CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

Title of Lesson: Whats in a Leaf and what does it do?

UFTeach Students Names: Mackenzie Peil and Dianet Falcon
Teaching Date and Time: December 3, 2014; 12:50-2:40
Length of Lesson: 50 minutes
Course / Grade / Topic: Pre-Aice Biology, 9th grade, Cell Structure and Photosynthesis
Source of the Lesson:
Mary Jones and Geoff Jones IGSE Cambridge Biology Coursebook (Second Edition)
Embedding Strategies Based on Field Interactions, Making Thinking Visible and CTS:
I am including the following teaching strategies with these students because
Recommended strategy based on field
Justification for selecting this strategy
interactions
Based on field interactions, students work best In class, students are used to learning by having class
when they can interact with each other and the discussions, and answering questions presented by the
teacher, and discuss ideas as they learn.
teacher.
Recommended strategy based on MTV routines Justification for selecting this strategy
Based on MTV, the Claim-Support-Question will
be useful in our class.
Recommended strategy based on CTS

We want students to be able to think thoroughly about

their ideas. This will delineate any misconceptions so
that they can be clarified.
Justification for selecting this strategy

Use hands-on activities and visual aids so that

students can see the anatomical parts of the
plants and understand their function.

It can be difficult to learn plant anatomy without seeing

the parts of the plant and how they work with each
other.

Florida Standards(MAFS, NGSSS, LAFS):

MAFS, NGSSS, LAFS with Cognitive Complexity:
Standard Number

Benchmark Description

SC.912.L.14.7

Relate the structure of each of the major plant organs

and tissues to physiological processes.

Cognitive
Complexity
2

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

Concept Development:

Performance Objectives
Students will be able to:
Assess the functions of plant tissues and organs and how they relate to photosynthesis
Describe the significance of the distribution of chloroplasts, stomata and mesophyll, and vascular
bundles in terms of function in relation to photosynthesis
Thoroughly explain how plants get Carbon Dioxide and Water
Label the structure of a cross section of a leaf

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

Materials List
Microscopes
50 Exploration Worksheets
50 Assessment Worksheets
Leaves
34 Scissors
30 Microscope Slides
30 slide covers
30 pipettes
30 trays/little baskets (something to put materials for each group in)
6 50 mL beakers
Advance Preparations
Print out Exploration and Assessment worksheets
Create and set up powerpoint with projector
Microscopes will be set up on the lab tables around the classroom
Groups will be assigned based on who they share a table with
Put a leaf, pipette, 2 slides, and 2 slide covers in each tray/basket
Safety
The students will not be required to wear goggles during this exploration
5E Lesson:
Engagement
What the Teacher Will Do
Introduce ourselves and the
lesson.
Slide 1
Introduce the Venus Flytrap
video.
Play Video
Slide 2
Ask the students about Venus
Flytraps.
Clarify a common
misconception.

What the Teacher Will Say

Probing/Pressing Questions
My name is Ms. Falcon/Ms. Peil
and today were going to talk
about plant structures and how
they relate to photosynthesis.
Were going to start off watching
this video on Venus Flytraps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FiFA3lRFxjk
16:36
What kind of behavior did you all
notice about Venus Flytraps and
pitcher plants?
What kind of animals does these
plants consume?

Time: 5 minutes
Student Responses (correct responses)
Possible Misconceptions

They eat flies

[They attract bugs with their nectar and
trap them]
flies and mosquitoes
[Any type of animal small enough to fit
in the trap]

Ask the students why this

plant would exhibit this
behavior.

Relate to todays lesson.

Slide 3

Slide 4

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

Why would a plants like the Venus Because they have the ability to do so.
Flytrap and pitcher plant eat
[The plant was not able to get a
insects?
sufficient amount of nutrients from the
soil, so it developed an adaptation in
order to obtain the necessary
nutrients]
Today were going to be studying
structures that plants have in
common in order to obtain all of
their necessary components.
Lets take a look at a cross section
Epidermis
of a leaf! We are going to go
[Cuticle]
through all of these structures
together and figure out what each
of them is and then talk about their
functions. The first structure is A. It
is on both the top and bottom of
the leaf. Which structure do you
think this is?
Structure B points to that blue
Cuticle
layer at the top of the leaf. Which
[Epidermis]
structure do you think this is?
Structure C is very important for
Spongy mesophyll
photosynthesis. They are a lot lined [Palisade Mesophyll]
up and packed close together.
What are these?
Structure D is pointing at the red
I have no idea
circular formation of cells
[Bundle Sheath cells]
surrounding E and F. Does anyone
have an idea of what this would
be?
Structure E is pointing to the top
Phloem
set of small tubes. Who can tell me [Xylem]
what this is?
Structure F is pointing to the
Xylem
bottom set of small tubes, which is [Phloem]
below the xylem. What is this
structure?
Structure G is similar to the layer
[Lower Epidermis]
on the top of the leaf except it has
structures I and J embedded in it.
Who has an idea what this
structure is?
Structure H is more spaced out to
[Spongy Mesophyll]
allow for air spaces in the leaf.
What is this structure?

