GRADES K-5

Synthetic
Biology

This curriculum has been developed by the iGEM team at

The College of William & Mary. If you have any questions
regarding this curriculum, please contact the iGEM team at
[email protected]
Synthetic Biology?
Our Solution
From SyntheticBiology.org,
In past summers, our iGEM
Synthetic biology refers to team has held workshops
both: the design and fabrication across the state of Virginia,
of biological components and both in our lab and at other
systems that do not already schools, for students and
parents alike. The feedback
exist in the natural world [and] has been overwhelming.
the re-design and fabrication of Following each event parents
existing biological systems. email us about how their
Here at W&M iGEM, we dont children are still talking about
the activities, and adults stay
think anyone should need to after to share their excitement
Google that definition. about being able to openly
Synthetic biology is an learn and communicate with
incredibly interdisciplinary and the people who are actually
doing the science!
powerful emerging field of
science, and access to all that
SynBio has to offer should not
be left to students who happen Sustainability
to stumble across it in college.
As synthetic biology becomes Being on a summer iGEM team
increasingly prevalent in our is an exciting part of any
everyday lives, people should synthetic biology researchers
life, but the sad truth is that we
have the knowledge to
will not be able to hold large
recognize how SynBio will workshops for students and
affect them. Unfortunately, parents throughout the school
surveys, including our own, year. However, the learning
should not stop with us. We
show most people dont
have developed this curriculum
understand what synthetic so that anyone, with any
biology is, but they are afraid of degree of science backgrounds,
the potential consequences. can teach synthetic biology in
an engaging way!
 Table of
Contents
Twizzler DNA 5

DNA Bracelet 7

Tree of Traits 9

Monster Alleles 12

DNA Extraction 19

Codon Cards 21
 Table of
Contents
Dessert Cells 29

Bean Genes 33

Egg Science 36

Yeast Streak 38

Soap Membrane 40

Electrophoresis 42
 Twizzler DNA
Grades 1-3
Time: 30 min
What does DNA look like?

Learning Objectives
In this module, students will learn the
basic structure of DNA. They will
learn that DNA looks like a twisted
ladder, and that it holds instructions
written in base pairs. They will
understand that specific bases bind Materials
with other specific bases to form base
pairs. Each participant will need:
2 Twizzlers
5 toothpicks
10 colored marshmallows*
*You will need 4 different colors. Each color represents
a nucleotide base. You can use gummy bears instead
of marshmallows.

Procedure Approximate Cost: $6 for 25

Students

Introduce the concept of DNA (tips on how to do this are in the

Background). Explain that the Twizzlers represent the backbones of DNA,
and ask them what they think DNA looks like (it is helpful to let them
draw their guesses). Discuss how information may be carried by DNA
through base pairs. Pass out marshmallows, assigning each color a base
pair (adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine, or A, T, G, and C). Explain
that A always matches T and G always matches C. Give each student one
colored marshmallow and ask what color marshmallow they need to make
a base pair, checking that they understand the concept of matching bases
forming base pairs. Students should put two matching marshmallows onto
each of the five toothpicks and attach them between the Twizzlers. Twist
the whole structure to see the double helix.

5
 Background

How does your body know to be human and not a dog or a jellyfish or a
cactus? DNA! DNA, also known as deoxyribonucleic acid, is a tiny
molecule that every part of your body reads in order to make you who
you are. DNA tells your nose to be a nose and your foot to be a foot; it
tells your hair what color to be and tells your skin if you have freckles.
So what is DNA? We know what it does, but what does it look like? If
you had super vision that let you see the tiniest molecules and atoms,
what would you see?
In this activity, we use Twizzlers to represent the backbone of DNA,
because in the body the backbone is made of sugarsimilar to the sugar
in this candyand phosphate, a yellow-brown mineral.
If DNA is a set of instructions, bases are like letters. The DNA alphabet
only has four letters, A, T, C, and G. Two bases make a base pair. Explain
that one marshmallow (representing one base) is attached to one
backbone and the other marshmallow is attached to the other backbone.
If the colors of the marshmallows match, then they click together and
bind to one another, kind of like puzzle pieces.

Critical Thinking
Questions
What happens if a DNA strand has A matched to C or G matched to T?
How many different DNA sequences did you see in your classroom?
If there were a billion base pairs instead of five like you had on your
model, how many different DNA sequences do you think you would see?
Do different people have different DNA sequences?
What kinds of information might a DNA sequence tell the body?

