WHOLE-BRAIN LESSON PLAN

2ND Quarter
SUBJECT: General Biology 1 GRADE: 11
UNIT TITLE: Energy Transformation WEEK: 1,2,3,4 & 5
LESSON TITLE: Photosynthesis TOTAL NUMBER OF SESSIONS: 20

I. LEARNING ENDSTATES:

1) What skills & competencies, values & attitudes (7 self-mastery skills) are being developed? To what degree should students be
assessed?
 Learning to THINK: Understands the importance of energy formation in photosynthesis
 Learning to DO: Conducts laboratory activity on extracting plant pigment through chromatography
 Learning to FEEL: Appreciate chloroplast as cell organelle that facilitate photosynthesis
 Learning to COMMUNICATE: Expresses the role raw materials in the formation of energy molecules and glucose
 Learning to INTUIT: Reflects on the importance of energy molecules produced in light reaction to the dark reaction process
 Learning to LEAD: Inspires others to promote healthy lifestyle and environment
 Learning to BE: Scientific Innovator

HOW WILL THE LEARNING PROMOTE

1. MORAL/ETHICAL FORMATION: Reflects how technological health innovations affect life and society
2. SOCIAL RESPONSIVENESS: Observes the importance of objectivity and accuracy in conducting scientific studies

II. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

What will happen to a plant if the regeneration of ATP is very slow?

How does regeneration of ATP affect in the formation of the glucose?
70
III.MATERIALS, METHODS, AND ACTIVITIES
Materials Methods Activities
4Pics1Word templates Inquiry-based Learning Games
Model for photosynthesis Collaborative Learning Making of a model
PPT slides on photosynthesis Lecture Method Discussion
Petri dish, tripod, medicine dropper Laboratory-based instruction Experimentation
Filter paper, acetone, materials in Project-based learning Experimentation
chromatography
Offline interactive materials ICT-based learning Simulations
IV. RUBRIC FOR ASSESSMENT
Attachment 1: Rubric for Exhibit
Attachment 2: Rubric for Journal Writing
V. INSTRUCTIONAL PHASES Session 1 & 2

1) ACTIVATE (Creating Focus and Purpose) Activity 1A. Four Pics One Word

Let students reveal word/s that is related to photosynthesis.

1. Carbon dioxide 6. Leaf

2. Glucose 7. Chloropyll

3. ATP 8. Dark Reaction

4. Water 9. Chloroplast

71
 5. Transpiration 10. Stroma

*Relate the words in the next activity.

Activity 1B: Making a Model of Photosynthesis

Goals: To explain why the chemical equation for photosynthesis is a balanced equation.

Photosynthesis is the process by which a cell captures the energy in sunlight and uses it to
make food. The term photosynthesis comes from the root word photo, which means “light,” and
synthesis, which means “putting together.” Photosynthesis means using light to make food. The events
of photosynthesis can be summed up by the following chemical equation:

6CO2 + 6H20 -light energy C6H12O6 + 6O2

carbon dioxide + water glucose + oxygen

On the left side of the equation are the raw materials necessary for photosynthesis to take place. They
include six molecules of carbon dioxide and six molecules of water. On the right side of the equation
are the products. They include one molecule of glucose and six molecules of oxygen. The arrow in the
equation is read as “yields,” and connects the raw materials to the products. Light energy which is
necessary for the chemical reaction to take place is written above the arrow, because it is not part of
the reaction itself. In this activity you will determine if the chemical equation is balanced. To balance,
chemical equations must have the same number of each type of atom on both sides of the equation.

(This information is from Prentice Hall, The Science Explorer Series: Cells and Heredity)

Materials: a large sheet of construction paper, three different colored chips, and markers

Procedure:

72
1. What I Know: Write two sentences describing what you already know about the process of
photosynthesis.
____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________.

2. Using a large sheet of construction paper use a colored marker to write out the chemical
formula for photosynthesis across the top of the page.

3. Use colored chips to represent the three different elements in the equation (carbon, oxygen,
and hydrogen). Use a different color for each element.
4. Place a colored chip for each type of atom on the left side of the equation. (Example: for H 2
you would need two chips of the same color; for 2C4 you would need 8 chips of the same
color).

What I Observed: This will be the information you recorded concerning the number of atoms on
the right and left side of the photosynthesis equation.

A. When you have finished placing the chips on the left side of the equation record the
following information.
Left Side of Equation:

Total number of carbon atoms: ______

Total number of oxygen atoms: ______

Total number of hydrogen atoms: ______

B. Now use the same chips you used for the left side of the equation, and place a colored
bead for each type of atom on the right side of the equation. Record the following
information.
73
 Right Side of Equation:

Total number of carbon atoms: ______

Total number of oxygen atoms: ______

Total number of hydrogen atoms: ______

Draw your model of the photosynthesis equation you created with the bingo chips.

