Download Central Dogma Mini-Book Instructions

Central Dogma Mini-Book Instructions
Due date: Monday, December 16
Your job is to create a mini-book of the central dogma that relates the parts of the central dogma to the action in a
story.
Requirements:
Select a format that uses both writing and pictures. You may create a children’s book, comic book, or a film
storyboard. Tell the action of the story and the steps of the central dogma side by side.
Children’s Book Example:
L page: Central Dogma
R page: Story
(picture here)
DNA is the directions to build our bodies. The only
problem is, DNA is locked inside the nucleus of a cell and
can’t get out. To solve this problem, copies of the DNA
are made in a form called mRNA. The process of making
mRNA from DNA is called transcription.
(picture here)
Once upon a time, there were directions to build a
beautiful castle. The only problem was, these
directions were locked in a library and couldn’t get
out.
 Accurately describe and illustrate the central dogma and how it relates to your story in 4-7 steps.
You must create your own story, but it should include the following elements:
1. Locked instructions
2. Making copies of instructions to build something
3. Bringing supplies, reading the directions, and putting the supplies together to build something
Some examples are the story of island plane crash survivors using instructions to try to build a ship, the story of military
men trying to build a battle fort using instructions, the story of spies trying to use instructions to build a computer that
will tell them top secret information, etc.
Example: A Central Dogma Fairy Tale
Story 1: Story of a Castle
Once upon a time, there were directions to build a beautiful castle. The only problem was, these directions were locked
in a library and couldn’t get out. One day, a person started to make copies of the directions. The copies left the library
to be in the world outside of the library, otherwise known as the kingdom.
The copies of the directions to build the castle couldn’t build the castle themselves, they needed workers to read their
directions and build the castle. The workers arrived to build the castle. The workers had three jobs; they brought
supplies to the castle, read the castle-building directions in pages of three and put the supplies together to build
different parts of the castle.
Each group of workers got a different part of the directions so that each could build a different part of the castle. When
the workers were finished, they had a beautiful castle before them and were happy that they had done such a good job.
Story 2: DNA, Transcription and Translation Story
DNA is the directions to build our bodies. The only problem is, DNA is locked inside the nucleus of a cell and can’t get
out. To solve this problem, copies of the DNA are made in a form called mRNA. The process of making mRNA from DNA
is called transcription. After transcription, the mRNA copies leave the nucleus to be in the part of the cell outside the
nucleus, otherwise known as the cytoplasm.
mRNA can’t build a cell by itself; it needs workers to read the information coded on it and turn that information into
proteins that will make up the cell. The workers that build a cell are called tRNA. tRNA molecules have three jobs; they
bring amino acids to the mRNA, they read the mRNA code in sections of 3 nucleotides at a time (codons) and use this
code to build amino acid chains.
Each group of tRNA molecules get a different piece of mRNA which contains different directions, so that each can build a
different kind of protein. The process of turning mRNA into amino acid chains is called translation. When all of the
tRNA molecules are finished, a cell has been created.
*Challenge: (can receive up to 4 excellence points)
Incorporate: directionality of the DNA (5’  3’), incorporate A, P, E sites during translation, including the
genetic code, actual use of amino acids in the DNA story, initation/elongation/termination, polymerase
directionality, etc.