Define what the diagram represents
Use an original simplified overview of photosynthesis in a plant. Water and carbon dioxide are matter inputs; carbohydrate and oxygen are matter outputs; light supplies energy. This summarizes a process, not measured flow through a real leaf or every exchange of a whole plant.
The HHMI student worksheet separates matter and energy inputs and outputs. The OpenStax overview explains the use of light energy to build carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. Use that overview level for this exercise; do not portray glucose as the direct product of one single reaction step.
Give five labels five explicit positions
| Position on the original diagram | Label | Category and direction |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming matter arrow A | Water | Matter enters the modeled process. |
| Incoming matter arrow B | Carbon dioxide | Matter enters the modeled process. |
| Outgoing matter arrow C | Carbohydrate | Matter produced by the overview process. |
| Outgoing matter arrow D | Oxygen | Matter leaves the modeled process. |
| Incoming energy arrow E | Light energy | Energy input, not matter. |
Put the words Matter in, Matter out, and Energy in on the diagram, rather than assigning meaning only through arrow color. Label the system boundary “Simplified photosynthesis overview.” Do not add invented quantities, a growth prediction, or a molecular animation to make the model appear more precise.
Check labels, then check the explanation
Allow learners to select a label for each position without needing to drag. After checking, feedback should name the position and explain its role. If light is placed on a matter arrow, say: “Light supplies energy in this model; it is not one of the material substances being moved.” If oxygen is placed on an incoming arrow, compare it with the outgoing oxygen position in this overview.
Then ask: Which input supplies energy, and which inputs supply matter? A learner should identify light as energy and water/carbon dioxide as matter. Correct placement alone does not tell you whether the learner can explain the categories.
Keep unfilled positions labeled Not answered. Let learners revise an individual choice and check again. Reset clears all placements and feedback; it must not leave a correct-result banner over an empty diagram. Describe this as local practice, with actual teaching observations kept separately.
Keep the limits visible in the teacher key
The five-arrow overview does not show the light reactions, the Calvin cycle, or the intermediate steps through which carbohydrate is formed. It is also not a net gas-exchange model for a whole plant under all conditions. If your lesson assesses those mechanisms, add the required source-supported detail in a different task rather than asking this diagram to prove it.
Review the original arrows and key before class. The directions, category labels, and explanations must agree; a decorative arrow that appears to send oxygen inward can contradict a correct answer list.
Copy a prompt for the diagram task
Draft an original photosynthesis overview practice worksheet in US English.
Learners and model scope: [inputs]
Checked scientific source material: [paste source-supported facts]
Required labels and system boundary: [inputs]
Required school format: [format]
Separate matter inputs, matter outputs, and energy input with named positions and explicit directions. Provide a teacher key and a short explanation question after placement. At overview level, distinguish water/carbon dioxide inputs, carbohydrate/oxygen outputs, and light energy; do not claim direct one-step glucose production or net whole-plant exchange. Flag any fact outside my supplied model for teacher science review.
Describe non-drag, keyboard-accessible label choices, text feedback, retry, and reset. Keep unanswered separate from incorrect. Reset clears placements and feedback together. Provide a complete text equivalent of the diagram and never use color as the only category label. Do not say unbuilt practice controls are tested.
Do not invent measured flux, animation playback, growth data, student results, or standards compliance. Show [NEEDED: input] for missing facts. Return original learner task and checked teacher-key draft in the required format, leaving official assessment records separate.
Review the category labels before using the sheet
An HTML version of the prepared diagram can be saved and rendered in NOS while you inspect each arrow beside its explanation. The diagram's local practice controls are part of the prepared exercise, not a promise of collected learner results. Finish by checking that the energy arrow cannot be mistaken for a material input and that the teacher key states the model's scope.