6CO2 + 6H20 -light energy C6H12O6 + 6O2

2) ACQUIRE Session 3 & 4

Activity 2: Discussion
Pigments
Pigments are substances that absorb visible light. Different pigments absorb light of different
wavelengths. Light, as it encounters an object, is either reflected, transmitted, or absorbed. Visible
light, with a wavelength of 380–750nm, is the segment in the entire range of electromagnetic
spectrum that is most important to life on earth. It is detected as various colors by the human eye. The
color that is not absorbed by pigments of objects is transmitted or reflected and that is the color of the
object that we see.
74
 Source: Teaching Guide for Senior High School-General Biology 2 p.115
Pigments are the means by which plants capture sun’s energy to be used in photosynthesis.
However, since each pigment absorbs only a narrow range of wavelength, there is usually a need to
produce several kinds of pigments of different colors to capture more of sun’s energy.

Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll is the greenish pigment found in the thylakoid membrane inside the chloroplast of a
plant cell. Chlorophyll absorbs blue and red light while it transmits and reflects green light. This is why
leaves appear green. There are several kinds of chlorophyll. Among these, chlorophyll a plays the most
important role in photosynthesis. It directly participates in converting solar energy to chemical energy.
Other pigments in the chloroplast play the part of accessory pigments. These pigments can absorb
light and transfer the energy to chlorophyll a. One of these accessory pigments is chlorophyll b. Some
carotenoids also contribute energy to chlorophyll a. Other carotenoids, however, serve as protection
for chlorophyll by dissipating excessive energy that will otherwise be destructive to chlorophyll.

75
Activity 3: Extracting Plant Pigments through Chromatography

Let the learners acquaint themselves with different plant pigments; instruct them to perform a
laboratory activity on chromatography of plant pigments. This activity will allow them to visually
demonstrate that leaves contain different colored pigments.

Objective: Perform chromatography to separate a mixture of pigments from plants

Materials:
• Filter paper strips about 1cm x 15cm in size
• Acetone (solvent)
• 150 ml beaker or a tall glass jar
• aluminum foil to serve as cover for the beaker
• Reo des Color leaf
• Mayana leaf or other leaf that is red in color
• coin • pencil • ruler • coffee stirrer or plastic stick

Procedure (Adapted with modifications from ):

1. Using a pencil, draw a base line that is 2cm from the bottom of the paper strip. Be careful in
handling the Filter paper as oil from the human skin can alter the results. Lift the paper only by its
sides and be careful not to touch its front.
2. Place the Reo des Color leaf over the paper. Pressing hard, roll the edge of the coin, and rub the leaf
onto the paper, following the path of the line. Repeat until the line turns very dark.
3. Repeat the same process for the Mayana leaf using a second strip of the filter paper.
4. Add enough acetone to cover the bottom of the beaker or glass jar (no more than 1cm high).
5. Attach the top of the paper strips to a pencil or a coffee stir stick. This can be done by making a loop
with the top of the paper and fastening it with a paper clip or tape. 6. Lay the pencil or stick across the
top of the beaker so that it suspends the paper above the liquid. The bottom of the paper strip must
be dipped in the solvent but the solvent should not surpass the 2cm baseline that is the point of origin.

76
7. Cover the beaker and allow 15–30 minutes for the solvent to rise through the strips.
8. Remove the paper strips just before the solvent reaches the top.
9. Lay the paper strip face up. Using the pencil, immediately mark the line where the solvent stopped
before it evaporates. This is called the solvent front.
10. Allow the strips to dry.
11. Before the pigments fade, mark the top of each color that you can identify. 12. Measure the
distance (in mm) travelled by each pigment from the point of origin.
13. Tabulate your data. Show the following information in your table: color observed, distance
travelled, and probable pigment.

Let the groups share their analysis and conclusion in class.

Guide Questions
1. Which pigments were you able to observe in your chromatogram?
2. Why do the pigments move at different rates through the chromatogram?
3. How do the Reo des color leaf and Mayana leaf differ from each other in terms of their pigments?
Session 5
Activity 4: Sunlight
1. All processes that occur in living and non-living systems require energy.
Photosynthesis is no exception. The energy that comes from the sun is called solar energy. It
travels as wave and is described in terms of its energy content and its wavelength. It comes as
discrete packets called photons. The component of solar energy that is important to
photosynthesis is the visible light. Visible light is a white light. What makes up the visible light?
Discover it as you perform the activity.
2. Perform Activity 1: Components of the visible light.
3. What do you see in the white paper that serves as screen? Describe it.
4. Draw what you see on the white paper.
5. Discuss more.

