Even though photosynthesis is an obligatory part of the science curriculum, research has shown that students often have a poor understanding of it. The authors advocate that classroom coverage of the topic of photosynthesis should include not only its biochemical properties but also the role of photosynthesis or photosynthetic organisms in matter cycling and energy transfers in natural ecosystems. The authors discuss several activities on photosynthesis following the inquiry-based 5E (engage, explore, explain, extend, and evaluate) learning model. The activities, which incorporate different teaching styles to engage students with different interests and modalities, highlight the dynamic nature of photosynthesis, looking at the process across time scales ranging from minutes to days. The activities provide opportunities for hypothesis testing, use of experimental controls, and application of summary statistics and statistical analysis. They also incorporate locally available aquatic resources and provide opportunities to conduct experiments in natural settings. (Contains 4 figures.)