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 DNA Bracelet
Grades 1-3
Time: 30 min
What does my DNA say about me?

Learning Objectives
This activity should engage students
in examining the types of traits for
which their DNA codes. The bracelet
concept also implies the sequential
structure of genes: each bead
represents a locus for the gene Materials
(order/location matters!). Students
should notice that their bracelets Colored pony beads: one bead per
look different from each other, student per trait
because their DNA is different. If String/Pipe cleaners: one per
there are siblings in the class, their student
bracelets may look very similar, Key rings to make key chains
because genes are inherited. instead of bracelets
Traits table (see template)

Procedure Approximate Cost: $8 for 25

Students

Each student will need a copy of the included Traits Table. The table lists
questions about traits the student may have. All the questions have yes
or no answers. Students should highlight or circle the yes or no column
for each row. Within the Yes/No columns are colors. If the student answers
yes for a trait, that student should add a bead of the corresponding color
to his or her bracelet/keychain, and likewise if the student answers no.
The beads should all be added in the same order as the traits table, to
represent how each gene has its own specific location on a DNA strand.

7
 Background

DNA is deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA molecules are very stable, very long,
and composed of nucleotides. Nucleotides include cytosine, adenine,
guanine, and thymine, abbreviated respectively as C, A, G, and T. These
nucleotides are strung together, one after another in a DNA molecule,
forming a sequence (i.e. TACTAG and so on). The sequence of
nucleotides composing a DNA molecule forms a genetic code, which the
cell can read.
DNA is structured as a double helix, two connected helices running in
opposite directions. The two helices connect as the nucleotides align
against each other. Cytosine nucleotides on one helix connect to
guanine nucleotides on the opposite, and adenine connects to thymine
(C to G, A to T).
DNA codes for all biological aspects of the organism. Genetically
determined traits include hair color, eye color, height, blood type, and
whether youre a boy or a girl.

Critical Thinking
Questions
Knowing what you do about the two DNA backbones running in
opposite directions and the way the nucleotides pair, can you predict the
corresponding sequence on the opposite DNA backbone to TACTAG?
What other traits do you think your DNA determines?
Do you think your DNA determines all of your traits?

8
 Tree of Traits
Grades2-4
Time:45min
Are all traits equally common?

Learning Objectives
In this activity, students should
explore the concept of genes. The
traits on the included list all have
yes/no answers (the student will
either have the trait or will not) and
are meant to demonstrate examples Materials
of easily visible traits that our genes
code for, and the diversity therein. Graph paper
Once class data is compiled, students Markers
should practice graphing the Ruler
information. Finally, students should
take some time to discuss in groups
Approximate Cost: Free
the implications of genes, and how
they make everyone different (see
Critical Thinking Questions).

Procedure
Students should highlight a box in the Yes or No column for each trait
listed in the included traits table. In case you are doing this activity in
conjunction with the DNA bracelet, each trait lists a color in the Yes/No
column. These tables should be collected and the data should be graphed
in histograms, showing the frequency of each trait.
By the end, students should be able to compare their tables, bracelets,
and/or key chains. Who are they most similar to? Who are they most
different from? Which traits are the most common? Which traits are the
most rare? Can you match a bracelet back to a person using the table?
This is like using DNA to tell people apart!

9
 Background

The DNA inside every human contains instructions which help

determine who they arehow their body starts out and how it will grow.
DNA can be compared to an instruction manual. A gene is a specific
DNA instruction for one small part of the bodyfor example, one gene
determines whether someone has dimples or not, but it takes many
genes to determine the color of someones eyes. A gene can be
compared to a sentence of the DNA instruction manual. It is important
to know that genes do not always have the final say on how someone
turns outeven if someones genes have instructions for being of
average height, environmental factors, like the quality of their diet and
the frequency of exercise, can make them end up taller or shorter than
expected. It is important to remember that genes are a very
fundamental, baseline-level concept. In order for any life to function it
needs some sort of information storage system to dictate how it
functions and reproduces itselfgenes are this information storage
system. Please take caution not to instill the notion that genes are only
responsible for minute, easily observable physical traits like those
presented in this activity.

