Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration - Fully editable and Complete 5E Lesson. This bundle is designed for a middle school science class - Grades 7-9.

No prep needed: Ready-to-go Daily Teaching Timeline — Open & Teach

Preview shows exactly how the unit runs, day-to-day.

Lesson Objectives:

Throughout this 5E lesson, students will learn about:

• The basics behind photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
• How photosynthesis and cellular respiration are connected.
• Important organelles involved in photosynthesis and cellular respiration specifically mitochondria and chloroplasts.
• The reactants and products of both and how they are used by living things.
• Earth’s energy budget

✅ Complete 5E Lesson Plan: Covers Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration with ready-to-use activities for Grades 7–9.
✅ 7 Lab Station Activities: Hands-on exploration with minimal prep and built-in student recording sheets.
✅ Editable Lesson Materials: PowerPoint, PDF, and assignments included for flexibility in teaching.
✅ Creative Projects & Assessments: Comic book and infographic tasks plus a quiz for evaluation.

This 5E lesson bundle is meant for middle school classrooms. If you're looking for something for high school, please click here.

How does the 5E model facilitate learning?

• It emphasizes inquiry, critical thinking, and the process of science
• Its success is backed by countless scientific studies that demonstrate its effectiveness
• It’s built around the idea that humans construct knowledge and meaning from their learning experiences. That they build upon their prior knowledge and to be effective, learning needs to be active and allow the participants to construct new knowledge from their experiences

What's included?

Engagement Phase

- This could involve a short video with probing questions or a discussion based around current events, common misconceptions, etc.

- Creates interest and excitement for your students

- Asks questions and probes their initial conceptions

- In this bundle, your students will be immediately gripped by an inquiry video (with discussion questions) that is highly engaging

Exploration Phase

- Students use and develop creative thinking skills, make observations, record results, and make connections

- This bundle comes with a 7-station, Lab Activity where they will gain real experiences with the topic

**Note: The lab station activity requires very little preparation or materials**

- For a complete description of the lab station activity, please see below

Explanation Phase

- This is the instructional phase where concepts are presented to the students in a clear and applicable way

- Students develop an understanding of the content

- Observations and experiences are discussed and critiqued

- Students develop vocabulary

- Students are able to connect the content presented to previous experiences

- This bundle includes one lesson in PowerPoint and .PDF formats. For a complete description of it, please see below

Elaborate Phase

- This phase involves the students completing an activity or assignment that forces them to expand their thinking and knowledge of the topic. They will propose solutions and extend their learning to new situations

**Note: This activity requires no preparation or materials**

- For a complete description, please see below

Evaluate Phase

- Your students will demonstrate their understanding and evaluate their own progress

- This phase involves the students completing an activity or assignment that forces them to expand their thinking and knowledge of the topic. They will propose solutions and extend their learning to new situations

- The evaluation section includes a quiz that will allow you to evaluate your students' topic understanding

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The NRC's How People Learn has synthesized decades of research across many different disciplines about how people learn (NRC, 1999 blue right-pointing triangle). Key findings from that synthesis include the following. First, students (people) must be interested and engaged in what they are learning and find it useful and meaningful. Second, students (people) must be actively involved in the process of teaching and learning, comparing new information to previous ideas, constructing new understandings, and quite simply changing their own minds about how the world works. And third, students (people) need opportunities to apply what they have learned to new situations, to check the completeness of their understanding, and to evaluate their own learning for themselves. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2931660/)

By incorporating this 5E lesson, you will provide your students with a meaningful and coherent way of learning that best suits their needs. You will also utilize technology in a way that creates order and promotes understanding.

