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Location, Location, Location!
Resource ID#: 128818
Primary Type: Lesson Plan
This document was generated on CPALMS - www.cpalms.org
The nucleus of the cell contains genetic material known as DNA. Sections of DNA are genes that
code for specific traits and DNA coils to create chromosomes. Students will be able to define DNA,
chromosomes, and genes. Students will also create a model to show how these structures are related
and where they are found in the cell.
Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 7
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, Overhead Projector,
Speakers/Headphones
Instructional Time: 3 Hour(s)
Keywords: nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, genes
Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Diversity and Ecology
ATTACHMENTS
Location Location Location.pptx
Model Template.docx
VOCABULARY CARD SORT.docx
Student worksheet and assessment with answer keys.docx
LESSON CONTENT

Lesson Plan Template:
General Lesson Plan

Learning Objectives: What will students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
1.
2.

Students will be able to identify and explain the following:
 Nucleus is in the cell
 Nucleus contains genetic material: DNA, chromosomes, and genes
Students will explain that genes determine traits of offspring and these traits are passed from one
generation to another.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should have a basic understanding of the cell and the nucleus. Students should know that the cell is the
basic unit of life and the nucleus is contained within the cell.

Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
1.
2.

How can you diagram and explain the following components within the cell: nucleus, DNA,
chromosomes, and genes?
If you could create a gene that could be inherited by your children, what would your gene be and what
trait would it code for?
Engage: What object, event, or questions will the teacher use to trigger the students'
curiosity and engage them in the concepts?
Day 1
1.
2.
Students will do a cold write to answer one of the guiding questions of their choice before the start of
the activity. Students should not know the answer to the question, but students should try to answer the
question to the best of their ability. The teacher should not grade question or correct misconceptions
since this cold write is only used for the students to think on their own the relationships between terms
that will be taught in the lesson. (Give students about 2-3 minutes to answer question)
Students answer the guiding question on their worksheet, "How can you explain the relationship of the
following components within the cell: nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and genes?"
Activity:
Note: The attached PowerPoint titled "Location Location Location" is meant as a guide for the teacher but may
also be presented to the students.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Create teams of 4 students. Each team will have 1 Cell Template that will have an outline of a cell
with a nucleus.
Each person in the team will have 6 feet of multicolored yarn and 1 paperclip. (If there are less than 4
members in a team, then 1 team member will have 2 pieces of yarn and 2 paperclips). Make sure each
team has a total of 4 pieces of multicolored yarn and 4 paperclips.
Ask the teams the following question: "How can you fit each person's yarn and paperclip into the
center circle (on the Cell Template) without wadding the yarn into a ball?"
 The yarn and paperclip from each student must fit into the inner circle on the Cell Template
to represent the nucleus (do not tell students what represents the nucleus)
 All 4 team members must get their materials into the inner circle at the same time.
Once students have their model completed, then they will fill out question 2 part 1 on their worksheet.
Students will fill out what they think each part of the model represents for the cell, nucleus, DNA,
chromosome, and gene. Do not correct misconceptions at this time.
Conduct a class discussion so teams can share with the class what they think how the model represents
the cell, nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and genes. Do not correct misconceptions at this time.
Explore: What will the students do to explore the concepts and skills being developed
through the lesson?
Day 1 Continued
1.
2.
3.
4.
Display a labeled picture of the cell, nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and genes (slide 7 of PowerPoint).
Students will compare the labeled picture to their model.
The teacher will lead class discussion to determine the parts of the model to the parts in the picture.
Students will fill out section question 2 part 2 (Model) of their worksheet under the actual column.
Students will fill out the following:
 Cell is the large circle
 Nucleus is the small circle
 DNA is the yarn
 A chromosome is yarn wrapped around paper clip
 Genes are the colored sections of the yarn
The paper clip in the model represents the protein that DNA will wrap around to create chromosomes;
this is not a key concept that middle school students are required to know.
5.
Students will complete question 3 on their worksheet (with the help of slide 8) and label the cell,
nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and genes on their diagram.
End Day 1 and Begin Day 2
6.
7.

