Metabolism

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/metabolism

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the key catabolic pathways?Glycolysis, Citric Acid Cycle, Beta-oxidation
2. What is the key anabolic processes?Protein synthesis, Glycogenesis, Gluconeogenesis
3. How does metabolism give you energy to run and play?When your body breaks down food in catabolic reactions, it releases energy in the form of ATP, which your muscles use to move and play.
4. Why does the body need both catabolism and anabolism?Catabolism breaks food down to release energy, and anabolism uses that energy to build new cells, repair tissues, and make hormones and other important molecules.

Anabolism: The set of metabolic pathways that construct molecules from smaller units, requiring energy input.
Catabolism: The set of metabolic pathways that break down molecules into smaller units, releasing energy.
ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate): The principal molecule for storing and transferring energy in cells, often called the 'energy currency'.
Cellular Respiration: The metabolic process by which organisms combine oxygen with fuel molecules, diverting the chemical energy in these substances into life-sustaining activities.