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Grades 9-12

Fueling Life on Earth: Chemosynthesis versus Photosynthesis

Grade Level:

9th – 12th grade (Chemistry)

Lesson Description:

The majority of life on Earth is based on a food web which revolves around the Sun, as plants use sunlight to make food via photosynthesis. However, in environments where there is no sunlight and thus no plants, organisms instead rely on primary production through a process called chemosynthesis, which runs on chemical energy. Together, photosynthesis and chemosynthesis fuel all life on Earth. In this lesson, students use models to illustrate how photosynthesis and chemosynthesis transform energy (light and chemical) into stored chemical energy in order to answer the Driving Question: How does the chemical process of chemosynthesis compare to the process of photosynthesis?

Lesson Components:

Standards:

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): 

  • Performance Expectations: HS-LS1-5; HS-PS1-7
  • Disciplinary Core Ideas: LS1.C: Organization of Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms

Ocean Literacy Essential Principles: 

  • Principle 5: FC g

Supporting Images/Videos:

Deep-Sea Dialogues: Hydrothermal Vents. Video courtesy of NOAA Ocean Exploration.
Download larger version. (mp4, 352 MB)

Supplemental Materials:

Introductory Activity

Fact Sheets

Exploration Notes – stories from the field

Poster