Learning Objectives: 

• Double Helix nature of the DNA molecule and ‘DNA backbone’ consisting of Sugar and Phosphate groups.
• Molecular Diagram of Nitrogenous Bases which, as organic compounds, leave the Carbon Atoms out.
• How A ‘goes to’ T and C ‘goes to’ G. and that those letters are used as short-hand for the names of those bases.
• How to create a Nature Journal (see examples linked into Kristin Link’s page at right). 

New Assignments: 

Page 1 of your nature Journal: Each entry will include the date, 3 observations of animal life (butterflies, birds, squirrels, etc.) 3 observations of plants (trees, flowers, bushes, dead or alive), 3 descriptions of sounds (bird songs, wind in the trees, etc), 3 questions you might have (I wonder what the birds are talking about? I wonder why this plant looks so dead) and three ‘action observations’ (the birds are swirling around the tree, the beetle is crawling up the stalk, etc). The student should practice their best art skills and utilize color (Clark provides colored pencils). We’ll do this once a week for the first two trimesters. i.e., there should be 14 entries total when collected at the end. We’ll do every two week check-ins as well. 

Weekly activities and discussion. This first week of school both introduced the first ‘big topic’ of discussion, human genetics and inheritance, and other secondary topics of interest including Nature Journaling (to capture Spring as it unfolds).

On the first day of class, Clark’ showed this youtube video of DNA ‘in action‘, highlighting all of the various ‘actions’ that take place inside and outside of the nucleus and as an introduction to some of the processes which we’ll be learning about (transcription, translation, etc.).

The first formal lecture was centered on introducing students to the DNA molecule itself including the double-helix structure (as illustrated in this youtube video) and the basic nature of the phosphate/sugar ‘backbone’ and the concept of a Nitrogenous Base. Students had the text books open and took notes while Clark moved between the whiteboard, the video screen and their text to highlight various points.  (see a model of the DNA molecule here)

Also introduced was the concept of creating a Nature Journal. As Spring unfolds (early this year thanks to Global Warming!).. we’ll see various plants ‘leaf out’, come into bloom and we’ll see various birds species migrating through our area. Of special interest this first week, is the Red Winged Blackbird with large flocks of males flying around campus right now.

Learning Objectives: 

• Double Helix nature of the DNA molecule and ‘DNA backbone’ consisting of Sugar and Phosphate groups.
• Molecular Diagram of Nitrogenous Bases which, as organic compounds, leave the Carbon Atoms out.
• How A ‘goes to’ T and C ‘goes to’ G. and that those letters are used as short-hand for the names of those bases.
• How to create a Nature Journal (see examples linked into Kristin Link’s page at right). 

New Assignments: 

SP Strawberry DNA Extraction Lab. This lab had students first crushing and then extracting DNA from strawberries, which appeared as white filaments floating in the alcohol layer. 

Article: Oldest Human Genomes Reveal how a small group burst out of Africa. Students were given a ‘hard copy’ of this article to Annotate during class time.

Page 2 of your nature Journal: Each entry will include the date, 3 observations of animal life (butterflies, birds, squirrels, etc.) 3 observations of plants (trees, flowers, bushes, dead or alive), 3 descriptions of sounds (bird songs, wind in the trees, etc), 3 questions you might have (I wonder what the birds are talking about? I wonder why this plant looks so dead) and three ‘action observations’ (the birds are swirling around the tree, the beetle is crawling up the stalk, etc). The student should practice their best art skills and utilize color (Clark provides colored pencils). We’ll do this once a week for the first two trimesters. i.e., there should be 14 entries total when collected at the end. We’ll do every two week check-ins as well.

Weekly activities and discussion.

• Structure of a Nucleotide
• Comparison of Deoxyribose to Ribose
• Hydrogen bonds in water
• Hydrogen bonds in DNA
• The California Buckeye
• The Wooly Mammoth will live again! 

Using the websites above as talking points, students were encouraged to draw sketches of their own while Clark discussed covalent bonds (as being very strong) and hydrogen bonds (as being very week). Also focused on, was the molecular structure of the Nitrogenous bases vs the Phosphate groups vs the Deoxyribose molecules.. as well as the structure of alcohols during the lab on Extracting DNA from Strawberries. 

Learning Objectives: 

• Genes become Traits through the following sequence.
• Transcription (the copying of the gene into RNA) is followed by:
• Translation (the assembly of proteins based on the Genetic Sequence). 

New Assignments: 

Transcription of genes on-line simulation

Weekly activities and discussion.