Critical Thinking
Questions
What do you think would happen if there were no genes?
If you could change the instructions in your genes, would you?
What would you change them to say?
How do you think this would change the person you are today?
You cant control what the instructions in your genes say, and you cant
change them. How does this make you feel about treating people
differently based on the traits from their genes?

10
HELLO
MY NAME IS

And these are my traits...

11
 Monster Alleles
Grades2-5
Time:30 min
What are dominant and recessive genes?

Learning Objectives
Students should discover how some
traits are more common than others
due to dominant and recessive genes.
They will learn about the concept of
alleles. Students will have the
opportunity to practice converting Materials
genotype to phenotype through their
monster drawings. They will see Colored crayons
some generalized examples of the Paper
kinds of traits genes can code for. Allele cards (see template)
Allele key (see template)

Procedure Approximate Cost: Free

Before beginning:
Prepare allele cards (included in the template), and the allele key (also
included in the template), or have students make their own allele card sets
on index cards.
After cards are prepared:
Discuss the concept of alleles with students. Explain the meanings of
dominant, recessive, homozygous, and heterozygous. Discuss the allele key
with students: explain which traits the cards will decide for the monster
they draw (i.e. a long tail is dominant over a short tail). Finally, shuffle the
cards and lay them out on a table. Have students match all the letters and
determine if the monster will be homozygous dominant, homozygous
recessive, or heterozygous for each trait. Have the students draw their
monsters based on the given traits. Point out that everyones monsters still
look very differentthats because we only specified a few traits! A real
monsters DNA would specify almost every trait.

12
 Background

Alleles are different forms of the same gene. We are born with two sets
of chromosomes. One set comes from our mothers, and the other set
comes from our fathers. However, our mothers and fathers do not have
exactly the same genes. For example, if a mother has blue eyes and a
father has brown eyes, a baby will have two copies of the eye color gene
that say different things. How does the babys body decide what color to
make the eyes?
The answer is in dominant and recessive genes. A dominant gene is
represented by a capital letter, and recessive by a lowercase letter. We
know that blue eyes are a recessive trait (b) and brown eyes are a
dominant trait (B). If a baby has one copy that says blue and one copy
that says brown (Bb, heterozygous), the baby will have brown eyes,
because brown is dominant. If the baby had two copies of genes that
said blue eyes, the babys eyes would be blue (bb, homozygous
recessive), and if the baby had two copies that said brown eyes, the
babys eyes would be brown (BB, homozygous dominant).

Critical Thinking
Questions
How do individuals get their traits?
Do plants and animals have dominant and recessive traits too?
Bacteria reproduce by splitting off from themselves. Does this affect how
they get their traits? (There are not two sets of chromosomes.)
How does this influence diversity in traits?
How could you change someones traits?
Do two individuals with the same parents get all the same traits?

13
 Monster Alleles Key
This activity uses cards (following pages) that should be printed such
that the two blue pages are back to back, and the two green pages are
back to back. The T should line up with the t on the other side of the
page so that when the cards are cut out, each card has a lowercase
letter corresponding to the capital letter on the other side.

Alternatively, you can make your own Allele Cards using index cards.

Below is a sample key of what the cards can be used to represent. Feel
free to adjust the traits we have given, or make your own key, with
whatever traits you would like the game to specify.

The cards will be mixed up, each color set represents one parent. Then,
one card of each letter will be chosen from each parent to represent the
alleles. If the combination is TT, for example, the monster will have a long
tail. If the combination is Tt, the monster will still have a long tail,
because the long tail is dominant. tt will call for a short tail, which is
recessive.

A blank table is also provided if teachers would like to make their own key.

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5
5
5
 DNA Extraction
Grades 3-5
Time:90 min
How can we take DNA out of a fruit?