Students will work with team on a card sort where they will match each term (cell, nucleus, DNA,
chromosome, and gene) to their proper definitions.
Once teams have their card sort completed, students can do a gallery walk to observe other student
team's card sort results.
 Have students stay with their team and move clockwise to view other teams' card sorts.
 Students are not to touch any cards on the table, but the team is to observe the placement of
terms and definitions.
 Teams will look at each team's card sort. When the team returns to their original table, they
can then use the information they observed to make any changes to their own card sort.
Explain: What will the students and teacher do so students have opportunities to clarify
their ideas, reach a conclusion or generalization, and communicate what they know to
others?
Day 2 continued
6.
7.
8.

The teacher will use slides 11 and 12 of the PowerPoint to lead a discussion on the terms cell, nucleus,
DNA, chromosome, and genes.
Students record definitions of each term by completing question 4 on their worksheet.
 Pair students with their shoulder partner to make A and B partners.
 Partner A will test Partner B on terms/definitions. Partner A will name a term and Partner B
will give a definition. When Partner A has tested Partner B on all terms, they will switch roles
and Partner B will test Partner A.
Watch the Bill Nye the Science Guy episode titled "Genes" (season 5 episode 3); searchYouTube to
find a working video.
 Students will divide notebook paper into 4 squares. Write the following terms in each box:
DNA, Genes, Chromosomes, Cells/Nucleus.
 As students watch the video, they will write facts about each term in the proper box.
 After video, students will use their notes and pick one fact from each section to fill out
question 5 on their student worksheet giving a fact about each of the following terms:
nucleus/cell, DNA, chromosomes, genes.
Elaborate: What will the students do to apply their conceptual understanding and skills to
solve a problem, make a decision, perform a task, or make sense of new knowledge?
Day 3; also include Evaluate in Day 3
0.
1.

After watching the "Genes" episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy, students can complete #6 on their
worksheet and create their own definition for the following terms: cell, nucleus, DNA, chromosomes,
and genes.
The students will read Newsela.com article: "There's a gene for life in high-altitude Tibet." Note: You
must register for a freeNewsela account to access the article.
 Students read the article silently.
 Then students will "Rainbow Read" the article to answer text-dependent questions. Rainbow
Read is a strategy where students will underline the evidence in the article with the
appropriate color (as designated on their worksheet), and then write the answers to questions
on their student worksheet.
 After reading the article and answering the questions, students will write a 20-word summary
of article.
Summative Assessment
This will be conducted during the Evaluate section in the PowerPoint and student worksheet questions 8-11.
0.
1.
2.
Students will answer the first part of the guiding question, "How can you diagram the following
components in the cell: nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and genes?" On the last page of their worksheet,
students will draw/label/color a diagram to label the above terms.
Teachers should look for a drawing that includes the nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and genes properly
labeled (questions 8-9 on student worksheet).
Students will answer the second part of the guiding question, "How can you explain the relationship of
the following components within the cell: nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and genes?" Students will use
their Student Worksheet to provide evidence to support their answers.
Teachers should look for answers that mention that the nucleus of the cell contains DNA. In addition,
students should mention that sections of DNA are genes, and when DNA coils it creates chromosomes
(question 10 on the student worksheet).
After reading "There's a gene for life in high-altitude Tibet," students learned that a special gene
allowed the Tibetan population to survive in high altitudes. Now students can answer the second
guiding question: If you could create a gene for human DNA, describe your gene and the trait it would
code for. Teachers should look for students describing a gene that could be passed to their children;
many answers could be accepted (question #11 on the student worksheet).
The answer keys and the PowerPoint have possible answers to all questions in this lesson.

