Group:_____________ Grade 9 ________________
Activity _____
DNA Modeling
Objectives:
Identify the components of a DNA molecule
Construct a model of a molecule of DNA
Materials:
Cutouts of basic subunits of DNA, Crayons, Scissors, Tape or glue
Procedure:
1. Cut out all of the units needed to make the nucleotides from the handout provided at the end of the
module.
2. Color code the nitrogenous bases, phosphorus, and sugar according to the teacher’s directions.
Adenine= yellow, Guanine= green, Thymine=blue, Cytosine=red, Phosphate=brown and
Deoxyribose=black.
3. Using the small squares and stars as guide, line up the bases, phosphate and sugars. Attach the bases
to the sugar using the circle as guide following the sequence to form a row from top to bottom.
Thymine
Adenine
Cytosine
Guanine
Adenine
Cytosine
4. Let this arrangement represent the left half of your DNA molecule.
6. Complete the right side of the ladder by adding the complementary bases. You will have to turn them
upside down in order to make them fit.
7. Your finished model should look like a ladder.
Guide Questions:
Q1. What are the common parts of a nucleotide? ________________________
Q2. What is the one part of the nucleotide that differs among the other different
nucleotides? ____________________________________________
Q3. List the different kinds of nitrogen bases___________________________
Name:____________________________________________________ Grade: 10 Gold
Activity 2
Our Dynamic Earth
Objectives:
• Describe the properties of the layers of the Earth.
• Tell the composition of the layers of the Earth.
Procedure:
1. Label the drawing corresponding to the Earth’s layers.
2. Describe the different layers of the Earth using symbols.
3. Choose from the response grid on the right the symbol that you need
to finish the figure on the left.
4. Draw the symbol/s in the corresponding layer of the Earth.
Write the answers at the back.
Q1. What element is the most abundant in the Earth’s crust?
Q2. What elements make up most of the mantle?
Q3. What is the special feature of the upper mantle?
Q4. How did scientists come to know that the outer core is liquid?
Q5. What materials make up the inner core?
Q6. Is the inner core solid, liquid, or gas? What keeps it in this phase?
Q7. Compare the inner core and the outer core.
GROUP:____ Grade 10 GOLD
DNA Makes DNA
Activity 2
Objective:
• Make a model of a DNA template to determine the sequence of bases in the new DNA strand.
Materials:
• crayons
• scissors
• paste/tape
• 1/4 size illustration board or long size folder
Procedure:
1. Use the pattern of the components of the DNA provided by your teacher. Color code phosphate =
blue, deoxyribose sugar = green and nitrogenous bases as follows: adenine = yellow, thymine = pink,
guanine= violet and cytosine = red.
2. Cut out the shapes of each nucleotide.
3. Build a model of a strand of a DNA molecule. The strand should contain
6 base “rungs” following the given order of the nucleotides below.
Guanine
Adenine
Cytosine
Thymine
Cytosine
Guanine
4. Tape the cut out pattern to form the nucleotides.
5. Let this arrangement represent the left half of your DNA molecule.
6. Make a complementary strand for the first strand that you made in step 3.
7. Tape the cut-out pattern forming nucleotides for the second strand of the DNA molecule.
8. Match the bases of the first strand and the second strand. Do not tape across bases.
9. Once you have made your DNA model, separate the two strands of the DNA model down the middle
so that there are now two single strands of DNA.
10. Create new double-stranded DNA by matching complementary nucleotides to the bases on each
single strand.
11. Tape and then cut out the pattern forming the nucleotides for each of the single nucleotides.
12. When you are finished, mount the original DNA model and the DNA model with its complementary
strand in the illustration board or folder.
Guide Questions:
Q4. strands of DNA. Are they the same or different?
Q5. How do the nucleotides in DNA pair?
Q6. How do you compare a DNA molecule to a zipper?
GROUP:__________ Grade 10 GOLD
Activity 3
What’s the Message
Objective:
• Make a model of a DNA template to determine the sequence of bases in the new DNA strand.
• Infer why the structure of DNA enables it to be easily copied.
Materials:
• crayons
• scissors
• paste/tape
• 1/4 size illustration board or long size folder
Procedure:
1. Use the pattern of the components of the DNA provided by your teacher. Color code phosphate
= blue, deoxyribose sugar = green and nitrogenous bases as follows: adenine = yellow, thymine =
pink, guanine= violet and cytosine = red.
2. Cut out the shapes of each nucleotide.
3. Build a model of a strand of a DNA molecule. The strand should contain
6 base “rungs” following the given order of the nucleotides below.
Guanine
Adenine
Cytosine
Thymine
Cytosine
Guanine
4. Fasten your molecule together using a clear tape. Do not tape across base pairs.
5. Step 1, use the patterns of the components of the RNA provided by your teacher. Color code
phosphate = blue, ribose sugar = brown and nitrogenous bases as follows: adenine = yellow, uracil =
orange, guanine = violet and cytosine = red.
6. Cut out the shapes of each nucleotide.
7. With your DNA model in front of you, demonstrate the process of transcription by first pulling the
DNA model apart between the base pairs.
8. Using the right strand of the DNA model in step 3, begin matching complementary RNA
nucleotides with the exposed bases on the DNA model to make mRNA.
9. Tape the RNA nucleotides.
10. When you are finished, tape your new mRNA molecule together.
Q1. Does the mRNA model more closely resemble the DNA strand from which it was transcribed?
Q2. Explain how the structure of DNA enables the molecule to be easily transcribed. Why is this
important for genetic information?
Q3. Why is RNA important to the cell?
Q4. How does a mRNA molecule carry information from DNA?
Name:__________________________________________ Grade 8 Jade
Activity 1
What’s in a number?
Objectives:
After performing this activity, you should be able to:
1. locate the atomic number in a periodic table,
2. identify the subatomic particles associated with mass number,
3. determine the number of neutrons from the mass number,
4. define an isotope,
5. interpret shorthand notations for isotopes and atoms,
6. infer that ions are formed from the removal or addition of electron/s,
7. evaluate the overall electrical charge of an atom, and
8. make an inventory of subatomic particles of a given element.
Materials Needed:
paper
pen/pencil
Periodic Table
Procedure:
1. Refer to the periodic table at the end of this module. Locate the atomic number.
Q1. What is the element with an atomic number of 15?
Q2. How many protons does the atom of this element have?
Q3. How many protons are there in an atom of aluminum?
Q4. Which element has the smallest number of protons in its atom?
2. While the number of protons is the same with atoms of a particular element, the number of neutrons
may vary. Atoms having the same number of protons but different number of neutrons are referred as
isotopes. The isotopes are identified through their mass number which is the sum of the number of
protons and the number of neutrons in an atom. A shorthand notation for isotope includes the
element’s symbol and mass number, for instance, Ca-40.
Consider two isotopes of carbon, C-12 and C-13.
Q5. How many protons are there in the C-12 isotope? How about the number of neutrons?
Q6. How many protons are there in the C-13 isotope? How about the number of neutrons?
3. Atomic mass is the mass of an atom of a particular element. It is the average of the mass numbers of
the naturally occurring isotopes of the element multiplied with their respective abundance. You will not
compute for atomic mass. However, you have to know, at least, where to find it in the periodic table.
Refer to the periodic table at the end of this module.
Q7. What is the atomic mass of magnesium (Mg)? How about for potassium (K)?
