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Science lesson plan · 7th grade (Year 8 in England) · 30 minutes

Respiration without oxygen: muscles and yeast

Human body and health

CCSS NGSS.MS-LS1-7CCSS NGSS.HS-LS1-7England: KS3 Biology: Cellular respirationEngland: GCSE Combined Science: Bioenergetics

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Respiration without oxygen: muscles and yeast.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Breathing, gas exchange and respiration

Leads to: Aerobic and anaerobic respiration equations compared

Materials: Stopwatches, Body diagrams, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Breathing, gas exchange and respiration). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. During hard exercise, muscles may respire without enough oxygen. What do they make? (alcohol and carbon dioxide / starch / lactic acid / oxygen) → lactic acidPrompt: This is anaerobic respiration in animals.
  2. Respiration: which statement is NOT true? (We breathe out only carbon dioxide. / Respiration happens in every living cell. / Plants respire as well as photosynthesise. / Mitochondria are where aerobic respiration happens.) → We breathe out only carbon dioxide.Prompt: Respiration and breathing are different things.
  3. Yeast respiring without oxygen produces… (water only / oxygen and glucose / lactic acid only / ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide) → ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxidePrompt: This is used to make bread rise.

Hook · 3 min

  • Ask everyone to find their pulse, then jump for 30 seconds and find it again.
  • Share the objective: Respiration without oxygen: muscles and yeast. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which word equation shows the respiration happening here: muscles doing hard exercise with too little oxygen?
  • Step 1: In muscles without enough oxygen, glucose is turned into lactic acid.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: glucose → lactic acid
  • Answer: glucose → lactic acid
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Which word equation shows the respiration happening here: yeast in a sealed flask of sugar solution? (glucose → lactic acid / glucose → ethanol + carbon dioxide / glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water) → glucose → ethanol + carbon dioxidePrompt: Is there enough oxygen?
  2. Yeast was mixed with sugar solution and the gas collected in 10 minutes was measured: 10 °C: 3 cm³ 20 °C: 7 cm³ 30 °C: 14 cm³ 40 °C: 23 cm³ 50 °C: 2 cm³ At which temperature did the yeast respire fastest, in °C? → 40 °CPrompt: The gas is carbon dioxide from respiration.

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Yeast was mixed with sugar solution and the gas collected in 10 minutes was measured: 10 °C: 6 cm³ 20 °C: 13 cm³ 30 °C: 22 cm³ 40 °C: 13 cm³ 50 °C: 3 cm³ At which temperature did the yeast respire fastest, in °C? → 30 °CPrompt: The gas is carbon dioxide from respiration.
  2. Which word equation shows the respiration happening here: yeast in a sealed flask of sugar solution? (glucose → lactic acid / glucose → ethanol + carbon dioxide / glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water) → glucose → ethanol + carbon dioxidePrompt: Is there enough oxygen?

Watch out for

  • Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
  • Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Breathing, gas exchange and respiration.
  • Use concrete materials: stopwatches.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Aerobic and anaerobic respiration equations compared.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-7.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Respiration without oxygen: muscles and yeast

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Why does anaerobic respiration release less energy than aerobic respiration?

    • A. It makes more water
    • B. It happens in the lungs
    • C. It uses more oxygen
    • D. Glucose is only partly broken down

  2. Question 2

    Yeast was mixed with sugar solution and the gas collected in 10 minutes was measured: 10 °C: 2 cm³ 20 °C: 7 cm³ 30 °C: 13 cm³ 40 °C: 23 cm³ 50 °C: 3 cm³ At which temperature did the yeast respire fastest, in °C?

    Answer°C

  3. Question 3

    Which word equation shows the respiration happening here: yeast in a sealed flask of sugar solution?

    • A. glucose → lactic acid
    • B. glucose → ethanol + carbon dioxide
    • C. glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water

  4. Question 4

    After a hard sprint you keep breathing fast for a while. Why?

    • A. Because the heart has stopped
    • B. To cool the lungs
    • C. To get extra oxygen to break down the lactic acid (repay the oxygen debt)
    • D. To get rid of extra glucose

  5. Question 5

    Yeast was mixed with sugar solution and the gas collected in 10 minutes was measured: 10 °C: 7 cm³ 20 °C: 13 cm³ 30 °C: 25 cm³ 40 °C: 14 cm³ 50 °C: 2 cm³ At which temperature did the yeast respire fastest, in °C?

    Answer°C

  6. Question 6

    Which word equation shows the respiration happening here: muscles doing hard exercise with too little oxygen?

    • A. glucose → lactic acid
    • B. glucose → ethanol + carbon dioxide
    • C. glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water

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Answer key: Respiration without oxygen: muscles and yeast

  1. 1. D. Glucose is only partly broken down

  2. 2. 40 °C

  3. 3. B. glucose → ethanol + carbon dioxide

  4. 4. C. To get extra oxygen to break down the lactic acid (repay the oxygen debt)

  5. 5. 30 °C

  6. 6. A. glucose → lactic acid