From Gene to Protein - Transcription and Translation
In the lab, From Gene to Protein - Transcription and Translation, students learn how a gene provides the instructions for making a protein, and how the gene for sickle cell hemoglobin results in sickle cell anemia. Simple paper models are used to help students learn the basic molecular biology of transcription and translation.
Download Student Handout: PDF format or Word format
Download Teacher Preparation Notes: PDF format
We invite comments on this Hands-On Activity and the accompanying Teacher Preparation Notes, including suggestions for other teachers who are planning to use the activity, useful preparatory or follow-up activities, additional resources or any questions you have related to the activity, or a brief description of any problem you might have encountered. If you have a relevant Word document you would like to have posted on this comments page, such as a version of the protocol you have used in your classroom, or if you would prefer to send your comments or questions in a private message, please write Ingrid Waldron at iwaldron@sas.upenn.edu.
See also a complete list of activities:
Hands-on Activities for Teaching Biology to High School and Middle School Students
The two files shown below provide an older version of the student handout organized into two separate handouts, one with the biology background and instructions for the activities and the other with the questions for students to answer.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| TranscTranslReading.doc | 590 KB |
| TransTranslQuestions.doc | 273.5 KB |
Narrative is determined not by a desire to narrate but by a desire to exchange. (Roland Barthes, S/Z)
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Download Hands-On Activities for Teaching Biology
Introduction and Activities Listing
Introduction to Biology
- Is Yeast Alive?
- Alcoholic Fermentation in Yeast
- Moldy Jell-O
- Enzymes Help Us Digest Food
- Starch and Protein Investigation
- Who Took Jerell’s iPod? -- An Organic Compound Mystery
- Diffusion across a Selectively Permeable Membrane
- Investigating Osmosis
Cell Division and Genetics
- Mitosis, Meiosis and Fertilization
- Genetics
- Dragon Genetics I
- Dragon Genetics II
- Using Blood Tests to Identify Babies and Criminals
Molecular Biology
Evolution and Diversity
- Evolution by Natural Selection
- Some Similarities between the Spread of An Infectious Disease and Population Growth
- What Parts of a Plant Do We Eat?
- Invertebrate Diversity
Human Physiology 
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Comments
March 2011 revision
The main change in this revision is the incorporation of a slot in the nucleus to insert the DNA molecule and a slot in the ribosome to insert the mRNA molecule. Once the DNA or mRNA molecule is inserted, most of the nucleotides are not visible, so students are not tempted to line up all the matching nucleotides or tRNA anti-codons at once. Instead, students add only one nucleotide at a time during transcription and only one amino acid at a time during translation to model the actual biological processes of transcription and translation.
DNA transcription translation
I was just wondering if you had a document template of the packet and accesories the students need for the activity? I can't seem to find it anywhere on your webpage.
template for pages and pieces needed for activity
The template is provided as the last half of the Teacher Preparation Notes, available at the link shown above.
I hope your students enjoy and learn from the activity,
Ingrid Waldron
Very Useful
I'm doing a banana DNA extraction, DNA modeling and origami, and then using this lesson. I am using it for the second time this year with a new roster. The modeling is extremely helpful with the English Learners and English proficient students as well. Thanks so much for the development and posting the material.
Typo
Your nucleus where you are supposed to add on nucleotides of RNA says "amino acids"
Extra credit for the kid/kids that find the typo? Works for me... but thought you'd want to be told.
Corrected Version of Teacher Preparation Notes Now Posted
The revised Teacher Preparation Notes with the correct wording in the nucleus is now available directly from this website.
Ingrid
Teacher Prep and templates
Neither of the PDF files are opening for me so I cannot see the Teacher Prep Notes. Can someone send these to me?
files have been sent
I hope you were able to open them.
Ingrid
A corrected version of the
A corrected version of the nucleus is currently available by e-mailing iwaldron@sas.upenn.edu.
We will fix ASAP
Thank you! We are very embarrassed to have overlooked this error and will fix it and post a corrected version as soon as possible. Meanwhile, extra credit for the kids who find the typo sounds good.
Ingrid
2010 revisions
Extensive revisions have streamlined the activity and clarified the explanations and instructions.
coding or sense strand vs. template or antisense strand of DNA
Since we are providing the DNA strand for the students to act as RNA polymerase and carry out transcription, we provide the template or anti-sense strand (not the coding or sense strand). With that in mind, you will see that the anti-codons of tRNA fit the mRNA sequence that the students will generate.
Great idea Ingrid but is
Great idea Ingrid but is your Hb DNA sequence the sense or anti-sense strand because mRNA is made from the antisense and therefore has the same sequence as the sense strand (the strand normally shown when giving the sequence of only one strand). Your anti-codons of tRNA don’t seem to fit the mRNA sequence.
Revised Student Handout
After presenting this activity in a professional development session for Philadelphia high school biology teachers in February, 2009, we have prepared this revised version of the Student Handout with multiple revisions to clarify the biology and the instructions and questions for the students. The newly revised Teacher Preparation Notes for this activity include some additional suggestions for discussion and modifications to adapt the activity, depending on your specific learning objectives.
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