genetics

This discussion/worksheet activity introduces students to the molecular and cellular biology of cancer, including the important contributions of mutations in genes that code for proteins involved in regulating the rate of cell division. The questions in this activity challenge students to interpret the information presented in prose, tables and diagrams and apply their knowledge of basic molecular and cellular biology in order to understand multiple aspects of the biology of cancer, including the contributions of a variety of environmental exposures to increased risk for different types of cancer and the long lag between exposure to carcinogens and the diagnosis of cancer.

The first attached file provides the Student Handout and the second attached file provides the Teacher Notes.

This overview reviews key concepts and learning activities to help students understand how genes influence our traits by molecular processes.  Topics covered include basic understanding of the important roles of proteins and DNA; DNA structure, function and replication; the molecular biology of how genes influence traits, including transcription and translation; and the molecular biology of mutations.  To help students understand the relevance of these molecular processes, the suggested learning activities link alleles of specific genes to human characteristics such as albinism, sickle cell anemia and muscular dystrophy. Suggested activities include hands-on laboratory and simulation activities, web-based simulations, discussion activities and a vocabulary review game.

The attached file has the overview of key concepts and learning activities, with links to the activities. 

In this discussion/worksheet activity students explore the effects of different types of point mutations and deletion mutations and analyze the reasons why deletion mutations generally have more severe effects than point mutations.  Students use their understanding of the molecular biology of mutations to analyze the genetic basis for the differences in severity of two types of muscular dystrophy.    

The first attached file has the Student Handout and the second attached file has the Teacher Notes. 

The questions in this discussion/worksheet activity reinforce student understanding of the information flow from a gene to a polypeptide, with an emphasis on understanding the roles of the base-pairing rules and the genetic code chart.

The first attached file has the Student Handout and the second attached file has the Teacher Notes. 

This discussion/worksheet activity can be used to introduce your students to DNA structure and replication or to review these topics.  The first version of the Student Handout provides a review for students who are familiar with DNA structure and replication.  The second version of the Student Handout includes explanatory material and can be used to introduce students to the double helix structure of DNA and the process of replication. You may want to use this discussion activity together with the extraction of DNA from green split peas using the instructions available at http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/labs/extraction/howto/ (see Teacher Notes available at http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/waldron/#dna for additional advice on procedures for the extraction).

The first and second attached files have the first and second versions of the Student Handout and the third attached file has the Teacher Notes.

Multiple hands-on, minds-on activities for teaching biology to high school and middle school students are available at http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/sci_edu/waldron/. 

Additional teaching resources presented here include:

• minds-on discussion/worksheet activities, games, and web-based activities for learning and review
• overviews of important biological topics, including major concepts, common misconceptions, and suggested learning activities.

The topics covered include biological molecules, cellular respiration and photosynthesis, cell structure and function,  cell division, genetics, molecular biology and human health, biological concepts, and scientific method. 

The overview at the beginning of each major section suggests a sequence of activities which can be used to help students overcome common misconceptions and develop a genuine, solid understanding of important biological concepts. 

In the lab, DNA, students extract DNA from their cheek cells and relate the steps in the procedure to the characteristics of cells and DNA. Students learn about DNA structure and replication during the intervals required for the extraction procedure.

Download Student Handout: PDF format or Word format

Download Teacher Preparation Notes: PDF format or Word format

In the simulation activity, Dragon Genetics – Understanding Inheritance, students mimic the processes of meiosis and fertilization to investigate the inheritance of multiple genes and then use their understanding of concepts such as dominant/recessive alleles, incomplete dominance, sex-linked inheritance, and epistasis to interpret the results of the simulation. This activity can be used as a culminating activity after you have introduced classical genetics, and it can serve as formative assessment to identify any areas of confusion that require additional clarification.

Download Student Handout: PDF format or Word format

Download Teacher Preparation Notes: PDF format or Word format

In the lab, Dragon Genetics: Independent Assortment and Gene Linkage, students learn the principles of independent assortment and gene linkage in activities which analyze inheritance of multiple genes on the same or different chromosomes in hypothetical dragons. Students learn how these principles derive from the behavior of chromosomes during meiosis and fertilization.

Download Student Handout: PDF format or Word format

Download Teacher Preparation Notes: PDF format or Word format