DNA Replication

FULL DAY OF SCHOOL TODAY!!!!!  (I sense that I am the only one THIS excited about having full class periods with you guys.......)

Today we started with the following daily questions - once you finished writing your daily questions I had you build your own 6 base pair DNA strand to start today's activities.

 

You Drew out your DNA molecule with room to draw out the steps of DNA replication



First you acted as DNA Helicase and "unzipped" the genes by breaking Hydrogen Bonds.
You then Acted like DNA polymerase by adding NEW nucleotides to EACH side (we used Yellow Deoxyribose to signify the "new" strand)

We finished up with two IDENTICAL DNA strands, each composed of ONE NEW strand and on OLD (TEMPLATE) Strand

Missed today?  Here is a good video from Mr.Anderson that details DNA replication as well.

Sick days Snow days DNA Days... Oh my!!!

Last Thursday I was out of the District and you guys worked through the open notes quiz.  

 On Friday I looked and felt like a big peice of crap soooooooooooo..................  

You guys got an extra day for the daily question quiz!!!  Instead you watched a Bill Nye Episode on discoveries in Genetics as a nice intro to topics we will be discussing over the next couple months.

TODAY you had a beautiful Two hour delay which put a bit of a damper on my plans to start going through DNA replication 

- but alas..... Online tutorials to our rescue!!

The Daily Question quiz was on Study Island.  

I then encouraged you to go through a couple different online interactive DNA replication sites. 

 Here were some of my favorites and was REALLY excited to see what you guys came up with as you explored this on your own. 

WE EVEN HAD MORE THAN THREE COMPUTERS WORKING AT ONE TIME TODAY :) :) :)

RECORD LOW number of "out of commision" computers!!! #MissEhasnothingelsebettertodothanfixcomputers, #thanksmr.colianni   #ilovemacsbutneednewones!!!!!

Most of you STARTED with this site.....

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/molecules/builddna/

 Until you got THIS message and just gave up haha............

Then you moved on to a little faster paced replication game.....

http://www.nobelprize.org/educational/medicine/dna_double_helix/dnahelix.html

 Until you realized that it is INSANELY hard to replicate DNA with any sort of efficiency which is EXACTLY what I was hoping you would see.  We will be looking at how Incredibly complex DNA replication is and how AMAZING it is that our cells do this as quick and as efficiently as they do!!!

Some other neat site you guys discovered... my personal favorite in old school "atari" fashion....

http://www.classtools.net/mob/quiz_27/Third_Six_weeks_Cell_Cycle_and_DNA_Replication_KNk6f.htm
OK - So we will go through DNA replication with Knex Models tomorrow and see how well WE can do WITHOUT the aid of technology!! 

Building DNA

Today's Daily Questions:

Based on our notes from Yesterday We started to build DNA molecules using K'nex:

FIRST here was they "key" to all the parts:

We started off Building the "Back Bone" of DNA.  The backbone of DNA is made up of sugar molecules (deoxyribose) bound to phosphate groups.

What you had just created was the TWO backbones (remember that DNA is DOUBLE stranded)

At this point ALL WE HAVE IS THE "BINDING" of our instruction manual

No "Information" is found here - but just like the binding of a book does not contain any information - It is CRUCIAL to keeping the information in order!!

Next up...... A little bit of coding!!!  You built your own "code" on ONE of your strands.

Then using the Base Pairing rules (A-T , G-C) you created the complimentary Strand

Finally, we looked at what held these two strands together....... HYDROGEN BONDS!!!

TADA.... We made a section of DNA!!!  Now we can move forward into DNA replication starting on Friday!!

Remember - DAILY QUESTION QUIZ FRIDAY!!!!

DNA Structure Introduction

Friday we completed a Study Island Assignment (Make sure you do this if you were absent)

We also talked a little more through the difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell division

BEFORE the Daily Question Quiz we went over the Study Island Assignment and you worked through the worksheet that we used as our Daily Questions today.

We started our "Vacation" in the S phase with the basics of DNA structure.  We will be building DNA models tomorrow.

Then we had Hank Green Give us a review of what I just taught and a little into DNA replication.

Chromosome Structure Wrap up - Cell Cycle Basics

REMINDERS:

DAILY QUESTION QUIZ TOMORROW

EXTRA CREDIT DUE TOMORROW

We continued through our discussion of how DNA is packaged in our cells and I started the class off by reminding you of what we did yesterday with the models and what they represented.  That lead us into our daily questions for the day.

We then continued through the presentation and focused on the differences between prokaryotic DNA and Eukaryotic DNA

 This is where we LEFT off Yesterday (and was the basis for today's daily questions)

Then we looked at a duplicated chromosome and labeled the parts of that

Difference between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic DNA?

Preparing for Cell division.  Since prokaryotes as SOO small and have very little DNA - Cell division goes relatively quick.

Eukaryotic cells on the other hand...... well they have MUCH more to do during the cell cycle and preparing to divide.

Chromosomes, Chromatin, Genes..... WHAT??!?!!?!?!?!?

REMINDERS: 

*  Any makeup exam need to be completed by Friday
*  End of the nine weeks Extra Credit Assignment Due by Friday
  If you did not grab it use the following links to access the questions and the PDF
Questions:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B36SoMWuuJZEQ2s0cDZVX1FBNFU/view?usp=sharing
Book:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B36SoMWuuJZEUkhlT0pyS282RE0/view?usp=sharing
*  DAILY QUESTION QUIZ on Friday (that will go on the 3rd nine weeks)

Today we spent the class period on a VERY important fundamental concept to cell reproduction / genetics / heredity.  This tends to be where I have seen the biggest disconnect with students and I don't want to go ANY further until you all understand it!!! 

We started off with the following daily Questions:

Then we started using different models to represent DNA / Chromatin and Chromosomes.  We will be using these models throughout the next couple chapter so I wanted to get you familiar with what they represent.

What's Happening here??   Ok... The thread represents chromatin which is made up of DNA and Proteins.  In order for this to FIT into the nucleus of a cell it must be highly condensed into the structures we know as chromosomes.

To let your sort of visualize this I had you wrap the thread around a toothpick. 

 We talked through the next couple slides that explain chromosome structure.

And the following link shows a more detailed look at how chromosomes are packaged in a cell.

NEW SEMESTER!!!!!!!!!!

WOW it's been a MONTH since I have been on here!!  Between Christmas break and Midterms - There hasn't been much to keep you updated on.  Here we are though - Starting into the second semester!!  

Over the past couple days while finishing up you CDTs / Midterms / missing work from the second nine weeks, I also had you doing introductory bookwork for the next chapter.   Today we really got it going though.

Have to put in an O - H........I - O!!!!!  WHAT a game last night :)



OK... I digress  ;)

Sooooooo - Today's Daily Questions:

Then we got an intro to the next section.  None of these you wrote down as "NOTES" per se - but followed along in your book work

 

 

 

Then I showed you the first moments of human development.  Pretty cool stuff!!!