Teachers Resources – Ideas and activities

Starter ideas

1. Complementary base pairing memory aids (10 minutes)

Resources:Adiagram of the structure of DNA that depicts complementary base pairing, which includes the names of the four bases: adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine (see PowerPoint 2, slide 23).

Description and purpose: The purpose of this starter is to help studentsremember complementary base pairing. Tell students to work in pairs or threesto invent as many memorable ways as possible of remembering which bases pair with which, e.g. Apple Tart, Chocolate Gateau. Students could share their favourite ideas with the class and the most popular ones could be displayed in the classroom to refer to in subsequent activities.

Teachers’ resourcesIdeas and Activities

Mainteachingideas

1. Gel electrophoresis(60 minutes)

Resources:Various,dependingon kit bought (see description below).

Description:The purposeof this activity is for studentsto carry out a gel electrophoresispractical,to visualise and understandtheprocess.Gel electrophoresiskits for schools can bebought onlinealthoughcan be expensive.Alternatively, 'homemade' kits can be createdusing householdmaterials. There are some onlinewebsites and videos outliningpossible materials and instructionsfor use orthosedescribed in the journal'Biochemistry and MolecularBiology Education',Vol. 40,No. 3, pp.198-203,2012,couldbeused.Whilst waiting for theelectrophoresisgel to run,studentscouldcomplete question2 in theWorkbook.

Resources contain ideas to support students who struggle with technical terms or who are working in a second language.

Teachers Resources -

Vocabulary support

Challenging technical vocabulary: e.g. subtle difference in subject specific terminology ‘intra- and inter-specific competition’

Activities such as word games and other suggestions for reinforcement are included in the Teachers Resources