Photosynthesis Activities for Middle School

Looking for photosynthesis activities for middle school? I’ve got engaging, effective, and easy-to-do photosynthesis lessons that are perfect for this age group!

Misconceptions

“Plants make food so animals can eat them.” “Plants turn light into food.” “Plants get food from the soil.” If you’ve been teaching photosynthesis in middle school, I’m sure you’ve heard kids say these things. (And I’m sure they made you cringe.)

Maybe it’s just my students, but I always have to make it very clear that plants don’t make food for animals’ sake! They’re not magical vending machines that exist solely to keep animals fed!

Is it the same in your classroom?

If so, teaching photosynthesis in middle school is the perfect time to dispel such misconceptions. We need to clear up whatever simplifications or misconceptions they got in earlier grades, get kids to genuinely understand the basics, and set the foundation for the biochemistry that will come in high school.

Here are my go-to photosynthesis activities for middle school! 👇

Start with a Reading

I start out my photosynthesis lesson by explicitly teaching the concept and then leading up with inquiry activities, labs, and other stuff.

First, I use this quick – but very effective – reading. Students learn about the process of photosynthesis as a chemical reaction. It’s not too hard, not too easy, but at just the right level. (My photosynthesis reading comes in a set of cell energy readings.) After they read, kids analyze diagrams and answer follow-up questions. It’s an easy-peasy way to start the unit and gets everyone started on the same page.

Examine Stomata in a Microscope

If you have microscopes available to use, this is a great time to pull them out. You can let students observe leaf stomata firsthand. This helps students’ understanding that plants take in and release gases just like animals do.

Materials:

• Fresh leaves (any broad-leafed plant works well)
• Standard microscope slides
• Transparent tape (really needs to be the invisible kind)
• Clear nail polish (cheap brands work fine, you’ll need several bottles)
• Microscope

How It Works:

1. Select the leaves. Any really flat leaves will do. Waxy leaves work the best. (Make sure the leaf you picked works before you do this with a class! Ask me how I know.)
2. Set students up in pairs or groups, depending on how many supplies or microscopes you have. Give each student pair or group one slide and a leaf.
3. Tell students to carefully apply a very thin coat of clear nail polish on the leaf’s underside (NOT the side that faces up towards the Sun). Do not apply the glue to any leaf veins. The polish should cover about 1cm x 1cm (You may need to tell kids, “about the size of your pinky nail.”) Be sure to stress that the nail polish has to be very thin.
4. Once the nail polish is dry (about 3-5 minutes), have the students cover the polished area with the invisible tape. Warn them to avoid fingerprints.
5. Press the tape firmly against the leaf surface and really scrape it down.
6. Very slowly and very carefully lift the tape. It should now carry an impression of the leaf surface. (Note: this works because the waxy cuticle on the surface of the leaves prevents the nail polish from sticking to the cells.)
7. Attach the tape to the microscope slide and examine under 100x magnification.
8. Once they can identify the plant cells, students should look for pairs of guard cells forming an oval shape. This helps them identify the stomata.

Hot tip: Does this sound too much for your middle school class? (Honestly – there are some years I can’t trust kids with making their own slides, so I get it, sadly.) You can always use premade slides, such as a sedum leaf or allium from Flinn Scientific.

Explore with a Photosynthesis Lab

Labs. Labs Labs. Oh, the love/hate relationship I have with labs!

🥰 I LOVE seeing the look on my middle school students’ faces as they get the freedom to use their hands, experiment, and make discoveries. There’s just nothing better than looking around a whole class and seeing kids really into what they’re doing. Lab days leave me feeling, “This is why I do this!”

😡 But I HATE having to spend my own money (which I often can’t avoid) on supplies.

This is why I created labs that I ONLY LOVE for photosynthesis and respiration! These labs use only easy-to-obtain and CHEAP supplies, and they get reliable results every time.

For example, we’re all familiar with the spinach lab that everyone seems to do as their photosynthesis lab. But it’s waaaay too freakin complicated (pardon my French). I’ve literally had teachers tell me that they outright refuse to do this standard lab because it is “too much.” AND I AGREE WITH THEM! The traditional version of the spinach lab is a lot.

So, I took that traditional, common lab and heavily reworked it to be EASIER TO FOLLOW and use supplies that won’t break the bank.

My version is broken down into clear, step-by-step directions and different sections for each “takeaway” idea. The three distinct sections (each basically its own mini-lab) cover photosynthesis in light versus dark, with added carbon dioxide, and with changing temperature. Students observe oxygen atoms being released into bubbles and their effect on the leaf discs.

If you’ve tried the spinach lab before and didn’t like it – please try my version! Teachers Pay Teachers even featured this lab in their blog!

🔥 Hot tip: if this lab is still a bit much for your kids, try playing around with this virtual photosynthesis lab.

Bring in a Real-World Connection

A while back, an organization called National Agriculture in the Classroom contacted me about spreading the word about their programs. I dug in a little bit, and I can honestly say they’re great! I’m going to write more about them another time, but for now, in a nutshell, I’ll tell you that they make actually useful and actually doable free lessons that relate science topics to agriculture.

For a photosynthesis unit, check out their activity called Photosynthesis: Energy’s Journey From Farm to You. This super engaging lesson plan for teaching photosynthesis in middle school bridges the gap between the textbook and the real world of agriculture and food production.

And they’ve aligned it to NGSS standards MS-LS1-6 and MS-LS2-3 for you!

Through a series of activities, all of which they explain IN DETAIL how to do and give you ALL of the worksheets for, kids trace energy’s journey from sunlight’s light energy to their school lunch. Ultimately, the lesson shows students how dairy cows can transform inedible plant materials into nutritious food products. This opens up really fascinating discussions about sustainable agriculture and food systems.

Why I love this agriculture lesson for a photosynthesis unit:

• They provide a nice way to model photosynthesis
• It gives real-world context for the photosynthesis equation and chemical energy transfer
• Kids get some exposure to sustainable agricultural practices
• You can make a connection between classroom science and their food
• It shows how “waste” products can become valuable resources in agriculture

I hope you check out this free photosynthesis lesson from a really great organization!

Covering Cellular Respiration, Too?

After I cover photosynthesis, I cover cellular respiration. Then, I cover them together, their involvement in the flow of energy, and how they participate in the carbon cycle.

Learn more about how I teach cellular respiration, including a fun demo and a student-favorite lab, in this CELLULAR RESPIRATION BLOG.

DONE FOR YOU!

Looking for a “done for you” option for teaching photosynthesis in middle school? Check out my complete photosynthesis and respiration unit. You’ll get EVERYTHING you need to teach these topics – from start to finish! (And, of course, every answer key!)

Even More

Get lots more – from photosynthesis worksheets to carbon cycle projects – in the photosynthesis and respiration section of my store! There tons of photosynthesis activities for middle school to choose from.

_{As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.}