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How do organisms use energy?
This analysis and discussion activity introduces students to the basic principles of how biological organisms use energy.
The focus is on understanding the roles of ATP, cellular respiration, and hydrolysis of ATP.
In addition, students apply the principles of conservation of energy and conservation of matter to avoid common errors and correct common misconceptions.
The Student Handout is available in the first two attached files and as a Google doc designed for use in distance learning and online instruction. The Teacher Notes, available in the last two attached files, provide instructional suggestions and background information and explain how this activity is aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
how organisms use energy SHO.docx | 1.37 MB |
how organisms use energy SHO.pdf | 398.56 KB |
how organisms use energy TN.docx | 2.54 MB |
how organisms use energy TN.pdf | 693.37 KB |
Download Minds-On Activities for Teaching Biology
Introduction and Activities Listing

Intro and Biological Molecules
- Characteristics of Life
- Levels of Organization in Biology (NGSS)
- Introduction to Proteins and DNA (NGSS)
- Enzymes Help Us Digest Food (NGSS; hands-on)
- A Scientific Investigation – What types of food contain starch and protein? (NGSS; hands-on)
- Coronaviruses – Introduction (NGSS)
- Who Took Jerell’s iPod? -- An Organic Compound Mystery (hands-on)
- Is Yeast Alive? (hands-on)
- Macromolecules Jeopardy

Cell Structure and Function
- Cell Structure and Function – Major Concepts and Learning Activities
- Introduction to Cells (NGSS)
- Structure and Function of Cells, Organs and Organ Systems (NGSS)
- Why do some plants grow in odd shapes? (NGSS)
- Introduction to Osmosis (NGSS; hands-on)
- Cell Membrane Structure and Function (NGSS; hands-on)
- Cell Vocabulary Review Game

Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis
- Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis - Key Concepts and Activities
- How do organisms use energy? (NGSS)
- Using Models to Understand Cellular Respiration (NGSS)
- Using Models to Understand Photosynthesis (NGSS)
- Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration and Plant Growth (NGSS; hands-on)
- Food, Energy and Body Weight (NGSS)
- How do muscles get the energy they need for athletic activity? (NGSS)
- Alcoholic Fermentation in Yeast – A Bioengineering Design Challenge (NGSS; hands-on)
- Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration (NGSS)
- Where does a tree’s mass come from? (NGSS)
- Photosynthesis Investigation (NGSS; hands-on)

Cell Division
- Mitosis and the Cell Cycle (NGSS; hands-on)
- Mitosis and the Cell Cycle (NGSS)
- Meiosis and Fertilization – Understanding How Genes Are Inherited (NGSS; hands-on)
- Understanding How Genes are Inherited via Meiosis and Fertilization (NGSS)
- Comparing Mitosis and Meiosis
- Melanoma, Mutations and Abnormal Cell Cycles (NGSS)
- Mistakes in Meiosis – Down Syndrome or Embryo Death (NGSS)
- Mitosis, Meiosis and Fertilization Vocabulary Review Game

Genetics
- Genetics Concepts and Activities (NGSS)
- Genetics (NGSS; hands-on)
- Genetics Intro – Family Members (NGSS)
- Genetics Sickle Cell Anemia and Trait (NGSS)
- Genetics Probability – Sex Ratios (NGSS)
- Mistake in copying DNA & Dwarfism (NGSS)
- Soap Opera Genetics (NGSS)
- Were the babies switched? The Genetics of Blood Types (NGSS; hands-on)
- Dragon Genetics I (hands-on)
- Dragon Genetics II (hands-on)
- Learning about Genetic Disorders
- Genetics Vocabulary Review Game
- Genetics Jeopardy

Molecular Biology
- Molecular Biology: Major Concepts and Learning Activities (NGSS)
- DNA (NGSS; hands-on)
- DNA Function, Structure and Replication (NGSS)
- How Genes Can Cause Disease - Introduction to Transcription and Translation (NGSS; hands-on)
- How Genes Can Cause Disease - Understanding Transcription and Translation (NGSS)
- UV, Mutations and DNA Repair (NGSS; hands-on)
- Mutations and Muscular Dystrophy (NGSS)
- Cell Differentiation and Epigenetics (NGSS)
- Genetic Engineering Challenge – Preventing Vitamin A Deficiency (NGSS)
- Gene Editing with CRISPR-Cas –Sickle Cell Anemia Cure? (NGSS)
- Molecular Biology Vocabulary Review Game

