Maple Tree through

11.C Construct an explanation by applying scientific ideas and evidence to explain: (1) why a tree that loses leaves in the winter doesn’t die, (2) where it gets its energy during that time, and (3) where it gets the matter to grow new leaves and wood in the spring.

11.C Construct an explanation by applying scientific ideas and evidence to explain: (1) why a tree that loses leaves in the winter doesn’t die, (2) where it gets its energy during that time, and (3) where it gets the matter to grow new leaves and wood in the spring.

Students can identify the following:

• The maple tree is doing photosynthesis and producing sugars when it has green leaves and sunlight available.
• The maple tree converts excess sugars and stores them as food molecules.
• It extracts energy via cellular respiration from stored food molecules when it is unable to produce sugars via photosynthesis. This is how it gets its energy when its leaves fall off.
• The maple tree is always doing cellular respiration and using sugars to get its energy, but when it has green leaves, it can use sugars from photosynthesis.
• The maple tree and a maple tree seed use stored food molecules like fats, proteins, and starches by breaking them down and reassembling them into new parts of plant cells (e.g., cellulose) via chemical reactions.
• Since the tree has these food molecules stored, and the tree created a supply of food molecules for the seed, they each can make new cells (matter) even when they can’t make new sugars through photosynthesis.

If students are struggling, ask them to think about the matter inputs and outputs of both photosynthesis and cellular respiration, carbon dioxide, water, sugar/food molecules. Thinking about the composition of food molecules (carbons, hydrogens, and oxygens, mostly) and the maple tree tapping may also help them recognize that trees are storing those molecules for the tree’s benefit (not just so we can eat them!). It may be helpful to pull small groups of struggling students together and have them revisit their Progress Trackers together (specifically the rows for Lessons 9-11). If students still struggle with completing the assessment, it may be beneficial to allow students to redo Maple Tree through the Seasons Explanation after having some individual support from the teacher. This can help them refine their understanding of the key ideas from this lesson before they get to activities in the next two lessons, where they will need to put together bigger parts of the puzzle to explain where all our food comes from and where it goes to.

Additional Lesson 11 Teacher Guidance

SUPPORTING STUDENTS IN MAKING CONNECTIONS IN ELA

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

Students are provided with a set of close reading strategies to accompany Reading: How do plant (and animal) cells use food?, which will assist as they gather information from a complex scientific text. These close reading strategies recommend that students summarize the text and tease out any questions they have that relate to their prior knowledge.