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The following 5E lessons are currently available in My Store

Physics

• Newton's Three Laws of Motion

• Current Electricity and Circuits

• One and Two-Dimensional Motion

• Static Electricity

• Projectile Motion

• Light and its Production

• Energy, Energy Transfer, and its Forms

• Kinetic and Gravitational Potential Energy

• Electricity Production

• Friction

• Density and Buoyancy

• Sound and Hearing

• Uniform Acceleration

• How Planes Fly

• Refraction

• Work

• Power

• Magnetic Fields

• Momentum, Conservation of Momentum, and Impulse

• Forces

Biology

• Cells and the Cell Theory

• Digestive System

• Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

• Mitosis and the Cell Cycle

• Circulatory System

• Cancer

• Photosynthesis

• Respiratory System

• Cell Membrane and Transport

• Energy Flow In Ecosystems

• The Human Eye

• Genetic Material: DNA and RNA

• Nervous System

• Plant and Animal Cells

• Carbohydrates and Lipids

• Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

Coming Soon:

• Proteins and Enzymes

• Cellular Respiration (Senior)

• Human Reproductive Systems

Ecology

• The Cycling of Matter: The Water and Carbon Cycles

• Cells and the Cell Theory

• Ecosystems

• Biodiversity

• Invasive Species

• Interactions Within Ecosystems

• Photosynthesis

• Biomes

• The Classification of Living Things

• Photosynthesis

• Ecological Succession

• Energy Flow in Ecosystems

• Plant Sexual and Asexual Reproduction

Chemistry

• Physical and Chemical Properties and Changes

• Atoms and the Atomic Theory

• Chemical Reactions

• Types of Chemical Reactions and Balancing Equations

• Molecular and Ionic Compounds

• Acids, Bases, and pH

• The Periodic Table

• Particle Theory and Matter Classification

• The Mole/Avogadro's Number

• Types of Bonds and Intermolecular Forces

• Solutions and Mechanical Mixtures

Coming Soon:

• Atomic Theory, Atomic Structure, and Isotopes

• Matter

• Trends in the Periodic Table

• Nomenclature

• Intermolecular Forces

• Stoichiometry

• Gases

Earth and Space Science

• Climate Change and Global Warming

• The Moon and its Phases

• Our Solar System

• The Seasons

• Human Space Exploration

• The Life and Death of Stars

• Asteroids, Comets, and Meteors

• Solar and Lunar Eclipse

• Tectonic Plates

• Rock Cycle

Coming Soon:

• Galaxies and our Universe

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Engagement - ‘Engage - Know, Want to Know, Explain’.

The students will be asked to write down what they know and what they don't know about photosynthesis and cellular respiration. They are to then look up what they don't know and include it on their sheet. Students should research at least 1 thing they don’t know but more if they finish early.

Explore - Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration - 7 Lab Station Activities

This fully editable Lab Station Activity on Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration is meant to get your students out of their seats and engaged in the content.

Each station not only offers a unique opportunity to test your students' knowledge (offer an opinion, answer questions based on a video or reading, draw, etc.), but also provides a fantastic learning opportunity where your kids are learning through assessment. Each station comes with a description card while some also contain more detailed instructions, a reading, questions to answer, etc. Students are equipped with a recording sheet (passport) to write their answers. There is almost no prep for you. Simply print the cards, lay them out around the room and you're all set. An answer key is also provided where applicable.

Explain - Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis Lesson

Throughout the lesson, students will learn about:

• Earth’s energy budget
• Cellular energy (ATP)
• Mitochondria
• Solar energy
• Chloroplasts
• Chlorophyll
• Photosynthesis vs. Cellular Respiration
• Photosynthesis and Life

Elaborate - Photosynthesis Comic Book Assignment

Transform your students into storytellers and artists with this engaging and educational Photosynthesis Comic Book Assignment! Designed for middle school science classes, this project blends creativity with core scientific concepts, making learning about photosynthesis an adventure that students won't forget.

Evaluate - Photosynthesis Infographic Assignment

This project merges science with art, allowing students to express their understanding of photosynthesis through visual storytelling. Designed to align with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), this assignment will challenge your students to explain content into an informative and visually appealing infographic suitable for display.