Learning Objectives
Students extract DNA from fruit to
get a tangible sense of what DNA
looks like on a macroscopic scale.
They should understand that there is
DNA in every cell and that DNA
contains the instructions for life. Materials
They are also introduced to
Per student:
protocols that synthetic biologists 1/4 of a banana, substitutable with any other
use in order to research genetics and fruit
modify DNA. Ziploc bag with 1 inch of water
Detergent
Disposable cup with two coffee filters
Ethanol (refrigerate before use)
One wooden skewer
Procedure Approximate Cost: $10 for 25
Students

First, introduce the idea of DNA. DNA is a tiny molecule that acts like an instruction
manual for each of your cells. Your DNA tells you to be you, and a bananas DNA tells it to
be a banana. Let students guess what DNA looks like on a human scale (without a
microscope).
Give each student (or pair of students) 1/4 of a banana in an open ziploc bag with water,
and close the bag. Tell students to gently mash up the banana by squeezing the bag. Once
the banana is a lumpless mush, put some detergent into each bag and close the bag.
Students should gently mix in the detergent, trying to avoid creating bubbles. Give each
student or pair a disposable cup with two coffee filters taped to the top. Carefully pour the
contents of the bag into the coffee filters and let the liquid drip through the filter into the
cup. Let the banana-detergent mix sit in the cup for 20-30 minutes. This is a good time to
talk about DNA, or do a different activity from this collection, like Codon Cards or
Monster alleles.
Throw away the coffee filters and any material that didnt drip through the filter, keeping
the cup and the liquid that collected in it.
Pour cold ethanol into the cup. The more you pour in, the more DNA will precipitate out of
the liquid. Use the toothpick or skewer to stir the white-clear substance that precipitates
out, or collects at the top of the liquid: this is the DNA!
19
 Background

DNA is located in the nucleus of the cell. DNA contains the code for all
biological aspects of an organism. Individual genes are parts of the DNA
that code to control particular traits. Scientists extract DNA to study
particular genes and how they affect organisms. Scientists can study
DNA in individual humans to determine traits relevant to their health
and development and diseases to which they may be susceptible.
Scientists can change the expression of genes in organisms. This is most
easily done in simple organisms like bacteria. The process of changing
genes involves a process called molecular cloning. Molecular cloning is
changing the composition of a DNA molecule and expressing that DNA
in an organism.
What each step of the extraction does: Mashing up the banana allows
more banana cells to be exposed to the water and whatever liquid is
added to the bag. The detergent breaks open the cells so that the DNA
can enter the liquid solution. The filter removes the broken cells. The
ethanol separates the DNA from everything else in the solution.

Critical Thinking
Questions
Now that you know what banana DNA looks like, what do you think
human DNA looks like? Why?
If you put banana DNA in a human cell, what would the cell look like?
If you could cut and paste pieces of banana DNA into apple DNA, what
traits would you give the apple?
Would you eat fruit that had modified DNA? Why or why not?
How do you feel about the idea of putting DNA from one organism into
another organism? What are the potential benefits of "recombining
DNA? Potential negative effects?

20
 Codon Cards
Grades 4-5
Time:30 min
How can we take DNA out of a fruit?

Learning Objectives
Students should learn that there are four
bases: adenine, thymine, guanine, and
cytosine. A and T bind, and G and C bind.
They should understand that a single
stranded DNA can bind to another strand
that has the reverse sequence (T in the
place of A, C in the place of G, etc.) to Materials
create double-stranded DNA. Students will
interpret their three base sequence, called a Class set of artino acid-codon chart (see
codon, and learn which amino acid their template)
codon encodes. Codon Card Key (see template)
Codon cards - one match per two
students (see template)

Procedure Approximate Cost: $2 for 25

Students

First introduce the idea of DNA and explain bases and base pairs. Then, tell students
which color circle represents which base:
blue=acterine (A), red=thymine (T), green=guanine (G), yellow=cytosine (C)
Pass out codon cards, face down so that students can't see the colored circles. Have
students hold the cards up on their foreheads so that they can't see the card, but
everyone else can. Make sure that the orange triangle is pointing up. Test students to
ask other students yes or no questions about their sequence. ex.: is my first base
adenine? is my first circle blue? Once students think they know what is on their card,
they should find a partner with the corresponding sequence. If a pair thinks they match,
they should ask the teacher to confirm if they match or not. You can check the match
by referring to key. After all the pairs are matched, explain that each three base pair
sequence, called a codon, codes for one amino acid. Show students the amino acid-codon
chart and ask students to get in groups of three (and line up) to to create a sequence
that will code for an amino acid. Make sure the students understand that they now
represent only the template strand (as only one of the double strands is actually read)
that will be read to create the amino acids. Then check the groups identified their
correct amino acid by using the key. Finally, summarize what students learned: base
pairs match, every three base pairs code for one amino acid.

