Cellular Respiration: The Classroom as a Cellular Model
Grade Level
& Duration:
Grade 11
One 50 minute
lesson
Subject:
AP Biology
Analyze Learners
Overview & Purpose (STEMcinnati theme)
The purpose of this lesson is to help students understand how we harvest energy via
respiration. Typically this topic is of least interest to students as they are introduced to
a variety of unfamiliar terms. The purpose of this lesson is for students to “act out”
glycolysis, Kreb’s cycle and the electron transport chain to show how energy is
harvested using the electrons from organic compounds such as glucose to make a
molecule called ATP. ATP in turn is used to provide energy for most of the immediate
work that the cell does. Acting out the events of cellular respiration should serve as a
unique way for students to trace a molecule of glucose from ingestion all the way to
ATP production.
Prepared By:
Regina Lamendella
Education Standards Addressed (Ohio).
(Diversity and Interdependence of Life) Describe how cells and
organisms acquire and release energy (photosynthesis,
chemosynthesis, cellular respiration and fermentation).
(Characteristics and Structure of Life) Recognize that chemical bonds
of food molecules contain energy. Energy is released when the bonds
of food molecules are broken and new compounds with lower
energy bonds are formed
College Board; AP Biology:
Energy is the capacity to do work. All living organisms are active
because of their abilities to link energy reaction to biochemical
reactions that take place within their cells.
Select Goals and Objectives
Goals and
Objectives
(Specify skills/information that
will be learned.)
Teacher Guide
Goals:
Students should understand how energy is harvested
via electrons from organic compounds such as glucose
and used to make ATP, which is in turn is used to
provide energy for most of the immediate work that
the cell does.
Objectives: Students will be able to:
Explain how glucose is funneled through glycolysis,
Kreb’s cycle and electron transport chain to
generate ATP.
Compare and contrast the type of energy molecules
and amount of energy produced from glycolysis,
Kreb’s cycle, and electron transport chain
Explain how protons from NADH and FADH2 are
shuttled across the inner mitochondrial membrane
and how this gradient is used to generate ATP.
Select Instructional
Strategies –
Direct Instruction: Powerpoint presentation that
structures the lesson.
Information
(Give and/or demonstrate
necessary information)
Indirect Instruction: Class is organized into three
groups, glycolysis, Kreb’s cycle, electron transport
chain. Students funnel a molecule of glucose through
respiration enumerating energy production.
Student Guide
Materials Needed
 Chemistry models
(Framework and Space
Filling Chemistry Models)
Molecular Design, Inc.
Cost~20$
 Media player
 Video converter
 Computer/projector
 Photocopies of ATP,
NAD+,FAD,FADH2,
Utilize Technology
Other Resources
Microsoft Powerpoint was used to keep the
lesson structured.
Online videos of respiration overviews.
Books:
Biochemistry, 3rd Edition
Donald J. Voet, Judith G. Voet
Videos:
http://www.truveo.com/Electron-TransportChain-Animation-Overview/id/3589599027
http://www.truveo.com/Cellular-RespirationOverview-Animation-with/id/4006384623
Require Learner
Participation
Lesson 1
CATCH (5 mins):
Activity
(Describe the
independent activity to
reinforce this lesson)
“Doughnuts are just electrons”. Present
students with doughnuts as way for them to
understand what the doughnuts represent
biochemically for cellular respiration.
The catch is intended for the student to begin
thinking about what happens after ingestion
of food. (i.e. travels through digestive
system, across microvilli into capillaries
leads to release of insulin so that glucose can
be taken up by body cells, etc.)
Please fin the powerpoint file that
structures the overall lesson here:
Students engage in discussion
with teacher (before they get
doughnuts)
Lamendella_R_08_Major2_Powe
rpoint.ppt
PRE/POST-ASSESSMENT: (5 minutes)
1. Once glucose is ingested how does it get
into our cells?
2. Trace a molecule of glucose through
respiration.
a. Glycolysis
Where does it occur?
What goes in? What comes out?
How much energy is generated?
b.
Kreb’s cycle
Where does it occur?
What goes in? What comes out?
How much energy is generated?
c.
Electron Transport System
Where does it occur?
What goes in? What comes out?
How much energy is generated?
This can be given as an oral or
written assessment
This assessment can be found at
Lamendella_R_08_Major2_Asses
sment.doc
Overview video on respiration (3 minutes)
Model activity (30 minutes)
Teacher organizes students into each of three
groups.
Provide students with a model of glucose
give it the glycolysis group. Guide students
through
Students are organized into three
groups. One group is “glycolysis,
one group is Kreb’s cycle, one
group is electron transport chain.