Session 6 & 7
Activity 5 Discussion on Light Reactions Events
77
1. Light energy or photon is absorbed by a pigment molecule of the light-harvesting complex of
Photosystem II and is passed on to other pigment molecules nearby until the energy makes it to the
reaction center. In the reaction center, it is absorbed by the P680 pair of chlorophyll a.
2. The electron in this pair of chlorophyll a is raised to an excited state and is transferred to the
primary electron acceptor. P680 loses its electron and becomes positively charged (P680+).
3. The positively charged molecule attracts electrons from a water molecule, resulting to the splitting
up of H20 into two electrons, two hydrogen ions (H+), and an oxygen atom with the provision of
light energy. The oxygen atom immediately combines with another oxygen atom to form an oxygen
molecule (O2) which is then released outside the leaf through the stomata.
4. The excited electrons are then passed on from the primary electron acceptor to the electron carrier
molecules through the electron transport chain until they reach Photosystem I. The electron
carrier molecules involved here are plastoquinone (Pq), a cytochrome complex, and plastocyanin
(Pc).
5. At each transfer, the electrons release small amounts of energy. This energy is used to pump
hydrogen ions across the membrane. The splitting up of water molecules results to an uneven
distribution of hydrogen ions in the stroma and the lumen. The H+ ions tries to equalize their
distribution by moving from the lumen to the stroma through the aid of a membrane protein
called ATP synthase. This is referred to as chemiosmosis. The movement of hydrogen ions through
the ATP synthase channel triggers the synthesis of ATP from ADP. The ATP contains high-energy
phosphate bonds.
6. Meanwhile, photon is also absorbed and energy is passed on from one pigment molecule to another
until the energy reaches the reaction center complex of Photosystem I. The energy excites the
electron present in the pair of P700 chlorophyll a located here. The excited electron is then
transferred to a primary electron acceptor, making the P700 positively charged and now seeking
electrons to fill up the missing ones. This is filled up by the electrons from Photosystem II that are
passed on through the electron transport chain.
7. The photo-excited electron from the primary electron acceptor of Photosystem I enters another
electron transfer chain, passing the electron to an iron-containing protein called ferredoxin (Fd).
8. An enzyme, the NADP+ reductase, then transfers the electron to NADP+ and stabilizes it by adding a
78
 proton (H+) to form NADPH. NADPH is then released to the stroma and becomes part of the Calvin
Cycle.

Source: Teaching Guide for Senior High School-General Biology 2 p.123

Session 8
The Calvin Cycle
Important points to know:
• The sugar that is produced in the Calvin Cycle is not the six-carbon glucose that we are familiar
with. This is formed later on. What is produced in the Calvin Cycle is a three-carbon sugar known as
G3P or glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate.
• The Calvin Cycle needs to ‘spin’ three times to make one molecule of G3P from three molecules of
CO2.

Three Phases of Calvin Cycle:

Carbon Fixation
• Carbon fixation is a process of incorporating an inorganic carbon molecule, CO2, into an organic

79
material.
• In this phase, the CO2 molecule is attached to a five-carbon sugar molecule named ribulose
biphosphate (RuBP) aided by an enzyme named rubisco or RuBP carboxylase. Rubisco is believed to be
the most abundant protein in the chloroplast and maybe on Earth.
• The resulting product, a six-carbon sugar, is extremely unstable and immediately splits in half. The
split forms two molecules of a 3-phosphoglycerate (3-carbon).

Reduction
• A phosphate group (from ATP) is then attached to each 3-phosphoglycerate by an enzyme, forming
1, 3-phosphoglycerate.
• NADPH swoops in and reduces 1, 3-biphosphogycerate to G3P.
• For every six G3Ps produced by the Calvin Cycle, five are recycled to regenerate three molecules of
RuBP. Only one G3P leaves the cycle to be packaged for use by the cell.
• It will take two molecules of G3P to make one molecule of glucose.
• The ADP and NADP+ that is formed during the Calvin Cycle will be transported back to the thylakoid
membrane and will enter the light reactions. Here, they will be ‘recharged’ with energy and become
ATP and NADPH. Teacher Tip: You may also opt to have the learners make a graphic organizer that
shows the three phases of the Calvin Cycle.