21
 Background

DNA is composed of nucleotides, including adenine, guanine, thymine,

and cytosine, abbreviated A, G, T, and C. These nucleotides are strung
together forming a sequence in the DNA molecule. The sequence of
nucleotides in the DNA compose a genetic code which the cell can
"read." The cell first transcribes the DNA code by making another
molecule, RNA, based on the code. The cell then reads, or translates
the RNA, which came from the DNA, to determine how to build proteins.
Proteins compose an organism, and are made of amino acids, which are
"strung together" forming a sequence in a somewhat similar way
(Conceptually, not chemically) to the way nucleotides are stringed
together in DNA. RNA is read in groups of three nucleotides. These
groups are called codons. Each codon signals to add a particular amino
acid to the protein for which a sequence codes.
What each step of the extraction does: Mashing up the banana allows
more banana cells to be exposed to the water and whatever liquid is
added to the bag. The detergent breaks open the cells so that the DNA
can enter the liquid solution. The filter removes the broken cells. The
ethanol separates the DNA from everything else in the solution.

Critical Thinking
Questions
If you know a sequence of DNA, can you predict the corresponding
sequence?
Why is there a coding strand and a non-coding strand? What would
happen if both strands were read by the cell? Would they create the
same amino acids?
Proteins are made of many amino acids. How could you change DNA to
create a protein?
If one base in a sequence is deleted, what happens to the sequence
following it? Would those sequences code for the same amino acids or
would the codons be affected?

22
23
Codon Cards Key

Adenine (A) Guanine (G)

Thymine (T) Cytosine (C)

Coding Strand
Non-Coding Strand

Pair 1 - Threonine

ACG TGC

Pair 2 - Tryptophan

TAT ATA

24
 Pair 3 - Arginine

CGA GCT

Pair 4 - Leucine

CTA GAT

Pair 5 - Stop Codon

TGA ACT

Pair 6 - Serine

TCG AGC

25
 Pair 7 - Tyrosine

TAC ATG

Pair 8 - Arginine

CGC GCG

Pair 9 - Glutamine

CAG GTC

Pair 10 - Isoleucine

ATC TAG

26
 Pair 11 - Arginine

AGG GCC

Pair 12 - Glycine

GGT CCA

Pair 13 - Glutamic Acid

GAG CTC

Pair 14 - Alanine

GCC CGG

27
Pair 15 - Alanine

GCA CGT

28
 Dessert Cells
Grade 5
Time:60 min
How do plant,animal, and bacteria cells differ?

Learning Objectives
Students should learn the organelles
in a cell as well as the approximate
relative size of each organelle. They
should understand that there is no
empty space in a cell. They should
learn the main function of some Materials
organelles and understand that each
organelle has a unique job within the Cookie
cell and that the organelles work Poptart
together to perform larger functions. Hotdog bun
Spread (jam, butter, apple sauce)
Assorted toppings to represent
organelles

Procedure Approximate Cost: $15 for 25

Students

With students, make a 3-way Venn Diagram of the similarities and

differences in animal, plant, and bacterial cell structures. Discuss the role of
each organelle.
Then, pass one sugar cookie to each child to represent an animal cell, a
piece of bread to represent a plant cell, and half a hotdog bun to represent
a bacterial cell. Apply toppings to represent organelles and important cell
structures that make each cell type unique. The same organelles should be
represented by the same topping across different cells. Try to make the
organelles roughly accurate size: the nucleus should be much larger than
other organelles, the mitochondria and ribosomes should be small and
there should be many of them, etc. After students complete their cells
discuss which toppings represent which organelles and why.

29
 Background

Plant and animal cells are eukaryotes because they have nuclei.
Bacterial cells are prokaryotes because they do not have nuclei. Plant
cells and bacterial cells both have cell walls, but animal cells do not.
Bacterial cells have pili and flagella to help them move and sense,
animal and plant cells do not.

Critical Thinking
Questions
Why do bacteria need flagella, but animal and plant cells do not?
Why would it be like if animal cells had cell walls?
Which cell would it be easiest to add/change DNA in?
Which cell type seems most primitive? Which seems most advanced?

