Download Teaching DNA, Proteins, and Protein Synthesis

Teaching DNA, Proteins, and Protein Synthesis Concepts
With LEGO® Molecules
MIT Museum Building
Building N51- Room 310
265 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
Presenters: Dr. Kathleen M. Vandiver and Dr. Amanda Gruhl, MIT
8:00 – 9:00
Registration, welcome, and continental breakfast
9:00 – 9:30
Pre-workshop evaluation
Introduction to MassBioEd, the MIT Museum, and the MIT Center for Environmental
Health Sciences (CEHS)
9:30 – 10:35
Introduction to the LEGO Protein Set
Learn about amino acid side chains and construct primary, secondary, tertiary and
quaternary protein structures with the LEGO amino acids.
10:35 – 10:45
Break
10:45 – 11:05
Molecular Workbench (MIT Cell Activity) by the Concord Consortium
Learn about this interactive software program, available on-line which matches the LEGO
amino acids and LEGO nucleotides in color scheme, so multi-media activities reinforce
each other.
11:05 – 12:00
Star BioChem Software
Apply the basic information that you learned about proteins structure in the LEGO
exercise to the structure of a DNA repair protein. This MIT protein visualization software
is free and available on-line. The site offers student lessons of varying difficulty.
12:00 – 1:00
Lunch
Demonstration of LEGO Atoms and Molecules Sets
1:00 – 1:50
LEGO DNA Set with mRNA
Learn about DNA and mRNA nucleotides and how they are represented in LEGO. We
will demonstrate how the cellular processes of replication and transcription can be taught
at different levels of sophistication.
1:50 – 2:00
Break
2:00 – 3:00
Protein Synthesis (DNA, Protein, & tRNA sets)
The steps in protein synthesis are easier to understand because proteins are taught first.
How changes in DNA affect the shape of proteins will be visualized. We also will connect
Mendel’s concepts of genes & traits to the LEGO protein molecules produced.
3:00 – 3:30
Learning Assessment & Program Evaluation