Photosynthesis Finally Explained by a Qualified Personal Tutor!

Photosynthesis Finally Explained by a Qualified Personal Tutor! With GCSEs now on the horizon, Frank Iâ€"a top GCSE personal tutor at Tutorfairâ€"explains how to crack the dreaded GCSE Biology topic of photosynthesis . . . . Photosynthesis involves chlorophyll pigments, redox proteins, NADPH, the Calvin cycle…. wait, where did everyone go?  You’ve gone haven’t you?  Will you stick around if I just cut out the rubbish and get to the bits that matter? Deal?  Great! Everything that happens on this planet happens because of sunlight. Energy flows through our planet like a river. It comes in as light, leaves as heat, and somewhere in between it drives every single thing on Earth. The rushing wind, pouring rain, fluffy clouds, winter, summer and of course LIFE all come down to sunlight. But wait, people aren’t solar powered! We eat food (sugars, proteins, and fats) that supplies the energy we need to play football, write a blog post, or run in the opposite direction from someone who might try to talk to you about science.  If you’re feeling a bit drained, you can’t just stand in a field and absorb a bit of light energy… but plants CAN! And the way they do it is called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the gateway through which that river of energy from sunlight pours into the great circle of life.The laugh of a child, the flutter of a butterfly’s wings and the roar of a lion. Just like a raging river, sunlight is always moving (at about 300 million meters per second to be precise). It’s here and then it’s gone. Now we’ve got a problem. To survive, all living organisms require a constant supply of energy every second of every day. Even if plants could live directly off that river of light, what happens at night, or in the dead of winter, or on any of the 364 days of the year in England when the sun doesn’t shine? They need to trap it. Plants need to be able to dip a bucket into that river of light, fill it up, and keep it aside for later. How? Photo(light)-synthesis(making). Making what? Plants reach out and grab carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil and use them to build their “buckets” of energy, namely sugars, fats, and proteins. This energy is then locked into the bonds between atoms of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Light energy has now been trapped as chemical energy that the plants can store until they need it. Oh, and in the process they spit out a bit of oxygen as a waste product… cheers plants! OK. So what’s this got to do with the laugh of child, the roar of a lion, blah blah blah? Well, that lion eats a zebra and steals its energy buckets (sugars, fats, proteins). Of course the zebra had just nicked those buckets of energy by eating . . . you guessed it . . . Plants!â€"which of course used photosynthesis to pour light energy into those buckets in the first place. Humans are just like the lions except we’ll eat anythingâ€"plants, other animals, even Marmite. Now there’s no point in stealing those buckets of energy if we can’t empty them back out when we need them.  And that’s called respiration which would take me AGES to explain.  Take photosynthesis, turn it around, and run it backwards.  That’s respiration.  Actually, that didn’t take long it all! So, the next time you’re in the shops, peering at the calories on the back of a packet of biscuits, just remember, those calories (energy) come from those little photosynthetic buckets: sugars, fats and proteins. When you’re counting those calories, you’re counting rays of sunshine. And when that burst of chocolate rolls across your tongue, you’re tasting starlight. Nice one plants. Fancy private biology tuition? Visit the Tutorfair website for Biology tutors. Frank  also  tutors science and maths in London. Please  check out his personal profile page on Tutorfair’s website. Leaves Photograph from  www.flickr.com  CC-by Illustrated Diagram from  en.wikipedia.org  CC-by

Monthly Volunteer Notables - OCTOBER - Heart Math Tutoring

Monthly Volunteer Notables - OCTOBER - Heart Math Tutoring Monthly Volunteer Notables OCTOBER Monthly Volunteer Notables OCTOBER December 15, 2014 Dear HEART Volunteers, This is a monthly email in which we consolidate all important tips and announcements.   Please look closely!  Below you will find (1) Important Logistics, (2) Tutoring Tips, (3) More Resources (OPTIONAL), and (4) Just for Fun (OPTIONAL). It has been a pleasure to see you meet your students and begin your work!   Thank you for what you are doing at the schools. (1) Important Logistics Friday Oct 31 â€" Teacher Work Day â€" No School, No Tutoring Tuesday, Nov 11 â€" Veteran’s Day â€" No School, No Tutoring Wednesday, Nov 26 to Friday, Nov 28 â€" Thanksgiving Break â€" No School, No Tutoring You can download or view all CMS holidays and teacher workdays here.   If your tutoring time falls on a holiday, I can help you reschedule for a different day that week, if your schedule permits.     Thanks! (2) Tutoring Tips Student Progress Logs Make it easy on your partner!  Make sure you are writing Notebook Name and Lesson number clearly.  If you stopped mid-lesson, please include the Activity, as well.   If you are working in Combinations to 10, ALWAYS include the student’s Focus Number. Praise hard work over smartness.   Students can’t control how quickly they grasp a concept, but they can control their effort and focus.   Learning requires willingness to work hard, as concepts get difficult, so praise students when they persist in the face of a challenge! “I am more convinced than ever that mindsets toward learning could matter more than anything else we teach.” â€" Salman Khan (from Khan Academy).   See his full article, “Why I Never Tell My Son He’s Smart,” here . See more research here . “Students with a ‘growth mindset’ believe they can get smarter by putting in effort and using the right strategies.” Keep having fun!   What is your student wearing for Halloween?   Find out! (3) More Resources (OPTIONAL) Why do Americans Stink at Math? â€"Elizabeth Green, NY Times.   This is a very interesting article about various instructional trends and the implications on math skills (“numeracy”) in the U.S. More information on growth mindset and malleable intelligence: Teaching students that their brain and intelligence can grow through practice and hard work has a positive impact, especially for students facing negative stereotypes and questioning their own capabilities.   A student-friendly article is here, and a research summary is here . For those voting on November 4th, here is info from CMS regarding the sales tax referendum that will affect revenue to schools. (4)   Just for Fun (OPTIONAL) Check out pictures from the first weeks of tutoring on HEART Tutoring’s Facebook page!   You can also follow HEART on Instagram and twitter (@HEARTTutoring). We are so fortunate to have tutors who have been with HEART since the earliest of days!   Thank you to these people for spending your time with HEART and for the many math lessons and high-fives you have given over the years. Tutors in their 5th year with HEART: Andy Cooney, Martha Eubank, Reid Leggett, Minna Elliott, Margaret Marshall Tutors in their 4th year with HEART: Jessie Jones, Jennifer Martin, Dorothy Smith, Catherine Fischer, Missy Miller, Daniel Tanaka, Lisa Warren, Sheila Wheeler We are also very happy to welcome back 68 tutors from last year! Lastly, here is a huge, warm welcome to 160 new tutors, volunteering with HEART for the first time this year! We are so glad to have everyone on board and thankful for the attention, encouragement, and skills you are giving your students each week.   Please contact your Program Coordinator with any questions or concerns. Many thanks, The HEART Team