The Teacher Guide is the driving and unifying component of this unit, Matter Cycling and Photosynthesis. In this unit, students start with questioning the source of the food they eat. Then they begin to explore, especially, how plants manufacture this food and what happens to the food once it has been used by the body. The subtitle of this unit is Where does food come from, and where does it go next? Food from plant or animal sources are phenomena that all students have some experience with. Students eat pancakes with maple syrup, but exactly what is maple syrup and how did a maple tree manufacture it? Most students know about photosynthesis, but what exactly is it and what is the relationship between sunlight and the maple syrup a tree makes? This unit allows students to observe the phenomena of food and begin to unravel the important processes of photosynthesis and food use by the body. Students spend time working with classmates to analyze the shared experience, formulate new questions, and developing new strategies for answering them.

CKSci Middle School is an enhanced republication of the OpenSciEd Middle School project–with a unique, integrated Core Knowledge science literacy component.

Learn more about the CKSci Middle School Program