30
 Dessert Cells
For each organelle write the function and what you
used to represent the organelle.

Nucleus
Represented by:
Function:

Mitochondria
Represented by:
Function:

Cytoplasm
Represented by:
Function:

Ribosomes
Represented by:
Function:

Rough ER
Represented by:
Function:

Smooth ER
Represented by:
Function:

31
For each organelle write the function and what you
used to represent the organelle.

Golgi Body
Represented by:
Function:

Cytoskeleton
Represented by:
Function:

Vacuoles
Represented by:
Function:

Peroxisome
Represented by:
Function:

Lysosomes
Represented by:
Function:

32
 Bean Genes
Grade 5
Time:45 min
What are incomplete dominance and codominance?

Learning Objectives
Students will learn about heredity
and how genes can combine. It is an
excellent introduction to Punnett
Squares because students will explore
the ratios among phenotypic
expression. Students will develop a Materials
deeper understanding of homozygous,
heterozygous, dominant, recessive, Per group of students:
and learn about codominance and (recommended pairs)
incomplete dominance. 10 red beans
10 white beans
2 paper bags
Garden Tally sheet (included)

Procedure Approximate Cost: $5 for 25

Students

Give each pair/group of students 2 paper bags. In one bag put 10 red beans, and in
the other, put 10 white beans. The beans represent the genes for flower color (red
or white). Red flowers are dominant (R), and white flowers are recessive (r). Choose
one bag to be the female flower and the other to be the male flower: then, pick one
bean from each bag with your eyes closed. If both are red (RR) color a flower on
the Garden Tally red. If both are white, leave a flower white (rr). If one is red and
the other is white, color the flower pink (Rr) for incomplete dominance or spotted
red/white for codominance (one partner should do codominance, the other should
do incomplete dominance). Return each bean to its original bag. Keep going until
all your flowers have been accounted for. Be very careful that each bag always has
10 of the correct color bean!
When students are done, they should tally their results in the red boxes. Which
color flower was most common? What percentage of the total flower were that
color? What about least common?

33
 Background

This module assumes basic understanding of recessive, dominant,

homozygous, and heterozygous traits. If you would like further
background information on these topics, please see the Monster Alleles
background information.
The new information in this module is about incomplete dominance, and
how it differs from codominance. Incomplete dominance is when one
allele for a trait is not entirely dominant over the other allele. The trait
is still controlled by a single gene (with two alleles, one from each
parent), and each of those alleles contributes equally to phenotypic
expression.
In the context of flowers: pink flowers (the offspring of a red flower and
a white flower) with the genotype Rr are an example of incomplete
dominance. The phenotype is in between red and white.

What if the red and white genes were instead codominant? We will
again see a third phenotype, but in this case, both parental traits appear
together. The Rr flowers would be spotted red and white!
Another example of codominance is blood type: a mother with Type A
and a father with Type B will produce offspring with Type AB: both A
and B markers are on the surface of the offsprings red blood cells.

Critical Thinking
Questions
If you cross two pink flowers, what are the possible phenotypes of the
offspring?

Codominance and incomplete dominance both produce a third

phenotype. Can two alleles produce more than 3 phenotypes?

34
HELLO Circle One:
MY NAME IS Codominance Incomplete Dominance

and this is my flower

garden...

35
 Egg Science
Grade 5
Time:45 min
What does the shape of a protein do?

Learning Objectives
Students will explore how protein
form follows function. This concept is
vital in high school biology classes,
and easy to visualize with the activity
described here. Students will see how
proteins can be heated, beat, and Materials
mixed with other solutions to change
their structure and their outward A dozen eggs
appearance. Hot plate
Pot
Bowls
Frying pan
Water
Oil
Whisk

Procedure Approximate Cost: $4 for 25

Students

Unless you have a lot of hot plates, this is best done as a full class activity. Crack
several eggs into three different bowls. Try heating the eggs in one of the bowls:
put it on a frying pan and over a hot plate. How does the look of the egg change?
Are there differences in consistency? Does the egg feel different? What about if
you beat the egg?
In the second bowl, mix the egg with a whisk. What changes do you see? Finally,
prepare an oil/water mixture. Discuss how the differences in oil/water polarity do
not allow the two to mix. Then add egg to the oil/water solution, and watch as it
creates an emulsion. Discuss how the egg proteins may be interacting with the oil
and water to bring this about (you can alternatively use this activity to make
pavlova, hollandaise sauce, and deviled eggs).

