Pizza Garden: Leaves

Leaves

	Leaves are nature's food factories. Plants take water from the ground through their roots. They take a gas called carbon dioxide from the air. Plants use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into glucose. Glucose is a kind of sugar. Plants use glucose as food for energy and as a building block for growing. The way plants turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar is called photosynthesis. That means "putting together with light." A chemical called chlorophyll helps make photosynthesis happen. Chlorophyll is what gives plants their green color.


	Because the two reactions, Photosynthesis (energy-storing) and Respiration (energy-releasing) are so closely related (especially in the nomenclature, I usually combine these two chapters. The two equations are essentially the reverse of each other, using different cell organelles in the processes (Chloroplast vs. Mitochondria) Photosynthesis: carbon dioxide + water --> organic compounds + oxygen Respiration: organic compounds + oxygen --> carbon dioxide + water Curious Kids: Why do leaves change color in the fall http://photoscience.la.asu.edu/photosyn/education/colorchange.html Curious Kids: Why do leaves change color in the fall Projectshttp://www.waterw.com/~science/leaves.html#PROJECTS Photosynthesis: Don't "Leaf" Out Fall's Most Valuable Lesson! http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson024.shtml PHOTOSYNTHESIS: How do plants make food? http://ericir.syr.edu/Projects/Newton/9/phytosy.html Acid RAin http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/9/acdrain.html Diet and Nutrition Teacher Resource http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/10/diet.html Diary Farm Teacher Resource http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/11/dairyfrm.html Ethnobotany http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/12/ethnobot.html Garlic Chemistry http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/12/garlic.html Rain Forest Plants http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/14/rainforestplant08.html Olympic Solar Energy http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/14/olympicsolar09.html Yeast http://www.pbs.org/ktca/newtons/12/bread.html How to graph http://www.eng.iastate.edu/efmd/enggraph1.htm