How Plants Make Food
Lesson preview: the Mini Lesson and Vocabulary are open to everyone. Guided practice, exercises, the parent checklist and the printable PDF worksheet come with full access (free 7-day trial or membership).
What you will learn
- 1Explain how plants make their own food through photosynthesis
- 2Name the three ingredients a plant needs — sunlight, water, and air
- 3Describe what the plant produces — sugar and oxygen
Mini Lesson
You need to eat food to get energy — but plants don't visit a grocery store! They make their own food using something called photosynthesis.
The three ingredients
- Plants need sunlight (energy from the sun).
- They need water (taken in by the roots and sent up the stem).
- They need air — specifically a gas called carbon dioxide, which enters through tiny holes in the leaves.
Where does it happen?
- Photosynthesis happens inside the leaves.
- Leaves are green because of a special substance called chlorophyll, which captures sunlight.
What does the plant make?
- The plant makes sugar — its food — and uses it to grow.
- It also releases oxygen into the air as a bonus — the same oxygen we breathe!
Words to know
Photosynthesis
The process plants use to make food from sunlight, water, and air
e.g. Green leaves perform photosynthesis every sunny day.
Chlorophyll
A green substance in leaves that captures sunlight
e.g. Leaves look green because of chlorophyll.
Sunlight
Light energy from the sun that plants need to make food
e.g. A sunny window helps a houseplant grow.
Carbon dioxide
A gas in the air that plants take in through their leaves
e.g. People breathe out carbon dioxide; plants use it.
Oxygen
A gas released by plants during photosynthesis; animals breathe it
e.g. Forests give off large amounts of oxygen.
Sugar
The food plants make during photosynthesis
e.g. Plants store extra sugar in their roots and fruits.
Ask yourself: What three things does a leaf need? What does it make? What gas does it release?
Unlock the full HSEA system for 7 days.
Add your first kid profile and your 7 days start: every lesson in every grade, saved progress for each child. Nothing to set up, no card required, nothing to cancel.
- ✓ All 1,880 lessons, Grades 1–6, every subject
- ✓ Profiles + saved progress for every kid
- ✓ Printable lessons with answer key