Mitochondria

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/mitochondria

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 primary metabolic pathway?Oxidative phosphorylation, generating the majority of cellular ATP
2. What is the genetic material?Contains its own circular double-stranded DNA (mtDNA) and ribosomes
3. What are mitochondria and why are they important?Mitochondria are tiny powerhouses inside every cell. They make the energy molecule ATP that lets us run, jump, and play.
4. How do mitochondria make energy?They break down glucose with oxygen in a process called cellular respiration. This creates lots of ATP, more than other ways the cell can make energy.

Eukaryotic Cell: A cell characterized by the presence of a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.
Endosymbiosis: A symbiotic relationship where one organism lives inside another, leading to evolutionary integration.
Oxidative Phosphorylation: The metabolic pathway that generates ATP using energy released from the oxidation of nutrients.