36
 Background

Proteins are made up of long changes of amino acids decided by your

DNA. In the white part of an egg, we see globular proteins: if you
magnified them they would look like a long string folded up into a
spherical shape. The proteins stay curled up tightly using many
different types of chemical bonds.
When we heat the egg, the proteins become more energetic: they bounce
into each other and into the water molecules (also in the egg). This
breaks up some of the bonds that keep the proteins in their globular
shape, and it also makes new bonds connecting the proteins together! If
you keep heating, the egg proteins will form a web of interconnections,
and your egg will feel rubbery.
When we beat the egg, like chefs do to make souffl, air bubbles get
caught in the egg mixture. Egg proteins have both hydrophobic (water-
repelling) and a hydrophilic (water-attracting) ends. When the air gets
caught in the egg, the hydrophobic part of the egg protein touches the
air bubble, and the hydrophilic part stays in the water. However, the
protein was all coiled up before. To make it so all the water-attracting
parts can touch the water, the proteins uncurl, just like they did when
we heated the egg. If you cook a whisked egg, the proteins will form
connections with each other but leave the air bubbles in place: the egg
will come out fluffier.
Finally, when you mix the egg into oil and water, the same
hydrophobic/hydrophilic principle applies. The hydrophilic end of the
protein attracts the water and the hydrophobic end attracts the oil, so
water and oil molecules can be held close together with an egg protein
in between.

Critical Thinking
Questions
What foods can you think of that use the properties of egg proteins to
affect texture?

37
 Yeast Streak
Grade 5
Time:45 min
How can we grow fungal colonies?

Learning Objectives
Learn to make medium to grow
colonies, pour plates, streak plates,
and observe growth.

Materials
Petri dishes or foil cupcake liners
Gelatin medium (recipe in
Background)
Bakers yeast packet dissolved in
2 cups warm water
Q-tips
Each student should bring a
vegetable or cheese (blue cheese
works well)

Procedure Approximate Cost: $15 for 25

Students

Heat the gelatin/agar solution and help students each pour 3 mm of solution into
two petri dishes. Allow these to solidify and label each plate with each students
name before proceeding.
Once the plates are solid, allow each student to dip the end of a toothpick into the
yeast solution, and very gently glide the tip of the toothpick along one of the plates
in the pattern shown above under Learning Objectives. Try not to poke into the
gelatin surface. Next, allow students to do the same with a moist cotton swab over
vegetable/cheese. Use the cotton swab the same way as the toothpick to streak the
second plates. Allow plates to grow at room temperature for 4-7 days, and then
observe.

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 Background

For the homemade medium, you will need to combine:

8 teaspoons sugar, 4 beef bouillon cubes, 4 envelopes of plain gelatin
and 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring the solution to a boil as you
stir. Allow it to cool slightly before allowing students to help pour plates.
This recipe makes about 24 plates. Double the recipe so each student
can have two plates. This mixture should provide the nutrients yeast
and fungus need to grow.

Why do we streak plates in this pattern? Often, scientists would like to

get distinct colonies on a plate. This is because each colony represents a
spot where a single yeast cell, fungal cell, or, as synthetic biologists are
often concerned with, bacterium, began replicating. All the cells in that
colony are clones of the original cell. Area 1 on the streaks will be the
densest: colonies may not be distinct. We keep going with the
toothpick/cotton swab so that eventually the colonies will be far enough
apart because there are fewer and fewer cells left on the
toothpick/cotton swab as we zigzag more across the plate.

Critical Thinking
Questions
If a scientist is trying to add a new piece of DNA to a bacterium, say, to
make it fluoresce red, how can the scientist make sure only bacteria that
have that gene grow on a plate? (Think about antibiotics.)

When a scientist grows bacteria on a plate and then extracts DNA from
a single colony (so that all the DNA is the same because they are all
clones), is it better to do that extraction after the bacteria have grown
for one day or after they have grown for one week? (Think about
mutations)

39
 Soap Membrane
Grade 5
Time:60min
What are the properties of a cell membrane?

Learning Objectives
Learn about the properties of cell
membranes through soap bubbles!
The following properties will be
discovered:

1. Cell membranes are fluid and Materials

flexible. They can reform when
broken. Corn syrup
2. Channel proteins float in the cell Water
membrane. Channel proteins provide Trays/Pans
channels through the membrane. Bendable Straws
3. Organelles are membrane-bound. Thread
4. Binary fission. String/Twine

Procedure Approximate Cost: $5 for 25

Students

Bend the straws and crimp the short ends. Arrange them in a square to
make the bubble frame. Tie thread in a small loop. Make bubble solution
with 900 mL water, 100 mL dish soap, and 25 mL corn syrup. To
demonstrate each objective:
1. Dip bubble frame in solution. Move wet hand slowly through the soap
film, watch as the film flexes and reforms when you take your hand out.
2. Put the thread loop in the bubble frame, and pop the part of the bubble
inside the loop to represent a channel protein. Move the channel around.
3. Use a straw to blow bubbles inside other bubbles.
4. Use the twine to split bubbles on the tray into multiple bubbles.