Organize group around table and
give label each group.
Please find molecular models and
group labels in the powerpoint
file
named:Lamendella_R_08_Major
2_GroupActivity.ppt
Make 38 copies of ATP, 10
NADH, and 2 FADH2.
Require Learner
Participation
Activity
(Describe the independent
activity to reinforce this
lesson)
Lesson 1 (Continued)
the steps of glycolysis using the model.
Track where phosphates go, energy input,
output, hydrogens, etc. For reinforcement
have glycolysis up on the screen in the
powerpoint.
Students are given all the
molecules they need and trace
through the steps of glycolysis.
Students answer questions in
their packet relating to video.
Show 2 minute glycolysis video to reinforce
what they have done.
Students hand the pyruvate to the Kreb’s
cycle group. They track pyruvate to acetyl
CoA to carbon dioxide while enumerating
energy inputs and outputs.
Show 2 minute Kreb’s cycle video to
reinforce what they have done.
The glycolysis and Kreb’s cycle groups then
hand their NADH’s and FADH2’s to the
electro transport chain group. This is where
the students recognize that the oxidation of
these molecule provides the protons and
electron for the ETC to create the proton
gradient used to make ATP.
Show 3 minute video on electron transport
chain.
REVIEW (5 minutes)
Go through the overall reactions from each
stage of cellular respiration. Also extend the
students understanding of how the Kreb’s
cycle is really central to cellular function as
it is the entry and exit points for several other
biochemical mechanisms such as amino acid
production.
POST-ASSESSMENT (See above) (5 mins)
Students answer questions in
their packet relating to video.
Students hand the correct
amount of NADH and FADH2
photocopies to the ETC which
in turn make the correct
amount of ATP
Students answer questions in
their packet relating to video.
Students add up all of the ATP
photocopies to calculate the
overall energy yield from one
molecule of glucose
Evaluate (Assessment)
See pre/post assessment sheet.
(Steps to check for
student understanding)
See Student Handout sheet.
Additional Notes
Misconceptions:
Many misconceptions with this topic relate to lack
of time spent on understanding the chemical
structure of the enegry molecules (ATP, NAD,
FAD) When the students can see that a particular
hydrogen is being transferred from one molecule to
the energy carrier, the students can see how the
reaction is occurring. Showing just chemical
reactions does not seem suffice for understanding
the chemical structure behind the reaction.
Another common misconception is that studnets
don't understand that NADH and FADH2 made after
glycolysis and Kreb's cycle are converted to ATP
via the electron transport chain. This become very
apparent when the students are doing the group
activity where the energy carries from glycolysis are
"handed off" to the Electron transport chain, who
changes these molecules into the appropriate amount
of ATP.
Reflection for Lesson 2: Cellular Respiration: The Classroom as a Cellular Model
This lesson overall proved to be a very productive use of time. Mrs. Hadaway (AP Biology teacher) had informed me that the cellular
respiration section of the course is very challenging to teach and for students to learn from. The students were very eager to
understand cellular respiration because they know it is very heavily tested on the Advanced Placement exam. I think the lesson was
successful because I used varied teaching styles throughout the entire lesson. Using short little portion of lecture (no more than 5
minutes), short videos of glycolysis, Kreb's cycle and TCA, the chemical structure models and the group activity, where the class
became a cell and was separated into three groups (glycolysis, TCA, and ETC) gave students four different opportunities to
learn/reinforce cellular respiration. The student enjoyed the models and the class activity the most, because they could trace how a
molecule was being converted to ATP, through a series of chemical reactions. Next time I teach the lesson, I would make sure that the
desks were already organized into three groups because this took almost five minutes to get people into groups, move the desks, and
gain the students attention. I also think it would be useful to spend a little more time on the electron transport chain, focusing on how
the proton gradient is established and how ATP synthase is a tiny molecular motor. Perhaps a model or simulation could help the
students connect energy molecules (NADH and FADH2) to ATP production. I also think it was very help to constantly remind/ask
the students about what oxidation and reduction mean. (ie. NAD+ is in the oxidized form, NADH is the reduce form). I realized this
when the student were looking at me with a confused look on their face as I spewing out these terms. Another improvement I would
make is on spatial organization of the groups. Since the class was split into three groups (Glycolysis, Kreb's, and ETC) the ETC group
could not always see what the glycolysis group was doing to their molecule of glucose. I would suggest perhaps a triangular or
circular setup of all three groups (no linear, as I had done) so that all groups can see what is happening. Overall, this was a fun lesson
to teach and make sure you brush up on your understanding of cellular respiration before you attempt to teach this, as true
understanding of this material lies in the details!