Cellular Respiration Molecular Name ______

Model Activity

7th Grade PSI Score______/27 points

Warmup:

  1. Write the chemical equation that represents cellular respiration.
  1. Which part of the equation represents
  2. food?
  3. energy?
  4. Name two examples of something that uses cellular respiration.

Objective: To model how food is rearranged through chemical reactions to form new molecules that support growth and/or release energy as this matter moves through an organism.

Materials:

  • 6 carbon atoms (red gumdrops)
  • 12 hydrogen atoms (green gumdrops)
  • 18 oxygen atoms (yellow gumdrops)
  • 30 toothpicks

Directions:

  1. Use the atoms (gumdrops) and toothpicks to construct the reactants in cellular respiration. Make sure to construct the correct amount of each reactant molecule. If you need help forming specific molecules, refer to theMolecule Help Sheet.
  2. Show your teacher your reactant moleculesto make sure they are correct.
  3. After your teacher has approved your model, draw them on your Cellular Respiration Molecular Model sheet in the correct locations.Be sure to indicate how many of each molecule there are.
  4. Now dissemble the reactants. Using the same atoms, repeat steps 1-3 for the products of cellular respiration.
  5. Write the following terms in the correct locations on your Cellular Respiration Molecular Modelsheet:
  • Exothermic Reaction
  • Glucose
  • ATP/Energy
  • Water
  • Carbon Dioxide
  • Oxygen
  • Reactants
  • Products
  1. Answer the summary questions.

Grade PSIMatter and Energy in Everyday Life

Cellular Respiration Molecular Model

Grade PSIMatter and Energy in Everyday Life

Summary Questions:

  1. Explain the purpose of cellular respiration.
  1. What are the reactants needed for cellular respiration? Where do they come from?
  1. What products result from cellular respiration?
  1. Where does cellular respiration take place?
  1. Recall how you disassembled the reactants in order to make the products. What part of cellular respiration does this represent?
  1. Why is it an accurate model to “reuse” the atoms from your reactants to build the products of cellular respiration?

Molecule Help Sheet

Water

Carbon DioxideOxygen

Grade PSIMatter and Energy in Everyday Life