Education
Ninth–12th grade activity manuals
In sickness and in health: Understanding familial disease inheritance and personalized medicine through genomics
This activity series focuses on the central dogma of molecular biology to consider the concept of health and disease from the DNA level.
Students conduct an interactive case study of a disease-causing genetic mutation, use Lego bricks to illustrate transcription/translation and create an original piece of art that depicts an interviewed scientist’s research.
Activity courtesy of HOPES 2013 recipients Dr. Nicholas Schork and Danjuma Quarless, scientists, and Matthew Leader, teacher.
Resources
Genes, mutations and diseases: Understanding the origins of genetic disorders through experiential learning
Lesson 1: Nucleotides, nucleic acids, DNA and genes
Part of a five-lesson unit, lesson 1 walks students, step-by-step, through an overview of genetics, from the basics of DNA all the way up through the science behind genetic disorders. Sickle cell anemia is used as an example throughout the module to demonstrate the connections between genes, mutations and disease.
This lesson can be used individually or as part of a unit.
Activity courtesy of HOPES 2013 recipients Dr. Edwin Li, Dr. Brian Forster and Caitlin Fritz, scientists, and Matthew Jurkiewicz, teacher.
Resources
Lesson 2: Transcription, translation and mutations
Lesson 2 continues looking at DNA to answer the question “How are genes expressed?” DNA is first transcribed into RNA and then translated into proteins. Mutations in DNA may alter the protein, which can have large impacts on structure and function, evidenced here by red blood cells in sickle cell anemia.
This lesson can be used individually or as part of a unit.
Activity courtesy of HOPES 2013 recipients Dr. Edwin Li, Dr. Brian Forster and Caitlin Fritz, scientists, and Matthew Jurkiewicz, teacher.
Resources
Lesson 3: Inheritance: mitosis and meiosis
Lesson 3 teaches the fundamentals of cell division through mitosis and meiosis via lecture, hands-on modeling and experimental observation. This activity teaches how the cell maintains proper chromosome number while it replicates, how parents are able to donate half their chromosomes to their offspring, and the relationship between chromosomes and genes.
This lesson can be used individually or as part of a unit.
Activity courtesy of HOPES 2013 recipients Dr. Edwin Li, Dr. Brian Forster and Caitlin Fritz, scientists, and Matthew Jurkiewicz, teacher.