James Bond, Cellular Spy
This activity involves students as cellular spies whose mission is to secretly crack a DNA code. Students are given their own unique sequence that must be decoded secretly and in complete silence. When students decode their sequence, they move around the room to find beads that match their amino acids to create a protein sequence. The teacher then checks the sequence to see if the mission has been completed successfully. Student handouts and discussion questions are included. Students demonstrate the process of protein synthesis in this activity. Students must have an understanding of translation and trascription, DNA and RNA, and how DNA contains the genetic code for proteins. This activity directly relates to the u201cchecku201d of using models of DNA, RNA, and amino acids to explain replication and protein synthesis.
