Week 7- DNA and Genetics


 Week 7- DNA and Genetics

 Learning This Week:

This week we learned more about the structure and function of DNA and how they contribute to our genetic make up. The big ideas from this week were understanding that traits are determined by genetics and environmental factors and there are patterns in the way genetic information is stored, expressed and passed on. We learned that DNA is stored in the nucleus of the cell and proteins are generated in the cytoplasm. DNA is packaged tightly into chromosomes which is important because DNA is about 5 feet long! Segments of DNA are called genes and these represent specific traits of an organism such as hair color, eye color, skin tone, etc. A genotype is expressed through alleles that code for these traits such as Bb for brown eyes. The phenotype is the direct observable trait of the organism. The process of converting the information stored in DNA into proteins is called the Central Dogma and is very important in the study of biology.

DNA 2D Model
DNA 3D Model












Application to Future Teaching: 

During lab this week we participated in two different activities involving DNA and genetics that would be useful to incorporate in my future classroom. The first activity we did focused on the structure of DNA by involving the DNA backbone and base pairs through a candy model. We used Twizzlers to represent the double-stranded backbone and different colored Dots to show the 4 base pairs in DNA. We constructed the model using tooth picks and displayed it in 2D and 3D. The next activity we did looked at the process of inheriting traits from parents to offspring. With our partner, we flipped coins to determine dominant and recessive traits that we would be giving to our offspring. These traits ranged from hair texture to ear size. We recorded each parents genotype along with the baby's genotype and phenotype. Both of these activities involve fun and hands-on learning about Disciplinary Core Ideas in life science that would be useful to incorporate into my future classroom. 

Genetics Activity

Questions for Further Study

1.) What ways can you compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the genetics activity we did and how it works in real life. 

2.) What would be a good Cross-Cutting Concept to use for this unit for 3rd graders? 

Update on Fast Plant


Comments

  1. Piper PriceMarch 1, 2024 at 12:48 PM

    Holy guacamole! That is one cool looking child. You must have some pretty great genes. I like how you included some of the random facts we've learned about DNA this week in your description. I also wonder which CCC might be most appropriate for a lesson like this.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Briar Crain - Science MethodsMarch 1, 2024 at 1:39 PM

    Hello Bailie! I enjoy the mullet detail for your child's hair. It does a great job of putting their ears on full display. You also seemed to learn a lot this week! I found your post super detailed and informational. Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 10- Rock Cycle

Image
      Week 10: Rock Cycle Learning in Lab : This week in lab we looked closer at what constitutes as a rock and how the three different rock types are created. We started with a formative assessment where we were given a list of items and had to determine if they were considered a rock, and why we thought that. After completing the assessment, we learned that a rock is naturally made, therefore items like a gravestone or marble statue are not considered rocks since they were make by humans. Limestone, cooled lava, and sediments are considered rocks because they are made through natural processes. We then experimented with the rock cycle by creating the three different types of rock, sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. Sedimentary is when materials are cemented and tightly packed together. We created this by cheese grating three different colors of starburst, then compacting them together into a little ball to represent the small minerals combined together. For our igne...
Read more

Week 6: Intro to Earth Science

Image
    Week 6: Intro to Earth Science Initial Thoughts : 1. How do the phases of the moon occur? I think that the phases of the moon occur because the Earth is orbiting the sun constantly, as the Earth orbits it block part of the sun from shining on the moon. When the Earth covers more of the sun, then there is a smaller part of the moon showing at night, but when the Earth covers less of the sun or none at all, it is a full moon.  2. What causes the seasons? The sun is closer to either the Northern Hemisphere or the Southern Hemisphere. In the summer we are closer to the sun in the Northern Hemisphere so it is hotter, whereas in the winter we are further away from the sun so the weather is colder.  3. what causes a lunar eclipse?  I think a lunar eclipse is when the moon goes in front of the sun? Learning in Lab : This week during lab we did hands on discovery over each of these questions. We used a lightbulb, and two balls to see what position the Earth and moon ...
Read more

Week 8: Timeline of our Universe

Image
    Week 8: Timeline of Our Universe Learning in Lab : This week during lab we listened to six different presentations that cover the timeline of our universe. We started with the origin of the universe, which was my presentation, and we described that our universe was created at one single point called the Big Bang. During the Big Bang, Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation was left behind and protons and electrons combined to from hydrogen atoms. We understand today that space is continuously expanding. Then, we learned about the lifecycle of stars as they go from a nebula to a protostar, to the main sequence and transition into either a high mass or low mass star. Our sun is considered a low mass star. The more mass something has, the greater gravitational pull they have. Then, we learned about galaxies and how there are billions of galaxies out in space. Galaxies have several different shapes such as spiral, elliptical, and irregular. Our galaxy is spiral and our sun is pl...
Read more