Name: ______________________________________ Date: ________________________

Student Exploration: Building DNA

Vocabulary: double helix, DNA, enzyme, mutation, nitrogenous base, nucleoside, nucleotide,
replication

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

DNA is an incredible molecule that forms the basis of life on Earth. DNA molecules contain
instructions for building every living organism on Earth, from the tiniest bacterium to a massive
blue whale. DNA also has the ability to replicate, or make copies of itself. This allows living
things to grow and reproduce.

1. Look at the DNA molecule shown at right. What does it look like?

____spiral stairs_____________________

This shape is called a double helix.

2. Based on this picture, how do you think a DNA

molecule makes a copy of itself? (Hint: Look at the bottom two “rungs”
of the ladder.)

___The dna splits and makes new bases using the base pairing rule.

Gizmo Warm-up
The Building DNA Gizmo allows you to construct a DNA
molecule and go through the process of DNA replication.
Examine the components that make up a DNA molecule.

1. What are the two DNA components shown in the Gizmo?

_____nucleosides and phosphates.

2. A nucleoside has two parts: a pentagonal sugar

(deoxyribose) and a nitrogenous base (in color). When a
nucleoside is joined to a phosphate, it is called a nucleotide.

How many different nitrogenous bases do you see?

_______4_________________________

Note: The names of these nitrogenous bases are adenine (red), cytosine (yellow), guanine
(blue), and thymine (green).

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 Activity A: Get the Gizmo ready:
Build a DNA  If necessary, click Reset to start the building
molecule process.

Question: What is the structure of DNA?

Left side Right side
1. Build: Follow the steps given in the Gizmo to
construct a molecule of DNA. (Note: For simplicity, _____ a________________t____
this DNA molecule is shown in two dimensions,
without the twist.) ______g______________c_____

Stop when the hint reads: “The DNA molecule is ______c_____ ______g______
complete.” In the spaces at right, list the sequence
of nitrogenous bases on the left-hand side of the ______t_______ _______a_____
DNA molecule and the right-hand side.
_______g______________c____

2. Take a picture: Click the camera ( ) to take a _______a_____________t_____

snapshot of your DNA molecule. Right-click the
image and select Copy Image. Paste the image ______c______________g_____
into a blank document, and label this image
“Original DNA molecule.” ______t_______ _______a_____

3. Explain: Describe the structure of the DNA molecule you made.

A. What makes up the sides of the DNA molecule?

_________phosphates___________________

B. What makes up the “rungs” of the DNA molecule?

______nucleosides_____________________

4. Fill in: Write the name of the nitrogenous base that joins to each of the bases below:

Adenine (A) joins to ____thymine___________ Thymine (T) joins to adenine ___

Cytosine (C) joins to ____guanine___________Guanine (G) joins to
____cytosine___________

5. Practice: The left side of a DNA molecule is shown. Draw a

complementary right side of the molecule.

6. Challenge: This DNA strand consists of eight pairs of nitrogenous

bases. How many different sequences of eight bases can you
make? Explain how you found your answer.

___i see 4, g ,t, a ,c ,t ,c ,g .

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 Activity B: Get the Gizmo ready:
DNA  Be sure the hint reads: “The DNA molecule is complete.”
replication If not, click Reset and build a new DNA molecule.

Question: How does DNA make a copy of itself?

1. Observe: An enzyme is a protein that facilitates certain cell processes. Click Release
enzyme to release DNA helicase. What does this enzyme do to the DNA molecule?

__________i splits the dna__________________

2. Observe: Click Release enzyme to release DNA polymerase.

A. Notice that two groups of Nucleotides appear on the right. What are the three parts

of a nucleotide? ____nitrogounous bases_, _ribose sugars_, and phosphate

molecules_

B. Drag one of the nucleotides to a corresponding nitrogenous base on one of the two

strands. What is the role of DNA polymerase in this process? ____Its basically the

building blocks of dna

3. Build: Complete the two molecules of DNA by dragging nucleotides to their corresponding
locations. When you have finished, compare the two completed daughter DNA molecules.

What do you notice about the two molecules? ____________________________________

4. Take a picture: Click the camera to take a snapshot of the DNA molecules, and paste the
image into your document. Label this image “Daughter DNA molecules.”

How do these molecules compare to the original? _________________________________

5. Think and discuss: Why is DNA replication such an important process? ____Cause it littarly
replicates dna.____________

6. Extend your thinking: Sometimes errors called mutations occur during DNA replication.
What are some of the possible consequences of mutations?

_________________________________________________________________________

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 Ameoba sister notes dna replication

Dna replication: process of copying and synthesizing new DNA.

Occurs in nucleus before a cell divides so that each new cell produced has a complete set of
chromosomes.

HELICASE unwinds parental double helix

DNA POLYMERASE binds nucleotides to form new strands

LIGASE joins Okazaki fragments and seals other breaks in sugar phosphate backbone

DNA MUTATIONS can occur when a base (A, T, C or G) is accidentally changed.

Ameoba sister notes dnr vs rna

Rna is single stranded

Dna is found only in the nucleus of eukaryote cells 

Dna and rana are nucleic acids

Dna is arranged like a twisted ladder.

Rna has sugar ribose

Dna has sugar deoxyribose

Dna and rna include the bases Guanine, Cytosine and Adenine

Rna has uracil

mrna is the messenger for rna

dna is direcly involved in th procces of transcription.

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