Overview

In this workshop, students explored how cells turn DNA instructions into proteins by creating bead-based models of DNA and RNA. Through short, focused activities, they built a DNA strand, transcribed it into RNA, translated it into an amino-acid chain, and modeled basic folding patterns as proteins form. The final result was a clear, hands-on model showing the full path from DNA to functional proteins.

Objectives

Identify the major steps of transcription, translation, and protein folding.

Understand how genetic information is converted from DNA to RNA to protein.
Recognize how base-pairing rules guide the formation of RNA and amino-acid sequences.

Materials

Pony beads
Pipe cleaners

Workshop Outline

Please use this link to view the full outline for this workshop. A sample of the outline is provided below.

Transcription:

Slide with materials:
- 4 colors of beads for 4 bases
- 2 other colors for sugar and phosphate
- Certain length of colors
Go step by step through instructions with pictures would be good
Emphasize that it occurs in the nucleus

Translation: For this portion, have them look at one single strand of the DNA and have them go through and translate it

Slide with picture of the one strand labelled with template and other is coding or whatever
Have them follow along and pair A with U, C with G, G with C, T with A
Show that it occurs in the ribosomes and then moves towards the cytoplasms

Presentation

Please use this link to view the full slides presentation for this workshop. A sample of the presentation is provided below.