40
 Background

The membrane properties demonstrated by the soap bubbles are

described in the Learning Objectives.

Additionally, it is useful to know the similarities between soap and

membranes. Cell membranes are made of phospholipids, which have
polar heads that interact with water and nonpolar tails that are
hydrophobic. The phospholipids line up tail to tail so that the inside of
the membrane is shielded from water while the outside touches water.
Soap bubbles are similar but have a tail pointing outward and a layer of
air in the middle.

Critical Thinking
Questions
Why are membranes so important to life?
Can you think of anything else that acts like a membrane the way soap
does?
Why do cell membranes have the hydrophobic tails facing in instead of
out?
What other membrane properties can you think of that are not
illustrated here?
How could you illustrate them with bubbles?

41
 Electrophoresis
Grade 5
Time:60min
How can we separate molecules by size?

Learning Objectives
Gel electrophoresis is used almost
daily by many molecular biologists.
Students will firsthand make a gel
with wells to load, choose colors of
food coloring to load the wells with,
and load them in with a disposable Materials
pipette. With a teachers help, they
will run the colors down the gel using Electrophoresis Gel Box (May be
5 9-Volt batteries, and watch as the borrowed from the local high school)
colors separate based on molecular 5 9-Volt battery
size. The same color will always split Saltwater solution
into the same bands. This separation Gelatin/agarose
corresponds to the way scientists Food coloring
Disposable pipettes
separate DNA molecules by size.
Fork comb or plastic forks
Tape
TAE buffer solution

Procedure Approximate Cost: $25

initially, reusable

Combine 50 mL TAE buffer solution with 0.5 grams agarose, heat in the
microwave, and pour into the provided gel frame with the fork-comb (If using a
plastic fork, wait until the gel is dry and poke holes along one edge of the gel).
Once solid, remove the fork-comb. Pour just enough TAE buffer to cover the gel
and fill all the wells. Finally, have students load the gel with 1 drop of food coloring
in each well using disposable pipettes. For more colors, mix food coloring in
advance. Have students guess what colors their lane will split into, and which
molecules they think may be heaviest/go the shortest distance. Once the gel is
loaded, attach the 5 9-Volt batteries to positive leads, and lay these leads in the gel
chamber solution, such that the positive lead is at the bottom (opposite to the wells,
and the negative lead is at the top (close to the wells).

42
 Background

A gel is best thought of as a dense web through which we are running

small molecules. These molecules have a slight negative charge, thus the
current will pull them toward the positive end of the batteries (toward
the positive lead). However, food coloring colors are made up of the
primaries (red, blue, and yellowsome food coloring has a bit of pink
that separates from the red as well). Each of these colors is a different
size, so it moves at a different speed down the gel. Imagine a large
molecule trying to move through dense web vs. a small molecule trying
to move through the same web. Which will go further?
Scientists use electrophoresis to check the sizes of their DNA, because
they cannot visually see how big the DNA molecules are. Usually,
scientists know how long a piece they are looking for is, and running a
gel can help them understand if the piece they have is approximately
the right size.
When scientists run gels using DNA, they also run a ladder in one of the
wells, which has a bunch of DNA fragments of different, known sizes.
That way, they can compare the band their DNA makes to the bands on
the known ladder and estimate the size.

Critical Thinking
Questions
What are some applications of gel electrophoresis?
How does the current separate the DNA fragments by size?
If we were using DNA instead of food coloring, it could be clear.
Scientists use a chemical called ethidium bromide in their gels, and then
put the gel in a UV chamber to see where the DNA is. What does
ethidium bromide do? What might it be dangerous to us?
Why does DNA migrate toward the positive end? (Think about the
charge on DNA molecules.)

43