During this Unit, students will perform experiments to model the process of information transfer from DNA to RNA to protein. Students will then model mutations and the resulting changes in RNA and proteins. Students will examine the relationship between protein structure and function. Finally, students will investigate mitosis to demonstrate how a change in one cell’s DNA could affect the entire organism. Through experimentation and data collection, students will explore the following Focus Questions:
How does DNA control the functions of an organism?
Can changes in DNA cause changes in an organism?
Why can mutations in the DNA of a single cell affect the functions of an entire organism?
Conceptual Themes addressed in this Unit:
- Structure and Function
- Changes and Reactions
- Cycles