Formative Assessment
Engage:
o
o
Prior knowledge can be determined through class discussion of student answers to the initial guiding
question.
Students create model that will show how DNA, chromosomes, and genes are related and fit into the
nucleus of the cell.
Explore:
o
o
Student worksheet, question #3: labeling the cell diagram properly to show the location of the cell,
nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and genes
Student teams correctly matching proper terms to definitions in card sort
Explain:
o
o
Student shoulder pairs testing each other on definitions of cell, nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and
genes
Student worksheet, question #5: student-made definitions of cell, nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and
genes
Elaborate:
o

Rainbow Read Strategy for the article "There's a gene for life in high-altitude Tibet": students will use
different colors to highlight text evidence for their answers to different questions. A student summary
of the article will be completed on the Student Worksheet.
Feedback to Students
Engage:
o
The teacher will lead a class discussion to review student answers to the guiding question and
hypothesize about what part of the model is represented by which of the terms discussed in the lesson.
Do not correct student misconceptions at this point.
Explore:
o
o
The teacher will lead a class discussion to correct student misconceptions about parts of the model and
what vocabulary term the model represents.
Card sort activity - do not correct student answers to activity. Students will learn the correct
vocabulary term and its definition later in the lesson. Have teams share their card sort answers with the
class.
Explain:
o
Correct student misconceptions for cell labeling and vocabulary definitions for the following terms:
nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and genes.
Elaborate:
o
Students will read the article and answer text-dependent questions. After answering each question, the
student will underline text evidence in the article that supports their answer before moving to the next
question.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Accommodations:
Engage
o
Students can complete gallery walks to observe various groups' models and answers to worksheet
questions. In a gallery walk, students get a chance to move around the classroom to observe (one team
at a time) and look at answers from that team. When the team returns to their original table, the
members may change answers on their own model or worksheet.
Explore
o
Student pairs or teams can work together to label the cell diagram.
Explain
o
All students in the team can write a note about the cell from the Bill Nye video. Students can be
assigned numbers from 1-4. The number 1s will write a note about the nucleus, number 2s will write a
note about DNA, number 3s will write a note about chromosomes, and number 4s will write a note
about genes. After the video is over, students can share their note with team members.
Elaborate
o
o

Newsela has a feature that allows teachers to modify Lexile levels to accommodate various reading
abilities.
The teacher can read the article aloud to the students. The teacher can model the Rainbow Read
strategy for question 1. Students can be grouped into pairs to complete remaining questions and
identify the text evidence for their responses.
Extensions:
1.


Students can research the human genome project and explore the possible applications of the project's
results. Students can create a poster of their findings.
2. Students can research and present diseases that are caused by genes that have been altered due to
mutations in the DNA sequence. (Examples: cystic fibrosis, progeria, severe combined
immunodeficiency disorder, etc.)
3. Students can create a chart to show the varying number of chromosomes between various species.
4. Students can create a chromosome map of all 23 human chromosomes. In the map, students can
discuss how many genes are in each chromosome, how much of the chromosome has been identified,
the traits the chromosomes produce, and the diseases associated with the chromosome.
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Internet Connection, Overhead Projector,
Speakers/Headphones
Special Materials Needed:
0.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Lesson PowerPoint
Student Answer Sheet (1 per student to write on and take notes throughout lesson)
Model
 1 Cell Template with cell and nucleus per group of 4.
 1 paperclip and 6 feet of multicolored yarn per student.
Card Sort: terms and definitions for cell, nucleus, DNA, chromosomes, and genes
Bill Nye the Science Guy, "Genes" (season 5, episode 3)
5.
6.
7.

Notebook paper for each student
1 Copy per student of the Newsela.com article "There's a gene for life in High-Altitude Tibet"
Colored pencils: red, blue, green, orange, purple, black
Further Recommendations:
o
Yarn with various colored sections will be needed and should be cut into 6 ft. sections before class.
When students are finished with model, make sure they dismantle their model so materials can be used
again for other classes.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Melissa Pank
Name of Author/Source: Melissa Pank
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Marion
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
SC.7.L.16.1:
Description
Understand and explain that every organism requires a set of
instructions that specifies its traits, that this hereditary information
(DNA) contains genes located in the chromosomes of each cell, and
that heredity is the passage of these instructions from one
generation to another.
Remarks/Examples:
Integrate HE.7.C.1.4. Describe how heredity can affect
personal health.