Summer SAVY, Session 1 Day 1, Molecular Genetics (5th-6th)
Good evening! The first day of Molecular Genetics was a successful one. We started the day getting to know each other with a game of “Black Out” and then sharing something about ourselves. Our lesson started with small groups brainstorming the differences between living vs. nonliving matter. The class discussed these differences and similarities. Next, we reviewed the kingdoms of life and classification of living things (kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, species). We looked at examples from each kingdom with a focus on the differences between cells. Our molecular geneticists were very excited about using the scopes and had to be pried away from them for lunch.
After lunch, we talked about eukaryotic cells and what steps are necessary to extract DNA. This led to a discussion of the nature of science and the scientific method. We then turned the DNA extraction lab into an experiment comparing the amount of DNA in four fruits: strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, and apples. Students correctly deduced that strawberries and blueberries would have the most DNA and the apple had the least. They thought about why this is and were directed toward the number of chromosomes in these species. Student questions led to an impromptu discussion of the recent case of a young child who was treated for a rare genetic disease using CRISPR technology.
Please ask your child about today’s activities with an emphasis on the DNA extraction process. Ask them to think about why we used soap, salt, and rubbing alcohol. Learners did a good job with this activity, and every group successfully extracted DNA! We look forward to continuing our learning tomorrow!