Regeneration of RuBP
• Five molecules of G3P undergo a series of complex enzymatic reactions to form three molecules of
RuBP. This costs the cell another three molecules of AT, but also provides another set of RuBP to
continue the cycle. What happens to G3P after its release from the cycle?
• Two G3Ps can combine together to form either glucose or fructose which are both are six-carbon
sugar.
• Glucose and fructose can be combined to form sucrose.
• Glucose can be connected in chains to form starch.
• G3Ps can also be used in lipid and protein synthesis.

80
 The cost of making carbohydrate: To make one molecule of G3P, the chloroplast needs:
• 3 molecules of CO2
• 9 molecules of ATP
• 6 molecules of NADPH

3) APPLY, PRACTICE, FORMATIVE Session 9

ASSESSMENT
Activity 6. Where does photosynthesis happen? (Laboratory Activity)

Materials: petri dish iodine solution

any variegated leaf ethyl alcohol 200 mL
beaker alcohol lamp
tripod wire gauze
medicine dropper

Procedure:
1. Get a variegated leaf.
2. Draw this leaf and indicate the patches or margins that are not colored green
3. Place the leaf in a beaker with water and boil the leaf to remove the water-soluble red
and blue pigments.
4. Replace the water with ethyl alcohol, place the beaker in a water bath and apply heat. Be
careful because the alcohol is volatile.
5. Pour out the alcohol, replace it with water and apply heat.
6. Spread out the leaf free of pigments carefully in a petri dish.
7. Cover the leaf with a few drops of iodine solution.
8. Observe.
9. A blue black or dark purple coloration in the leaf indicates the presence of starch.
10. Draw the leaf. Darken the parts of the leaf you observed to contain starch.
81
 11. Compare the second drawing of the leaf with the first drawing you made.

Session 10 & 11
Activity 7. Observing the Stomata (Laboratory Activity)

Materials:
leaf glass slide forceps water microscope
Procedure:

1. Fold a leaf in half until it cracks.

2. Tear the leaf so that a part of the lower layer of cells appears as narrow, colorless border
along the torn edge.
3. Remove a portion of the lower layer of cells with a pair of forceps.
4. Put the portion of the lower layer of cells in a glass slide. Add a drop of water.
5. Examine the slide under the low power objective.
6. Do you see some openings?

Session 12 & 13

Activity 8. Photosynthesis Virtual Lab

Let students open the link and explore the activity.

Site: bit.ly/pholab

Journal Questions

1. Make a hypothesis about which color in the visible spectrum causes the most plant growth and

82
which color in the visible spectrum causes the least plant growth?

2. How did you test your hypothesis? Which variables did you control in your experiment and which
variable did you change in order to compare your growth results?

3. Analyze the results of your experiment. Did your data support your hypothesis? Explain. If you
conducted tests with more than one type of seed, explain any differences or similarities you found
among types of seeds.

4. What conclusions can you draw about which color in the visible spectrum causes the most plant
growth?

5. Given that white light contains all colors of the spectrum, what growth results would you expect
under white light?

Data Table

83
 Session 14,15 & 16

Activity 9. Performance Task (Social Responsiveness)

Authentic Performance Task:

You are a botanist who also handles the public information office of a botanical garden.
To help create awareness of the importance of plants, you will put up an exhibit for some
students who are scheduled to visit the botanical garden. The exhibit aims to inform the
students of the structures and functions of plants, how these structures support and
maintain plant life and the factors that affect plant growth. You will include in the exhibit
actual specimens (if available) or pictures or preserved specimens of plants and some plant
parts. To make the exhibit meaningful to the visitors, you will also include information
about the plant parts and their functions.
You must make sure that your exhibit will be informative, creative, interesting and will
capture the student’s attention.

4) SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT, CLOSURE Session 17

AND REFLECTION
Activity 10. Evaluation (Quizziz Application)
Direction: Read each item carefully. Choose the letter of the correct answer.
1. In the complete process of photosynthesis, the _____.
a. light reactions produce NADP+ from NADPH + H+
b. Calvin cycle breaks down H2O
c. light reactions release oxygen
d. Calvin cycle yields CO2
2. The main energy-trapping molecule in plants is _____.
a. chlorophyll b. stroma c. carotenoids d. chloroplast
84
3. Cells store energy when _____.
a. the third phosphate group breaks off from an ATP molecule
b. they break down sucrose to glucose and fructose
c. ions are released into the bloodstream
d. a third phosphate group is bonded to an ATP molecule
4. Energy is released from ATP when the bond is broken between _____.
a. adenine and ribose b. two phosphate groups
c. ribose and a phosphate group d. adenine and a phosphate group
5. In which part of a cell does the Calvin Cycle take place?
a. in the stroma in chloroplasts
b. in the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum
c. in the microfillaments of the cytoskeleton
d. in the vacuoles of animal cells
6. Photosynthesis is
a. light driven. b. anabolic. c. enzyme moderated. d. all of the above.
Questions 7–9 refer to the following choices. Decide which best matches the description below.
(A) stroma (B) thylakoid (C) vacuole (D) stomates (E) lamella
7. The light reactions of photosynthesis take place here.
8. The Calvin cycle of photosynthesis takes place here.
9. The site of carbon fixation.
10. High energy molecules involved in the dark reactions of photosynthesis include which of the
following?
I. ATP II. NADH III. NADPH
(A) I only (B) II only (C) I and III only (D) II and III only

