Cellular respiration
I can describe what cellular respiration is and explain why it happens in all living organisms all the time.
Cellular respiration
I can describe what cellular respiration is and explain why it happens in all living organisms all the time.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Cellular respiration is a chemical process that uses glucose, from food, as a fuel to provide energy for life processes.
- Examples of life processes that require energy from cellular respiration.
- Cellular respiration happens in all living organisms all the time to provide the energy to keep them alive.
- Differences between breathing and respiration.
Keywords
Cell - A cell is the smallest living building block of an organism.
Cellular respiration - Cellular respiration is a chemical process that uses glucose, from food, as a fuel to provide energy for life processes.
Glucose - Glucose is a sugar that our cells use as fuel for cellular respiration.
Breathing - Breathing is the process in which air is moved in and out of the lungs.
Mitochondria - Mitochondria are cell organelles in which cellular respiration takes place in animals and plants.
Common misconception
Thinking that only animals respire, and that plants only photosynthesise (and do not respire).
This lesson uses examples of plants respiring in order to address this misconception.
To help you plan your year 9 science lesson on: Cellular respiration, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 science lesson on: Cellular respiration, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 3 science lessons from the Breathing and respiration unit, dive into the full secondary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Licence
Starter quiz
6 Questions

This causes air to move into the lungs.
This causes air to move out of the lungs.
Exit quiz
6 Questions
is where respiration takes place in plants and animals.
is where respiration takes place in bacteria.




