Photosynthesis Worksheets For Elementary Classrooms
Where to Find Them
You can find or create your own photosynthesis worksheets. Here are some that are already created that you can download for free:
- Science-teachers: On this site, you will find two photosynthesis crossword puzzles that review important vocabulary words with students such as: chlorophyll and oxygen. This site also includes a more difficult puzzle to challenge students.
- Marko the Pencil: On Marko the Pencil, the photosynthesis worksheet is in color with a picture of a plant, vocabulary word list, and sentences where students have to choose the correct word to fill in the blank. When they have filled in everything correctly, students can read the sentences for a complete explanation of photosynthesis.
- NT Science: This site has several search-a-word puzzles for science vocabulary, including a puzzle dedicated to photosynthesis. Students will find terms such as: chloroplast, nutrients, photosynthesis, and nitrogen.
You can also create your own photosynthesis worksheets to focus on the needs of your students and your curriculum objectives. Draw a diagram of a leaf or plant, and ask students to label parts and explain why each is important. You can also write a photosynthesis explanation, leave out important key words, and ask students to fill in the blanks. Finally, you can create your own search-a-word puzzle or crossword puzzle here.
Using Photosynthesis Worksheets
Usually, the most difficult part of learning about photosynthesis for students is the new vocabulary words. They are no longer learning the simple parts of the plants such as stem, leaf, and roots. Now they know about chlorophyll and chloroplast, and how the food uses water and sunlight to produce its own food. Students will need practice with this vocabulary in order to recognize it and learn what the terms mean.
The worksheets listed above can do both of those things. When students do crossword puzzles, they have to define the vocabulary words and spell them correctly. For students who are new to the terms, you can provide them a vocabulary list that they can use to help them fill out a crossword puzzle. For students who are reviewing the terms or are close to taking a unit test, they can fill out the photosynthesis worksheet from memory, from a study guide, or from their textbook.
A worksheet like the one on the Marko the Pencil website can help students understand the steps of photosynthesis and visualize the process. These types of worksheets are great for visual learners, who need to “see” the process and not just learn the terms and what they mean.
Word-search puzzles are popular with children. The important thing to do before students start working on the puzzle is to make sure they can read the vocabulary word list. Even though these types of puzzles are fun, if you are giving them out as part of science homework or a review of vocabulary terms, you want to make sure students know the words they are searching for, what they mean, and what they have to do with photosynthesis. For example, discuss with students why stem and leaves would appear on a word-search list about photosynthesis. What do those plant parts have to do with this process?
Use photosynthesis worksheets along with lectures, displays, examples, and other media presentations to teach students about this important plant process.
This post is part of the series: Photosynthesis for Elementary Students
This series has articles that help elementary teachers teach about photosynthesis.