Slide 5

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

Structure I is pointing to the cells
[Guard Cells]
around the opening in the lower
epidermis. What is the name of
these cells?
Structure J is important to leaf
[Stoma]
function. It is the hole in the
bottom of the leaf that opens and
closes and is controlled by the
guard cells. What is this structure?
Structure K is made up of the
Stoma
xylem, phloem, and bundle sheath [Vein]
cells. Structure K is known as what?
Now that we have a basic
[Surround the leaf, protect the leaf,
understanding of the structures
allow sun to penetrate into the
that make up a leaf, we are going
mesophyll layer, keep out unwanted
to discuss their function and how it molecules/objects]
helps with photosynthesis. Who
can tell me what the job of the
cuticle and epidermis layers is?
What is allowed to pass through
Anything
these layers?
[Sun is allowed to penetrate into the
mesophyll layer, air [CO2/O2]
enters/leaves through the bottom]
What are the circles that you see in Chlorophyll
the palisade and spongy mesophyll [Chloroplasts]
cells?
Why do you think you see more in
[To absorb energy from sunlight, so
the palisade cells compared to the that CO2 will combine with H2O]
spongy cells?
What is the purpose of the stomata [Gas exchange, air from the
in the lower epidermis?
atmosphere enters leaf through
stomata to enter air spaces, before
being used for photosynthesis.]
What is the purpose of the air
[Stores CO2 which is then used for
spaces in the spongy mesophyll?
photosynthesis after entering through
stomata and O2, which is product of
photosynthesis, before being let out of
the cell or is used for cellular
respiration.]
What is the function of the xylem
[Supply water to the cells in the leaf,
in leaves?
some of which will be used in
photosynthesis]
What does the phloem do in the
[Takes away sucrose and other organic
leaves?
products of photosynthesis]

Exploration
What the Teacher Will Do
Introduce the lab that they
will be doing

Make sure all students know

how to create a wet slide.
Slide 6

Go over how to use a

microscope
Slide 8

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

How does their distance to
[Being within a short distance of every
mesophyll cells impact
mesophyll cell allows for quicker
photosynthesis?
transport of molecules between
mesophyll cells and the xylem/phloem]
Time: 30 minutes
What the Teacher Will Say
Student Responses (correct responses)
Probing/Pressing Questions
Possible Misconceptions
Today we are going to be using
microscopes to look at leaves. For
each group, you will create 2 wet
slides. The first slide will have the
top of the leaf facing up and the
second slide will have the bottom
of leaf facing upwards.
Lets take a look at how to make a
wet mount slide. The first step is to
take a microscope slide and using
the pipette, add a drop of water to
the middle of the slide. Using the
scissors, cut a small piece of your
leaf close to eh middle and place it
in the water on the slide. Carefully
place the coverslip over the leaf
and water drop and make sure
there isnt an air bubble. Now it is
good to go!
I just want to do a quick review on
how to use a microscope. There
are two different focuses. The large
knob is the course focus, which you
use on the smallest magnification.
The small knob is fine focus. This
focuses in smaller increments and
doesnt magnify as quick as the
course focus. You use this focus on
the other two magnification levels.
For magnification, remember that
the shortest lense is the smallest
magnification and you move from
smallest magnification to largest
magnification, making sure you get
a clear image each time before
moving up in magnification.

Go over safety
Slide 9

Explanation
What the Teacher Will Do
Go over what the students
put for the predict questions
Slide 10

Go over what they saw and

comprehension questions
Slide 11

Talk about the top 3 main

concepts in relation to
photosynthesis
Slide 12

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

For safety measures for this
experiment, you do not have to
wear goggles, but please do be
careful with the pipettes and
scissors.
Time: minutes
What the Teacher Will Say
Student Responses (correct responses)
Probing/Pressing Questions
Possible Misconceptions
Before we go into what you all saw [To expose as large an area as possible
through the microscope, lets first
to sunlight]
go through the predict questions.
What is the advantage of leaves
having a large surface area?
Being thin?
[To allow sunlight to penetrate to all
cells, to allow CO2 to diffuse in and O2
to diffuse out as quickly as possible]
What did you expect to see when
Answers may vary
you looked at the top/bottom of
the leaf?
What did you see in the top of the
Answers will vary
leaf?
Cell walls, chloroplasts, many cells,
palisade mesophyll
What were the green dots you
[Chloroplasts]
saw?
What did you see in the bottom of Answers will vary
the leaf?
Why do you think the palisade
[More cells can fit and undergo
mesophyll cells were so tightly
photosynthesis, sunlight has less
packed together?
distance to travel, no wasted space]
How does this help with/affect
[Increases the amount of products
photosynthesis?
since more cells will undergo synthesis
at a time]
We are going to expand on some
[Arranged to obtain the most sunlight
structures and their significance to possible, contain chlorophyll, located
photosynthesis. The first topic is
mainly in palisade mesophyll cells]
the chloroplasts. What do you the
significance of the distribution of
chloroplasts is in relation to
photosynthesis?
The second topic is stomata and
mesophyll. How are these two
structures related and what is their
significance in relation to
photosynthesis?

