All plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, mainly through their leaves – as part of their food-making process – photosynthesis. Trees are our largest plants and therefore remove far more than other plants. In fact – forests store 86% of the planet’s carbon, outside the oceans and Earth’s core.
This activity sets out to explore how leaves go about their most important mission in life – carbon capture, finding out the key players and processes.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Learners will have/be able to:
Learners will have/be able to:
- Describe the role of leaves as the food factories of trees, and one way of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
- Describe the different steps involved in the process of fixing carbon in plants, mentioning key materials and gases
- Explain why plants are the source of energy for most living things, and are important in reducing the impacts of climate change
- Participated in a dramatisation of the process of photosynthesis
- Recognised how re–enacting the process of photosynthesis helps understanding how it works.
YOU WILL NEED
- Rope 5+ metres long
Or model 3D leaf - Storage box
Made from natural material if possible – IKEA type - Chloroplasts
The leaf’s food factory – green circles made from plastic/shade netting – approx. 50cm diameter – 1 per pair e.g. class of 36 = 18 - Carbon dioxide /sugar molecules
Circles made from white card – laminated – 3 sets per half class e.g. (18×3) 54 - Water/oxygen molecules
Circles made from blue card – laminated – 1 set per half class – e.g. 18 - Sun
1 – stylised made from yellow card – laminated
