Metabolism Lesson Plan: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Grade Levels: 6-8

*Click to open and customize your own copy of the Metabolism Lesson Plan. 

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Metabolism. It addresses the standard of explaining how within individual organisms, food moves through a series of chemical reactions in which it is broken down and rearranged to form new molecules to support growth or to release energy. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Ask students how they think animals get energy from food.

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

  • Read the description on the Metabolism topic page.
  • Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding. 
  • Assign Related Reading. Have students read one of the following articles: “In-Depth” or “Sickness and Health.” Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Assign Metabolism Challenge and Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about metabolism while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

  • Make-a-Movie: Produce a movie about metabolism, describing the relationship between catabolism and anabolism. 
  • Make-a-Map: Create a concept map comparing and contrasting metabolic processes in plants and animals. 
  • Creative Coding: Code a comic with a character who explains how a plant gets its energy from air and water. 

More to Explore 

Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of metabolism with these topics: Body Chemistry, Cellular Respiration, and Nutrition. 

Teacher Support Resources:

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    Filed as:  6-8, BrainPOP, Lesson Ideas, Lesson Plan, Metabolism