[Gas exchange; guard cells open

stomata to let air into/out of the air
spaces in spongy mesophyll; once in
the leaf, air diffuses in and out of cells
(mesophyll) through the cell wall and
cell membrane]

Slide 13

Elaboration
What the Teacher Will Do
Introduce the University of
Georgias Complex
Carbohydrate Research
Center
Slide 14
Introduce the discovery.

Explain how this relates to us

today.

Relate to science as an
ongoing learning experience.

Evaluation
What the Teacher Will Do

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

The third topic is concerning the
[Xylem has thick walls and transports
vascular bundle, which is also
water to the leaf, some of which is
known as the vein. What is the
used in photosynthesis; phloem has
significance of the vein in relation
thin walls and transports sucrose and
to photosynthesis?
other substances away from the leaves
throughout the plant; the xylem and
phloem also provide structural support
to the plant]
Time: minutes
What the Teacher Will Say
Student Responses (correct responses)
Probing/Pressing Questions
Possible Misconceptions
The Complex Carbohydrate
Research Center is a place at the
University of Georgia that was
founded specifically to study
complex carbohydrates.
When studying the sugars,
proteins, and polymers that make
up the cell wall and allow his plant
to grow, he found a mixture of
sugars that he was not expecting. A
link between two sugars and a
protein that no one had ever seen
before.
For a while now, scientists have
been trying to figure out a way to
use plants to make fuel. Sugars
that can be fermented into ethanol
(fuel) are trapped inside the cell
wall, which is very complex. By
further understanding what makes
up this cell wall, we can learn how
to manipulate it so that it can be
more advantageous to us.
Science, as you can see, is always
happening. Experiments and labs
are being run all over the world,
and new things are being learned
every day. Even though we seem to
know everything there is to know
about plant structures, theres
always more to learn! Thats what
makes science so great.
Time: minutes
What the Teacher Will Say
Student Responses (correct responses)
Probing/Pressing Questions
Possible Misconceptions

Ask the students to complete

their worksheets.

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

Okay everyone, go ahead and finish
your worksheets. When youre
done, pass them all the way to
your left.

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

Whats in there and what does it do?
1. Predict! Looking at your leaf, what is the advantage of leaves:
a. Having a large surface area:

b. Being thin:

2. Predict! What do you expect to see when you look at the top of the leaf through the microscope?

3. Predict! What do you expect to see when you look at the bottom of the leaf through the microscope?

Steps: Create one wet slide with the top of the leaf facing upward and one with the bottom of the leaf facing
upward.

Draw what you see in the microscope in the circles below and label the structures:
View from Top of Leaf

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

View from Bottom of Leaf

Comprehension Questions:
4. What did you see in the top of the leaf? What were the green dots?

5. What did you see in the bottom of the leaf?

6. Why do you think the palisade mesophyll cells were so tightly packed together? How does that help
with/affect photosynthesis?

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

Assessment Worksheet
1. What is an advantage of leaves having a large surface area?

2. Explain how water is transported to leaves.

3. A mutation occurs in a plant that makes the leaves much thicker than normal. Explain what you would
expect would happen inside the thick leaves that differ from thin leaves?

4. In detail, explain how carbon dioxide enters from the atmosphere into palisade cells.

5. How is the distribution of chloroplasts significant in relation to photosynthesis?

CI /MSMM 5E Lesson Plan Template

Using the word bank provided, label the structures of a leaf to the best of your ability on the lines at the
bottom of the page.
Vein
Cuticle
Guard Cell
Bundle Sheath Cell

Lower Epidermis
Palisade Mesophyll
Air Spaces
Xylem

Phloem
Stoma
Upper Epidermis
Spongy Mesophyll

B
C
D
E
K

F
G
H
I
A

A: __________________________________________ G: __________________________________________
B: __________________________________________ H: __________________________________________
C: __________________________________________ I: ___________________________________________
D: __________________________________________ J: __________________________________________
E: __________________________________________ K: ___________________________________________
F: __________________________________________ L: ___________________________________________