Science 4 Inquiry
The Monster Mash
Young scientists create monsters by applying their knowledge of transcription and translation. They randomly find the DNA, assign it a codon, and build monsters piece by piece.
Rural Science Education Program
Cells, Genetics, and Biotechnology
For scholars tired of reading the textbook, this unit includes nine hands-on lessons. Through group work, lab activities, experiments, and even one inquiry-based lesson, scholars apply knowledge about cells, genetics, and biotechnology....
Curated OER
AP: Chapter 17: From Gene to Protein
Biology learners describe the metabolic pathways and the transcription and translation of genetic information. They will party on the last page as they trace the flow of information through a large and colorful diagram.
Exploratorium
Breakfast Proteins - Construct a Protein through Cereal Additions
Match my cereal sequence. Pupils view a sequence made by colorful cereal rings and create copies of it. Learners must either remember or write down the sequence to transport the code to another location. Scholars replicate the cereal...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Some Viruses Store Genetic Information in RNA
Can a high school program alter the entire course of your life? David Baltimore and Howard Temin participated in high school programs working in research laboratories and went on to win the 1975 Nobel Prize. Learn about these two...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
DNA Responds to Signals from Outside the Cell
How do cells know when to replicate, transcribe, and stop? James E. Darnell, Jr. shifted from studying medicine to biochemistry and decided to address this mystery. Learn about his research, discoveries, and the impact on future medical...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
The RNA Message Is Sometimes Edited
In 1993, Phillip Sharp and Richard Roberts won the Nobel Prize for their discovery of split gene theory. Learn about the breakthrough with the help of an online interactive. Hear both scientists explain it in their own words, watch an...
College Board
2016 AP® Biology Free-Response Questions
A remarkably high number of scholars passed the AP Biology exam in 2016 with over 61 percent earning college credit. The College Board released the entire free-response section for future scholars to study. After answering the eight...
Serendip
The Molecular Biology of Mutations and Muscular Dystrophy
Different types of mutations cause unique types and degrees of muscular dystrophy. Scholars learn about the types of mutations and the impact on the body. They compare the location of the mutations and draw conclusions about how it is...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Modeling the Regulatory Switches of the Pitx1 Gene in Stickleback Fish
Gene switches work similarly to light switches in controlling one feature of their environments. Scholars study the Pitx1 gene in a specific type of fish. They learn the different ways this switch controls various body parts and...
Serendip
From Gene to Protein via Transcription and Translation
DNA carries the codes for creating just the right protein. A well-designed lesson plan leads pupils through the process from start to finish and everywhere in between. Guiding questions with supporting video help scholars understand the...
Serendip
Molecular Biology Vocabulary Review Game
Getting bored with the typical review strategies? Why not turn it into a game! Learners practice their DNA vocabulary by trying to get their partner to guess the word they're describing. To complicate things a bit, there are words that...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Viral DNA Integration
How do reverse transcriptase inhibitors work? Young virologists examine the function of azidothymidine, a drug doctors use to treat HIV patients, during a hands-on modeling activity. Groups create a strand of DNA from an HIV RNA strand...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Central Dogma and Genetic Medicine
Scientists work every day to find solutions to genetic diseases. Scholars learn about the process of gene sequencing, mutations, and the results. They explore genetic diseases and therapies to intervene and help and, through case...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
HIV Protease Inhibitors
How do doctors fight a virus that's constantly mutating? Show science scholars how we fight HIV using one of its own most fundamental processes through a thoughtful demonstration. The lesson focuses on how protease inhibitors prevent HIV...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Viral DNA Integration
How do viruses hijack our cells to produce more viral particles? Junior immunologists model how viral RNA integrates into a host cell's DNA using pop beads and use interactive tools to explore a virus' genome. The teacher's guide...
Concord Consortium
Mutations
Are some mutations more damaging than others? An engaging simulation encourages scholars to alter DNA through insertion, deletion, and substitution. It then forms resulting amino acids—or not—and the resulting protein—or not—depending on...
Concord Consortium
Modeling Transcription
Transcription makes copies of the instructions inside all living things. Scholars use the simulation to separate DNA and transcribe the RNA. They see a demonstration of the nucleotide pairings as well as the start and stop instructions.
Concord Consortium
DNA to Protein
Starting from a view of cells, a constructive simulation shows every step of building a new protein. It walks through transcription, translation, building amino acids, and folding the protein. Viewers control if it plays as a video or...
CK-12 Foundation
Transcription of DNA to RNA: Making mRNA
Transcription means a written copy but how can DNA write a message? The video explains transcription and translation as they relate to DNA and RNA. Then in the interactive, scholars practice base pairing and answer analysis questions...
Civil War Trust
Transcribing Civil War History
Primary sources are valuable for understanding the context of historical events, but the diction and dialect in these documents can be difficult to understand. Middle and high schoolers participation in a transcription process in which...
Pearson
Transcription
Teach young biologists the language of life with this series of worksheets on DNA. By working through these pages, students expand their understanding of genetics as they learn about the process of transcription and the resulting mRNA...
Curated OER
Protein Synthesis Worksheet
Future geneticists use base pairing rules to build DNA and RNA polypeptide strands, and then explain both transcription and translation. Although the chains themselves are a little blurry, there is plenty of room in them for learners to...
Curated OER
From Gene to Protein ~ Transcription and Translation
Translate the process of protein synthesis to your molecular biologists with this instructional activity. It consists of reading, completing a table as a summary, comprehension questions, and a modeling activity for both transcription...