Free to use in class. Play it a few times; it's made to support what students learn in class, not replace it.
About this song
A cinematic rock anthem about mitochondria and cellular respiration for grades 6-9. Diagrams show every step as it's sung: the two membranes and cristae, the matrix, mitochondrial DNA, endosymbiosis, the balanced equation, glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, the electron transport chain and ATP synthase.
Dr. Lewicki Science Series
Check yourself
How many ATP per glucose?
Show the answer
About 30-32 ATP per glucose: 2 from glycolysis, 2 from the Krebs cycle, and about 26-28 from the electron transport chain and ATP synthase. Older textbooks say 36-38, but real cells lose some energy along the way.
Key terms
mitochondria
powerhouse of the cell
cellular respiration
ATP
glycolysis
Krebs cycle
electron transport chain
ATP synthase
cristae
matrix
mitochondrial DNA
endosymbiosis
fermentation
photosynthesis vs respiration
Standards it supports
MS-LS1-2Model the function of a cell as a whole and how the parts of cells contribute to that function.
MS-LS1-7How food is rearranged through chemical reactions to support growth and release energy.
NGSS: Next Generation Science Standards.
Lesson pack
Coming soon for this song: a lyric sheet, fill-in-the-blanks, vocabulary, a quiz and an exit ticket.
