Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration Worksheet

All 24 facts

Photosynthesis 12

a building-up process Small molecules are put together into a larger one.
builds glucose It joins carbon dioxide and water into sugar, the plant's food.
equation ends C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy gives C6H12O6 + 6O2. Sugar and oxygen are the products.
gives off oxygen Oxygen is the byproduct, set free when water is split.
happens in chloroplasts These are the green organelles of leaf cells.
happens only in light It runs on light energy, so it stops in the dark.
includes the Calvin cycle This is its second stage, the loop of reactions that makes the sugar.
needs chlorophyll The green pigment traps the light energy that drives it.
not done by animals Making their own food is one of the main differences between plants and animals. Algae and some bacteria make theirs this way too.
stores energy The sun's energy ends up held in the sugar.
takes in carbon dioxide The gas enters a leaf through its stomata.
takes in water Water is a raw material, drawn up from the soil by the roots.

Show all 24 facts (12 more)

Cellular respiration 12

a breaking-down process It is controlled oxidation, similar to burning but slow and in small steps.
breaks down glucose The sugar is taken apart, a step at a time, for the energy in it.
equation ends 6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2 gives 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy, the other equation run backward.
gives off carbon dioxide It is one of the two products, with water.
happens day and night It does not depend on light.
happens in every living cell It goes on in all forms of life, plants included.
happens mostly in mitochondria That is so in cells that have them. Its first stage runs outside them, in the cytoplasm.
includes the citric acid cycle Also called the Krebs cycle. In cells with mitochondria it runs inside them.
produces water Water is a product here and a raw material in the other process.
releases energy The energy set free goes into growth and into building new tissue.
starts with glycolysis Glycolysis splits one glucose molecule into two molecules of pyruvate.
takes in oxygen Oxygen is used up as the sugar is broken down.

How this list was compiled: List written for this site on 2026-10-16. Every fact stands under one heading only and was checked that day against Plant growth and development, a page of the Oregon State University Extension Service (EM 9901, https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/em-9901-plant-growth-development): its two equations, and its table that sets the two processes side by side (produces food and uses food, stores energy and releases energy, uses water and produces water, uses carbon dioxide and produces carbon dioxide, releases oxygen and uses oxygen, occurs in sunlight and occurs in the dark as well as light), with its sentences that photosynthesis is a building process and respiration a breaking-down process, that chloroplasts are where photosynthesis takes place, that chlorophyll traps the light energy, that controlled oxidation in a living cell is called respiration, and that respiration occurs in all life forms and in all cells. Checked a second time against the English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: the articles Photosynthesis (oxygen as a byproduct of splitting water, the light-dependent reactions, the organisms that photosynthesize), Calvin cycle, Chloroplast, Mitochondrion (aerobic respiration makes ATP there), Glycolysis (one glucose to two pyruvate, in the cytosol) and Citric acid cycle (also called the Krebs cycle; in the matrix of the mitochondrion). Also read: What is photosynthesis? and the respiration pages of BBC Bitesize (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zn4sv9q, https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zcsbmsg). The line after each fact is from the same pages. Licence: own work

How it works

This photosynthesis and cellular respiration worksheet prints twelve facts, such as gives off oxygen, takes in oxygen, stores energy and releases energy, above two headings. Pupils write each fact under the process it describes. A key is the last page.

Read the full guide

The two equations, side by side

Photosynthesis: 6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy gives C6H12O6 + 6O2. Cellular respiration: C6H12O6 + 6O2 gives 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy. Each is the other run backward. The 24 facts listed under the tool come in twelve matched pairs, one fact for each process.

Making ATP is not on the sheet, because both processes do it.

Questions and answers

How are photosynthesis and cellular respiration related?

Each uses what the other makes. Photosynthesis takes in carbon dioxide and water and gives off oxygen as it builds sugar. Respiration takes in oxygen, breaks the sugar down and gives off carbon dioxide and water.

Do plants carry out cellular respiration?

Yes. Respiration goes on in every living cell, so a plant's cells respire day and night. Photosynthesis runs only in the light, and only in the cells that have chloroplasts.

Where do photosynthesis and cellular respiration take place?

Photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts. Cellular respiration begins in the cytoplasm, with glycolysis, and in cells that have mitochondria its later stages run inside them.

Is there a photosynthesis and cellular respiration worksheet for middle school?

The sheet names no grade. Most of its 24 facts follow from the two equations. Three name a stage: the Calvin cycle, glycolysis and the citric acid cycle.