How it works
These photosynthesis comic strip ideas each give a cast and a beat for every panel. In every strip light, water and carbon dioxide go into a leaf, and sugar and oxygen come out.
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Three things in, two things out
Light is caught by chlorophyll, the green pigment in a leaf's chloroplasts. Water comes up from the roots. Carbon dioxide enters from the air through pores called stomata. The plant makes sugar and releases oxygen. A strip that shows all five, in that order, has the whole process.
Two stages, for older classes
Two stages splits the work. The light-dependent reactions capture light, split water, release oxygen and make ATP and NADPH. The Calvin cycle then uses those two to build sugar from carbon dioxide.
- Give each of the five things one color and keep it through every panel.
- Label the arrows. A reader should see what goes in and what comes out without reading the balloons.
Questions and answers
How do you make a comic strip about photosynthesis?
Pick a cast, such as a leaf as a kitchen. Show light, water and carbon dioxide going in, then sugar and oxygen coming out, a panel or so for each. Label every arrow and add a caption for each step.
What goes into photosynthesis and what comes out?
Light, water and carbon dioxide go in. Sugar and oxygen come out. In a plant it happens in the chloroplasts of the leaf cells, where chlorophyll absorbs the light.
How many panels should a photosynthesis comic have?
Three are enough: what goes in, what happens in the leaf, what comes out. Four or six give each ingredient its own panel. The two-stage strips use six, three for the light-dependent reactions and three for the Calvin cycle.
What is a funny photosynthesis comic idea?
A houseplant explains its lunch to the family cat, three guests go into a leaf and two different ones come out, or a stage magician leaf whose trick is really chemistry.