Photosynthesis Explorer
NGSS MS-LS1-6 · HS-LS1-5
Read the standards: MS-LS1-6, HS-LS1-5
Turn light, water and CO₂ up and down to find what limits a plant, then read the balanced equation behind it.
About This Interactive
What do students do?
One interactive, two grade bands. In the Biology view, students drag light, water, and carbon dioxide up and down, watch the leaf respond, and read a live bar graph of every input and output. The real game is the hunt for the limiting factor: set two inputs high and one low, work out which one is holding the plant back, then fix it and watch glucose and oxygen climb. A magnifier reveals the chloroplasts and stomata inside the leaf. Flip the toggle to the Chemistry view and the same sliders now drive the balanced equation, with live mole counts holding the 6:6:1:6 ratio, an atom tally that proves conservation of mass, and the energy story told as light becoming stored chemical energy.
What does it cover?
NGSS MS-LS1-6 in the Biology view: construct a scientific explanation for the role of photosynthesis in the cycling of matter and flow of energy into and out of organisms. NGSS HS-LS1-5 in the Chemistry view: use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy. The worksheet swaps with the toggle, so each band gets its own ten questions, and the vocabulary swaps too, from producer and limiting factor to reactant, coefficient, and conservation of mass.
How long does it take?
20 to 30 minutes for the quick version. The full Biology lesson is one 50 minute class; the full Chemistry lesson is one 90 minute block built around a classic 1600s tree-weighing experiment.
What does it run on?
Every SciMinis interactive runs free in the browser with nothing to install and no accounts, on Chromebooks, laptops, tablets, and phones. It's fully bilingual: one tap switches the whole interactive, worksheet included, between English and Spanish.
What do teachers get?
Each interactive ships with vocabulary flashcards, a ten-question worksheet students can export as a PDF, and complete NGSS-aligned lesson plans: a 20 to 30 minute quick version and a full timed 5E lesson. The lesson plans and answer key stay behind a free teacher password, so students can't peek.