Dna structure and function this section includes a basic description of the structure of dna, including nucleotides, base pairing, and the doublehelix nature of the molecule. Dna structure dna is a double helix twisted ladder dna is made of nucleotides 3 nucleotide parts 1. Dna is present in every cell of plants and animals. Dna structure and replication 3 model 2 dna replication direction of dna helicase dna helicase free nucleotides 11. The instructions carried on dna are used to make proteins from amino acids in the cytoplasm. Students learn about dna, cell structure, and basic chemical separations. Identify which bases are found in pairs in the dna doublehelix. The works of rosalind franklin lead to watson and cricks discovery. The long, thick fibers of dna store the information for the functioning of the chemistry of life. Such treatments destroyed any remaining activity of proteins and rna. Read the entire lab exercise and submit the prelab study resources. A handson approach to teaching about dna structure and.
Dna is called a nucleic acid because it was first found in the nucleus. Colored signs that hang around neck for dna structure activity. The information contained within the dna is responsible for carrying out all of the processes in an organism 2. Students need to know the fundamentals of structure of both dna and rna. To help dna stick tightly together the bases match up in pairs. Meanwhile, dna is the molecule that genes and chromosomes are made ofa it stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. Dna and protein synthesis life is a three letter word. One class period learning objectives after completing this lesson, students will be able to. In 1953, james watson and francis crick discovered the structure of dna. The steps of the staircase are made up of the four bases of dna adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine. Download the instruction sheet and model, or watch the short stepbystep video on how to arrange the helix. The structures and biological functions of the z dna have been studied for several decades 3,4,11. Chromosomes are genetic structures that contain the information used to direct a cells activities and make new cells.
Depending on your emphasis and time, this activity could be expanded into a more formal strategy for enhancing reading skills. We will use an extraction buffer containing salt, to. Lesson plan dna structure dolan dna learning center. Dna extraction c 21 chemistry in the k8 classroom grades 48 2007, omsi orpapaya or pineapple juice. Draw the basic structure of a nucleotide with its three parts. It also has an interview with james watson regarding his role in the discovery of the dna double helix. Wolffe laboratory of molecular embryology national institute of child health and human development national institutes of health bethesda, maryland 20892271 0 the period in the cell cycle when the genome is replicated s phase is. Since many schools in turkey do not have access to the expensive equipment required for such technologies, the paper model activities would provide an opportunity to understand the concepts of recombinant. Dna, rna, replication, translation, and transcription. It is a challenge to teach middle school students ab. Use 1 cup of fresh, frozen diluted as directed, or canned juice. Interactive workbook with original and custom drawn diagrams.
Make transparencies of the lessons learned and half a helix sheets. Dna is a simple molecule made up of four types of chemical building blocks called. Predict the appearance of a complimentary strand of dna when given half of a doublehelix molecule. Use your dna structure notes and chapter 17 to answer these. Have students read the background information on the student activity sheet. You will need to have access to the worksheet that goes along with this lab activity to fill in your answers during lab. Animated power point slides integrated with workbook including answers teachers notes with comprehensive details of lesson plan. Oct 27, 2010 dna, rna, replication, translation, and transcription overview recall the central dogma of biology. Structure of dna worksheet free collection of prinatable. Number the steps below in order to describe the replication of dna in a cell. To create the second strand of the model, you linked nitrogenous bases that were complementary to each other. This activity brings to life the double helix structure of dnain full colore. Students should read the background information on pages 1.
They will use an encoder to translate from the english alphabet into codons to write their. Using the different resources provided, they will determine the amino acids for which the dna is coding and the organisms that would result from their protein synthesis. Neverthe less, transforming activity still remained. A single strand of dna consists of many individual building blocks called nucleotides that are connected, in a long string, by chemical bonds. Make copies of the student procedure and homework sheet, one per student. Take one of your pieces of licorice and lay it flat on a paper towel.
Coding and noncoding regions of dna are discussed, along with. Structure of dna and rna worksheet for 9th 12th grade lesson. Oct 26, 2020 the backbone of the dna, in this case represented by the licorice, is easy to forget about because it doesnt store any information. Dna and the rules of base pairing by building a model of dna out of licorice and gum drops. Recipients will receive an email with a link to a handson approach to teaching about dna structure and function and will not need an account to access the content. Chapter 1 modern genetics for all students s 27 building a threedimensional dna model materials for each student or pair of students. Browse dna structure activity resources on teachers pay teachers. Much like a spiral staircase, it has two single strands that join and twist together. Nitrogen base adenine a thymine t guanine g cytosine c t a c g nucleotides always pair in the same way. Write the complementary sequence to following dna strand.
Each nucleotide contains one of four possible nitrogenous. What is the monomer basic unit of the dna molecule called. In eukaryotes, dna molecules are tightly wound around proteins called histone proteins which provide structural support and play a role in controlling the activities of the genes. Although the information they carry is onedimensional, it is essential to understand the 3d structure of nucleic. The dna found in strawberry cells can be extracted using common, everyday materials.
Give to students as close to the start of the activity as possible. A cells genetic material dna must be replicated or copied in anticipation of cell division. Handson activities for teaching biology to high school or. The new cells that form after cell divide must be completely alike and have exactly the same amount of dna to function normally. Dna model activity d deoxyribo n nucleic a acid dna contains the information for carrying out all of the activities of a cell. Enzyme activity catalase lab alternate virtual enzyme activity lab. Dna structure, function, and replication activity part 1. In this activity, students will be given three strands of dna.
