NIMBIOS Presentation Dr. Bill Stafford

It’s in Your Genes Biology in a box

Class Primarily for first year biology

Unit/Topic DNA – Structure – Replication – function

Learning Goals 1. Structure of DNA – Double helix – model – Amount of DNA – work with the numbers – Nucleotide Structure Pyrimidine vs. purine – importance – A-T, C-G – complementary base pairing

Learning Goals 2. DNA replication – Reason – Process – Complementary base pairing again

Learning Goals 3. Function of DNA – DNA  protein – overview – Mutations – Inheritance

Lesson Overview Structure of DNA – 1. Overview of what DNA is and what it does Include a short video that shows the double helical structure of DNA Manipulation of the double helix from the box Discussion of the total number of base pairs in our DNA, average base pairs in a chromosome and gene, size of DNA related to a cell or its nucleus – show the model next to a marble – how does it fit in the marble?

Lesson Overview 1. Structure of DNA (cont.) – Build the nitrogen bases using the model kit in the box– compare purines and pyrimidines – Why is this important? - – Build nucleotides using the DNA puzzle kit in the box (I have a better DNA building kit that I use) – Connect the nucleotides together to form a double strand using a sequence of six bases written on the whiteboard – enforce the backbone (sugar- phosphate) and “rungs of the ladder” (nitrogen base pairs.

Lesson Overview Structure of DNA (cont.) – Enforce purine to pyrimidine and why suing the models – introduce complementary base pairing – A-T, C-G

Lesson Overview DNA Replication – Overview/discussion on DNA replication – where, why, when. And how – Use DNA puzzle to replicate DNA replication – I will use my model kit – replicate the double strand built earlier – Solve mathematical problem on number of bases knowing how many of one particular base

Lesson Overview Overview/discussion of the role of DNA in the body – central dogma DNA  RNA  protein Discuss again chromosomes and genes Discuss mistakes/mutations – Activity – divide class into two groups – whisper a sequence of six bases (A, T, C, G) – whisper down the line and write down the final product and compare to the original – Calculate the rate of mutation for each group – Discussion of result of mutations

Assessment 1. Questioning at random throughout lesson 2. Individual and group questioning during activities/model building 3. Model critiques 4. Exit ticket 5. Unit Test eventually