85
11. Based on the
data in the table, in
which container
was photosynthesis
not occurring?
a. container 3
b. container 4
c. container 1
d. container 5

12. The reds, oranges, and yellows of the leaves of deciduous trees that become evident in the fall are
from
(A) carotenoids. (B) ATP. (C) leaf decay. (D) chlorophylls.
13. Which of the following is most effective in helping rain forest plants trap sunlight so that light
energy can be converted to chemical energy?
a. Large root size b. Small seed size c. Large leaf size d. Small stem
14. The process of photosynthesis ultimately converts light energy into —
a. mechanical energy b. nuclear energy c. chemical energy d. electrical energy
15. Photosynthesis is important for almost all life on Earth because it —
a. uses simple elements b. is responsible for most decay
c. produces oxygen d. releases usable forms of nitrogen
16. Which of these organelles traps light energy for use in photosynthesis?

a. b. c. d.
17. Which of the following best describes the function of the plasma membrane?
a. a gateway b. a floor c. a wall d. a ceiling
18. What happens during photosynthesis?
a. The cell uses oxygen to make food.

86
 b. The cell uses the energy in sunlight to make food.
c. The cell uses glucose to make oxygen.
d. The cell uses the energy in sunlight to make carbon dioxide.
19. What product of photosynthesis do most living things need to survive?
a. water .b. oxygen c. chlorophyll d. carbon dioxide
20. How does photosynthesis benefit heterotrophs?
a. It adds carbon dioxide to the air. b. It creates food that they can eat.
c. It eliminates harmful sugars. d. It creates clean waters.

Session 18
Activity 11. Journal (Individual): Allow the students to reflect and write their ideas to the
question, Why are trees called the lungs of the earth? (Ethical)

87
 Rubric for Exhibit

Assessment Criteria Indicators for the Levels of Performance

5 points 3 points 1 point

Score
All of the facts presented in Some of the facts presented in A number of facts presented in
the exhibit are accurate. the exhibit are accurate. the exhibit are inaccurate.
Content

The facts presented in the Almost all the facts presented The facts presented are
exhibit cover the required in the exhibit cover the insufficient or do not cover the
Scope
topics. required topics. required topics.

The exhibit is attractive, The exhibit is attractive, The exhibit is unattractive, and
creative and its elements are creative but some of its some of its elements are not
well organized. elements are not properly properly organized.
Creativity and organized.
Organization

88
 The exhibit is interesting and The exhibit is somewhat The exhibit is uninteresting and
is able to capture the uninteresting and fairly does not capture the audience’s
Appeal to the
audience’s attention. captures the audience’s attention.
Audience
attention.

Rating Scale 15-20 points 10-14 points 3-9 points

The exhibit is excellent. The exhibit is good. The exhibit needs improvement.

JOURNAL WRITING RUBRIC

Category Excellent Very Good Good

5 3 1

A. Quality of Evaluation Provides thoughtful, logical Provides general evaluation of the  Lacks evaluation of the scenario.
and Response to Scenario evaluation of the scenario. scenario.
(content)  Provides unclear response to scenario or
Provides a thoughtful, logical Provides a general response to lacks a response.
response to the scenario. the scenario.

B. Persuasive Argument Response is highly persuasive and Response is mildly persuasive and Response is not persuasive and is difficult to
(content) maintains reader’s attention. makes sense to the reader. understand.

C. Grammar, Usage, and Response has 3 or less errors in Response has 4-6 errors in Response has 7 or more errors in grammar,
Mechanics (writing) grammar, usage, and mechanics. grammar, usage, and mechanics. usage, and mechanics.

89
D. Organization (writing) Response paragraphs are well Response paragraphs have Response paragraphs have ineffective or no
organized with clear topic sentences appropriate topic sentences and topic sentences and supporting sentences.
and supporting sentences. There are supporting sentences. There are There are ineffective or no transitions between
effective transitions between some transitions between paragraphs.
paragraphs. paragraphs.

90