Lost in Translation
Curriculum Connection > Science 9
Explain the process of cell division
- What is this activity about?
In this activity, students will decode genetic information to build an insect. The goal of this activity is to help students discover how the presence of a DNA mutation may affect an insect’s physiology.
How to use the activity in the classroom
- This activity would work best after students have learned about the gene to protein process. It would also help if students have learned about mutations and how they can be positive, negative, or neutral in their nature.
Tips and Tricks
You may want to review insect morphology before students try the activity. This will make it easier for them to focus on the task at hand, rather than getting stuck on what an insect should look like.
To provide enrichment for the activity, you could replace the single nucleotide at each step with three nucleotides. This would work if you have discussed codons and the link to amino acids with your students.
