Substitutions in purple

5E Unit Plan

 Unit: DNA and RNA

 Background: This unit is designed for 9th grade students in Honor’s Biology. This is a unit that will be covered in the second semester. Students have already learned an introduction to genetics.

Objectives:

• Students will be able to describe the components of DNA
• Students will be able to describe the process of DNA replication.
• Students will be able to analyze how DNA is transcribed into RNA.

Day 1:

 Engage: DNA as a library activity. Have students think about how the nucleus is similar to a library. Ask them questions about what the DNA is similar to, why is there control of some of the information, and how can the information that is not allowed to leave, leave? Students will write down their answers to this and we will share it as a class type their answers in GoogleDocs/record their answers on their phones and we will share it as a class. Prior knowledge will be accessed through seeing what students already know about DNA to compare it to a library. Teacher will walk around and ask questions to help students thinking, and answer any questions students have

 Explain: PowerPoint presentation. Students will be provided with the slides/note-taker to use during the lecture for notes  an accessibility enabled outline in Google Doc of this information. The students will learn about how DNA was discovered and what led to the discovery of DNA. The teacher will teach in a lecture format and using questioning using their smartphones and Quiz Maker.

 Day 2:

 Explain: PowerPoint Presentation. Students will use their note-taker Teacher created Gtoogle Doc to learn about the components of DNA and DNA replication. The terms chromatin, histone, replication, and DNA polymerase will be introduced. Ties to the library from the engage activity will be made. The teacher will teach in a lecture and questioning format using Quiz Maker on their phones for quizzing.

 Explore: Building DNA activity. Students will be given pictures physical or online software models of the different DNA bases and they will need to build a strand of DNA. They will then be provided with pictures physical or online software models of DNA in different stages of DNA replication and they will explain and write type/record a written description of what is going on in each stage using the correct vocabulary. The teacher will walk around and ask questions and help the students with the activity.

Day 3:

Elaborate: Advanced DNA replication activity. Using the different ways prokaryotes and eukaryotes perform DNA replication, students will create a diagram/table/other type of organization technique to differentiate between these two that is saved online. Teacher will provide blank note-takers for the students to fill out accessibility enabled outline/tables in Google Docs. The teacher will provide feedback in person or via software and help to the students while they are completing the activity.

Evaluate: Using the information that they have learned about DNA and DNA replication, students will take a quiz on the topic using their phones/computers on Quiz Maker. The teacher will provide the quiz and upon completion of the quiz will review answers with the students and provide feedback to them, as well as a digital handout with answer explanations and links.

 Day 4:

 Engage: Using what students know about Morse code, students will compare how Morse code is used to transfer a message and compare this to how DNA transfers its information to RNA. Students will answer these questions in groups and provide and digitally record their answers as a class. The teacher will provide questions and help students in small groups to answer these questions. The answers will then be discussed as a class upon completion of small group work on answering the questions. Prior knowledge about RNA will be assessed in this activity.

Explain: PowerPoint Presentation. Students will be taught the process of transcription and will take notes in a digital medium on the topic during the presentation. The teacher will connect this to the engage activity of Morse code. Vocabulary words of gene, messenger RNA, ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA, transcription, RNA polymerase, promoter, intron, exon, and codon will be introduced. The teacher will teach in a lecture format with questioning aided by Quiz Maker to assess understanding.