Macromolecules Graphic Organizer – Blank Chart to Fill In

All 7 organizers

Charts 2

Macromolecules graphic organizer: compare the four A column each for carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids on a landscape page, and three rows: what it is built from, what it does and an example.
Which group is it? Twelve examples to sort Twelve examples down the side, from starch to chitin, and a box to tick under carbohydrate, lipid, protein or nucleic acid.

Draw and write 3

Draw each building block Four boxes, each a sketch space over lines, to draw the building block of each macromolecule and name it.
One macromolecule in four boxes A page for a single macromolecule: its name goes in the middle box.
Two to a page: the four from memory Two half sheets with a cut line between them. Write the building block and one example under each name.

Sample and answer key 2

Answer key: which group is it? The sorting chart with the right box marked on every row.
Sample macromolecules organizer, filled in The opening chart with all twelve boxes written in.

How it works

This macromolecules graphic organizer puts the four groups side by side and asks the same three things of each, so they are easy to compare.

Read the full guide

What each one does

Carbohydrates store energy, as starch and glycogen do, and give structure, as cellulose does in plants. Lipids store energy too and make up cell membranes. Many proteins are enzymes that speed up reactions; others give cells their structure or carry molecules from place to place. Nucleic acids carry and store the information of a cell.

DNA and RNA are the two main kinds of nucleic acid, so both go in the Example box for nucleic acids.
Fats are one kind of lipid. Waxes, phospholipids and sterols such as cholesterol are lipids too.

Questions and answers

What are the four macromolecules and their building blocks?

The four on this chart are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Carbohydrates are built from simple sugars, proteins from amino acids and nucleic acids from nucleotides. A fat, one kind of lipid, is glycerol joined to three fatty acids.

What is the difference between a monomer and a polymer?

A monomer is a small molecule that can join with other monomers. A polymer is the chain or network they form. Glucose is a monomer, and starch, glycogen and cellulose are polymers made from it.

What is the difference between a biomolecule and a macromolecule?

A biomolecule is any molecule made by a living thing, large or small. Macromolecules are the large ones: proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids. So the same chart works as a biomolecules graphic organizer.