The nucleotides are linked by phosphodiester bonds between the sugar of one nucleotide and the phosphate of the second nucleotide i. The monomer for dna is a nucleotide and nucleotides are made of three subunits. It is the dna in the nucleus that controls the cell. In this paper lab students will work in cooperative groups of four and manipulate paper nucleotides to discover the structure of dna.
Hands on group work paper model for teaching dna structure. The structure of dna is a double helix structure because it looks like a twisted ladder. A handson approach to teaching about dna structure and function. Dna is a polymer, which means that it is made of repeating subunits called monomers. Then they can investigate how information is stored in d. The puzzle of dna structure and replication introduction the function of dna is based entirely on its structure. This activity brings to life the double helix structure of dna. Watson and crick were bubbling at the fact that they had another chance to find out the structure of dna photograph of the double helix was shown to watson by wilkins. The guided discovery approach teacher notesteacher notes the guided discovery approachrequires that students manipulate the dna discovery kit model pieces to discover the structure of dna, but in a series of lessons that are more structured than those. Consider pairing this activity with our mutant dna informational text. In this activity, you will build your own model to understand how dna works. Dna controls cellular activities, including reproduction.
Red will represent adenine a, blue will represent thymine. This information is stored in the form of long polymer chains. To break the code, you will do a paper lab to determine the structure of dna and show how the genetic code is carried. Dna structure and replication are very visual processes and can be difficult to explain with traditional notes. Take the tour of the basics at the genetic science learning center. These bind together in complementary pairs a with t, c with g. This will be your one backbone the phosphate group and sugar of your dna molecule. Schools liaison service created by dr sue assinder of.
With this activity, simulate rna transcription and get the templates for rna and dna nucleotides. In 1953, james watson and francis crick established the structure of dna. Dna origami activity create a paper dna helix orgiami in this handson activity from the national human genome research institute. The backbone is composed of a sugar, deoxyribose, bonded with a phosphate group. Rna must first make a copy of dna in the nucleus before the proteins can be built by ribosomes in the cytoplasm. The dna replication error is removed by 35 exonuclease function of. However, as the name suggests, it holds the whole thing together. Make sure juice contains raw, uncooked fruit juice. Or download the pdf files for instructions and template. How this information is coded or passed from cell to cell was at one time unknown. Replication is the process by which genetic material, a singlecelled organism or a virus reproduces or makes a copy of itself. You will use the information from the activities on slide 5 to answer the following.
This backbone is a repetitive structure that does not encode information. Its a bit like using the letters of the alphabet to spell words, dna uses a, c, t and g to spell out instructions in groups called genes. Dna the molecule of heredity worksheet dna structure. Importance of dna rna 3d structure nucleic acids are essential materials found in all living organisms.
This is an inquiry lesson on how the structure of dna was. The following activity will introduce you to the structure of dna and how to determine the amino acids it will code for in protein. Nuclear dna is diploid, ordinarily inheriting the dna from two parents. Dna structure the molecule dna is found in all cells, and chromosomes are made of dna and certain proteins. What are the two pairs of complementary bases in dna. We know that some organelles have their own dna such as the mitochondria and chloroplast. A strand 150 to 200 nucleotides long is wrapped twice around a core of eight histone proteins to form a structure called a nucleosome. The backbone of the dna molecule is made up of two alternating components, what are these. In contrast to the righthanded structure of the b dna, the z dna has a lefthanded structure 10. After this lesson, students will start to gain an understanding of dna, the genetic. In this activity, students will learn about the basic structure of dna and the rules of base pairing by building a model of dna out of licorice and gum drops. The nucleotides are linked by phosphodiester bonds between the sugar of one nucleotide and the phosphate of. Dna genetic information in genes rna copies of genes proteins functional molecules dna structure one monomer unit deoxyribonucleic acid composed of a base, a sugar deoxyribose, and a phosphate.
This lesson should be done after a lesson on the structure and function of cells. Note the difference in groove width and the relative displacements of the base pairs from the central axis. This activity can be done to reinforce material taught or can be assigned as homework. Write your name in dna activity description the children will create a colorful chain made out of the four dna nucleotides, while learning about dna and how all the information about each and every one of us in encoded into this simple language. Dna has two strands that wrap around each other in a shape called a double helix. School alpharetta high school course title biology 153. Read the entire lab exercise and submit the prelab questions before the beginning of your lab time. All students like lessons involving food, and in this activity they get to build a model of dna out of candy. May 17, 2019 dna structure is a free biology lesson available for download.
Dna structure is at the heart of gene function before lab. Pdf discover dna is an activity that allows students to explore the structure and function of dna in an interactive, and yummy, manner. Franklin first had pointed out that the dna is made up of two spirals. In this activity, students will learn about the basic structure of. Dna extraction c 19 chemistry in the k8 classroom grades 48 2007, omsi dna extraction learning objectives. Dna replication model activity background information. Sneak peak inside dish soap describing and defining explaining evaluating group size if available, goggles are recommended for this activity. Their main function is to maintain and transmit the genetic code. Oct 09, 2015 we now know that dna is also found in organelles, the mitochondria and chloroplasts, though it is the dna in the nucleus that actually controls the cells workings. Making a model of dna a when constructing the dna molecule, what did you notice about the orientation of the two strands. Dna structure lab center dolan dna learning center.
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