Curriculum Connection > Biology 12

Cell Compounds and Biological Molecules

• Analyse the structure and function of biological molecules in living systems, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids

DNA Replication

• Describe DNA replication

Curriculum Connection Science 9

• Explain the process of cell division

What is this activity about?  
In this hands-on activity, students will apply the DNA code to make a bracelet representing their names.  They will also have a chance to review the structure of DNA and the gene to protein process.

How to use the activity in the classroom

• This activity could be used after cells and DNA have been discussed.  Students need background knowledge on the structure of DNA, the gene to protein process, and the codon table.  
• Similarly, this activity could be used to introduce the topic of codons and the link to the gene to protein process.
• Student worksheet

Helpful Links
After the activity, you can have students input their name into a decoder to determine if their decoding was successful.  Similarly, you can use this tool to check the accuracy of the students’ work.  Go to http://www.ebi.ac.uk/training/schools/decode/ to try the decoder. Note: this decoder will only provide an approximation for students’ names.

For additional background info on the DNA code, visit the Sanger Institute’s website. Go to http://www.yourgenome.org/dgg/general/code/code_1.shtml to get more information that you can use in the classroom.