Grade 7
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Class Copy: DO NOT WRITE ON
Glucose Model
Before you begin:
1. Put your name and your partners name on the back of the construction paper.
2. Make a key using one marshmallow of each color in the right hand corner of the
front of the construction paper. Use the information in the materials section to
help you.
3. Glue each marshmallow down with white glue for your key.
4. Draw a box around the key
Materials per Model:
 (13) white miniature marshmallows (to represent Hydrogen)
 (7) miniature colored marshmallows (of one color)(to represent Oxygen)
 miniature colored marshmallows (of another color)(to represent Carbon)
 toothpicks (to represent bonds)
Background:
Carbohydrates are organic molecules that contain sugars and starches. You will be building
one type of sugar called glucose. Glucose is produced during photosynthesis and acts as the
fuel for many organisms. During cellular respiration, glucose is broken down and releases
energy to maintain life as well as thermal energy. C6H12O6 is the formula for glucose.
Procedure:
1. Choose a color (not white) to represent oxygen atoms (O) and another color (not
white) to represent carbon atoms (C). Needs to be the same as your key.
2. Build a ring-like structure using six toothpicks, five carbon marshmallows, and one
oxygen marshmallow. For the example below, dotted is oxygen, striped is carbon,
and black is hydrogen. The toothpicks represent bonds that hold the molecule
together and are shown as black lines. Remember that bonds are the forces that hold
atoms together, not physical objects. You can compare bonds to magnetism where
opposites attract or the way electricity flows in a battery and the + and – (opposites)
attract.
©2012, TESCCC
12/13/12
page 1 of 3
Grade 7
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Class Copy: DO NOT WRITE ON
3. Use toothpicks to represent bonds. Add the sixth carbon (striped) to the carbon that is
next to the oxygen atom.
4. To each of the remaining carbon atoms, attach an oxygen atom (dotted).
©2012, TESCCC
12/13/12
page 1 of 3
Grade 7
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Class Copy: DO NOT WRITE ON
5. Attach the hydrogen atoms to each of the atoms in the model as shown below, except
for the original oxygen atom.
6. Now using white glue, glue down each marshmallow to the construction paper.
7. Write the Glucose compound formula at the bottom of your construction paper.
C6H12O6
8. If the class were to take their models and stand shoulder to shoulder, it would form a
chain like below called a Carbohydrate!
9. If each student was to break away from the carbohydrate chain and energetically goes
back to their group table. What you are modeling is the breaking up of a large
molecule into smaller compounds and the energy released.
10. Now be ready to answer the questions with the teacher.
©2012, TESCCC
12/13/12
page 1 of 3
Grade 7
Science
Unit: 09 Lesson: 01
Class Copy: DO NOT WRITE ON
Possible questions:
1. What elements are involved?
2. How many atoms are involved?
3. What did the tooth picks represent?
4. What is a bond?
5. What is a carbohydrate?
6. How did the breaking down of the larger molecule into smaller molecules
model digestion?
7. How did the breaking apart of the carbohydrate chain model an energy
transformation?
8. List the advantages and limitations of the glucose model you constructed
and the process we modeled of breaking down a large carbohydrate
compound into smaller compounds.
©2012, TESCCC
12/13/12
page 1 of 3