Evolution
- Resources for Teaching and Learning about Evolution
- Evolution by Natural Selection (NGSS; hands-on)
- What is natural selection? (NGSS)
- Natural Selection and the Peppered Moth (NGSS)
- Evolution of Fur Color in Mice – Mutation, Environment and Natural Selection (NGSS)
- Coronavirus Evolution and the COVID-19 Pandemic (NGSS)
- How Whales Evolved (NGSS)
- How does evolution result in similarities and differences? (NGSS; hands-on)
- How Eyes Evolved – Analyzing the Evidence (NGSS)
- Evolution and Adaptations (NGSS)

Ecology
- Ecology Concepts and Learning Activities (NGSS)
- Exponential and Logistic Population Growth Models vs. Complex Reality (NGSS)
- Some Similarities between the Spread of Infectious Disease and Population Growth (NGSS; hands-on)
- Stability and Change in Biological Communities (NGSS)
- Food Webs, Energy Flow, Carbon Cycle and Trophic Pyramids (NGSS)
- Food Webs (NGSS)
- Carbon Cycles and Energy Flow through Ecosystems (NGSS)
- Trophic Pyramids (NGSS)
- Introduction to Global Warming (NGSS)
- Food and Climate Change – How can we feed a growing world population without increasing global warming? (NGSS)
- Resources for Teaching about Climate Change
- The Ecology of Lyme Disease (NGSS)

Human Physiology and Health
- Negative Feedback, Homeostasis, and Positive Feedback – Examples and Concepts (NGSS; hands-on)
- Homeostasis, Negative Feedback, and Positive Feedback (NGSS)
- How do we Sense the Flavors of Food? (NGSS; hands-on)
- COVID-19 Vaccines (NGSS)
- How to Reduce the Spread of COVID-19 (NGSS)
- Molecular and Evolutionary Biology of HIV/AIDS and Treatment (NGSS)
- Resources for Teaching Cancer Biology
- Carbohydrate Consumption, Athletics, Health – Using Science Process Skills
- Vitamins and Health – Why Experts Disagree
- Regulation of Human Heart Rate (hands-on)
- Should You Drink Sports Drinks? When? Why?
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Creative Commons License
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Comments
i teach biology at Port
i teach biology at Port Charlotte High in Florida. I would like to use these resources, thanks Dawn Wilder.
Using These Resources
Please do use these resources in your teaching! Our use policy is described in the left-hand column.
Good luck,
Ingrid
Answer Key
Hello,
I am using a few of these activities to teach my students concepts for our anatomy and physiology course. May I have a student answer key for this exercise? I'm also interested in answer keys for cell factory and cell diversity.
Best,
Fern
Answer key
Please see the Teacher Notes for instructional suggestions, background biology, and information about how to request the key.
Thanks,
Ingrid
2016 revision
The Student Handout and Teacher Preparation Notes have been revised to improve the accuracy of the descriptions of chemical energy and energy metabolism.
2015 revision
In this revision, we have clarified the explanations and questions in the Student Handout, improved the scientific precision of the wording, and added explanations concerning challenging issues to the Teacher Notes.
2014 revision
The Student Handout has been substantially revised to align this activity more closely with the Next Generation Science Standards and to improve student understanding of energy, ATP and cellular respiration. The revised Teacher Notes provide improved teaching suggestions and background information.
cwon't let me downoad
Hello.
Is there an issue with downloading. It comes up with an error?
Help with Download Problems
I'm sorry that you are experiencing problems with downloads. We think we have identified the problem which we will fix it as soon as possible. Meanwhile, as a temporary approach to resolving this problem, I propose the following:
Ingrid Waldron
iwaldron@saas.upenn.edu
2013 revision
The 2013 revision of this activity has clarified explanations and questions in the Student Handout and background information and an optional additional activity "Sports Physiology – Energy" in the Teacher Notes.
biology
information on the website is very helpful to me and my wife in preparing to teach biology, thank you.
Biology
First question in the handout states that "opposite charges repel"...that should be "like charges repel".
Error in Student Handout Fixed
Thank you so much for letting me know about this error. I have posted a corrected student handout.
Thanks again,
Ingrid
ADP+P=ATP
Thank you so much. This is very clear and well-organized. We're just finishing up plant growth in which teams of students chose independent variables and recorded data. We're also comparing photosynthesis and respiration.
The "misconceptions" resources are well-organized.
Thanks again.
Gamal
biology
this is an awesome website..... thank you, thank you, thank you
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