool-down and check for understanding. Focus on participation and effort.
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Warm Up

Warm Up: Plant Power Poll

Instructions: Listen to each statement your teacher reads. Circle 'Yes' if you think it's true, or 'No' if you think it's false.

  1. Plants need sunlight to grow.
    Yes / No




  1. Plants drink water, just like we do!
    Yes / No




  1. Plants eat food from the store.
    Yes / No




  1. Plants make the air we breathe better.
    Yes / No




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Slide Deck

Sun's Secret Recipe!

How do plants make their own food?

Introduce the idea of plants making their own food. Ask students what they think plants need to grow.

Plants: Nature's Little Chefs!

Plants use special 'ingredients' to make their food:

  • Sunlight (energy!)
  • Water (from the ground)
  • Air (we breathe it!)

Explain that plants are like tiny chefs. Show the sun, water droplet, and air symbols. Emphasize that these are the 'ingredients'.

Mixing the Ingredients!

Inside their leaves, plants mix:

  • Sunlight
  • Water
  • Air (a gas called carbon dioxide)

They use a special green color in their leaves to help!

Explain the process simply. Plants take in sunlight, water, and a gas from the air (carbon dioxide). They mix it up inside their leaves.

What Do They Make?

After mixing, plants make:

  1. Plant Food! (This helps them grow big and strong)
  2. Oxygen! (This is the fresh air we breathe)

Explain the 'products' of photosynthesis: plant food (sugar) and oxygen. Emphasize that oxygen is what we breathe.

The Big Picture

Sunlight + Water + Air = Plant Food + Oxygen!

Why is this important?

  • Plants get food to grow.
  • We get fresh air to breathe.
  • Animals get food to eat.

Review the cycle. Ask students to name the ingredients and products. Reiterate the importance of photosynthesis.

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Activity

Photosynthesis Story Mat Activity

Instructions: Use the cut-out pieces to build your plant's food-making story on the mat below. Put the things the plant needs IN the roots/leaves, and the things the plant makes OUT of the leaf!

Photosynthesis Story Mat (Print and use as a base)

Illustration of a simple green plant with roots, stem, and leaves, with empty spaces or arrows pointing towards the plant (inputs) and away from the plant (outputs).




Cut-Out Pieces:

Piece 1: Sunlight

Illustration of a bright yellow sun with rays.




Piece 2: Water Drop

Illustration of a blue water droplet.




Piece 3: Air (Carbon Dioxide)

Illustration of wavy lines representing air.




Piece 4: Plant Food

Illustration of a green leaf with sparkles, representing food.




Piece 5: Oxygen Bubble

Illustration of a bubble with an arrow pointing up, representing oxygen.




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