6. Protein Factory - Logistics

Time
45-55 minutes

Grouping
Whole class.

Materials

• Copies of the Genetic Code handout (see Secret Codes activity)
• 1 assembled paper DNA model, 60 base pairs long (1 codon per student acting as a tRNA)
• Copies of Factory Instructions (follow the teacher instructions on the top of the page for how many copies of each to make)
• Copies of DNA puzzle pieces, each on a different colored paper. For a group of 30 students you will need:
• • 4 copies of S-ribose
  • 3 copies of P-phosphate
  • 2 copies of A, C, G, and U
  • 2 copies of amino acid
  • 10 copies of transfer RNA
  • You also need several DNA model puzzle pieces to create the promotor, translation start, and translation stop sequences. Hopefully, you have some left over from the DNA model activity:
  • 30 S-deoxyribose pieces (1 sheet)
  • 30 P-phosphate pieces (1 sheet)
  • 10 A, C, G, and T pieces (half a sheet)
• Scissors
• 8 rolls of Scotch tape
• Bins or trays on which to keep the puzzle pieces.

Setting
classroom