8th Grade

Quarter Unit 2

1st

Energy
NGSS Performance Expectation
LS1-6 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and
flow of energy into and out of organisms.
LS1-7 Develop a model to describe how food is rearranged through chemical reactions forming new molecules that
support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism
Enduring Understandings
Plants, green algae and some bacteria convert light energy to chemical energy during photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are complementary processes necessary to the survival of most
organisms on Earth.
Essential Questions
1. How is light energy converted to usable energy by living things?
2. How do cells transform, store and use energy to maintain the survival of organisms?

Science and Engineering Practices

Developing and Using Models

Constructing Explanations and designing
solutions
Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS1.A Structure and Function
LS1.C Organization for Matter and
Energy Flow in Organisms
PS3.D Energy in Chemical Processes
and Everyday Life.

Crosscutting
Concepts

Cause and
Effect
Systems and
System
Models
Scale
Proportion
and Quantity

8th Grade
Quarter Unit 2

1st

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Students will be to:
Students will know and understand:
Develop a model to describe
Plants, algae and many
unobservable mechanisms
microorganisms use the
Construct a scientific explanation based
energy from light to make
on valid and reliable evidence obtained
sugars from carbon dioxide
from sources(including the students own
from the atmosphere and
experiments) and the assumptions that
water through the process
theories and laws that describe the
of photosynthesis which
natural world operate today as they did
in the past and will continue to do so in
also releases oxygen.
the future.
These sugars can be used
immediately or stored for
growth or later use.
Within individual
organisms, food moves
through a series of
chemical reactions in which
it is broken down and
rearranged to form new
molecules, support growth,
or release energy.
The chemical reaction by

Structure
and Function
Energy and
Matter

Cause and
effect
relationships
may be used
to predict
phenomena
in natural
systems.
Systems
may interact
with other
systems;
they may
have subsystems and
be a part of
larger
complex
systems.
Phenomena

8th Grade
Quarter Unit 2

1st

which plants produce

complex food molecules
requires an energy input to
occur. In this reaction,
carbon dioxide and water
combine to form carbonbased organic molecules
and release oxygen.
Cellular respiration in
plants and animals involves
chemical reactions with
oxygen that release stored
energy. In these processes
complex molecules
containing carbon react
with oxygen to produce
carbon dioxide and other
materials.

that can be
observed at
one scale
may not be
observable
at another
scale.
Matter is
conserved
because
atoms are
conserved in
physical and
chemical
processes.
Complex and
microscopic
structures
and systems
can be
visualized,
modeled,
and used to
describe how
their function
depends on
the

8th Grade
Quarter Unit 2

1st

relationships
among its
parts;
therefore,
complex
natural and
designed
structures/sy
stems can
be analyzed
to determine
how they
function.

ASSESSMENTS
Sample Student Performance Tasks
Just Count the bubbles- Scenario Based Investigations (Pearson book
pg28-30) students will complete the investigation to measure the effect of
light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis.
Venn Diagram comparing photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

District Assessment
TBD

8th Grade
Quarter Unit 2

1st

Students will create a venn diagram of the processes of photosynthesis and

respiration to identify how they compare and contrast.
Unit Test. Teacher created test for students to show mastery of the content
for the unit.
Text and Multimedia Resources
Technology Integration

Respiration Demonstration
o http://science-class.net/archive/scienceclass/Lessons/Photosynthesis_Cell_Resp/respiration_in_yeast_dem
o.pdf
Respiration Virtual Lab
o http://www.phschool.com/science/biology_place/labbench/lab5/co
ncepts.html
Graphic Organizer
o http://science-class.net/archive/scienceclass/Graphic_Organizers/GO_photo_resp.pdf
Video
o http://www.teachertube.com/video/photosynthesis-62625

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