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The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Practical Proteins lesson (1 of 4)

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Practical Proteins: Building a Prototype

(1 of 4)

An 8th grade STEM lesson

Mollie Grove

1/5/2024

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Notes for teachers

Context: This lesson takes place in a classroom for one 50-60 minute class period
Students working in pairs is recommended to get the most individual involvement. However, you can make groups of 2-4 if needed for limited materials or other reasons.
An emphasis on the target product a “protein” that can complete the task.
Be aware of student’s level of frustration if their designs are not successful. While the goal is to create the best successful rocket, failures are still progress. Be sure to celebrate failures and help students accept and celebrate their unsuccessful designs as well as those that are successful.

List of Materials

Optional: Protein Worksheet

Make a kit with several of each for each pair of students or have a way for each group to get what they need.

Paper Clips
Rubberbands
Washers
Magnets
Binder Clips
Clothespins
Keyrings
String (20 cm segments)
Duct tape (5 cm pieces)
Clay (4g pieces)
Masking tape (10 cm pieces)
Marbles
Pennies
Popsicle sticks
Tape rings (from transparent tape)

For the class or a few around the room for testing

Large plastic bottle with small entrance, such as a Mott’s apple juice bottle.
bobby pin, chain or other small metal object that is attracted to magnets.
String to create a transport system.

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Protein Building Materials

Testing Station Materials

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Testing the Protein: does it retrieve the “nutrient”?

Testing the Protein: does it transport the “nutrient”?

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AZ Science Standards

8.L3U1.9 Construct an explanation of how genetic variations occur in offspring through the inheritance of traits or through mutations.

Science and Engineering Practices

ask questions and define problems
develop and use models
plan and carry out investigations
analyze and interpret data
use mathematical and computational thinking
construct explanations and design solutions
engage in argument from evidence
obtain, evaluate and communicate information

Mathematical Practices

Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
Model with mathematics.
Use appropriate tools strategically.
Attend to precision.
Look for and make use of structure.
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.

AZ Technology Standards

6-8.4.c. Students engage in a design process to develop, test, and revise prototypes, embrace the iterative process of trial and error, and understand setbacks as potential opportunities for improvement.

6-8.4.d. Students demonstrate an ability to persevere and handle greater ambiguity as they work to solve open-ended problems.

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Objective(s):

Today we will design and build a protein that meets a set of criteria and constraints for success.
Today we will test and redesign a protein until we have a prototype that successfully performs the task.
Today we will demonstrate persistence and learn from our failed designs.
Today we will draw a detailed diagram of our protein on which each part is labeled with what it is made of and why it is important to the structure of the protein.

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Agenda (60 Minutes)

What does DNA really do?
Build a “protein” that will perform a given task.
Test “protein” and make adjustments.
Create a labeled diagram of the functioning protein.

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How does DNA make your traits?

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What does DNA really do?

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What does DNA really do?

DNA is the code to make proteins.
“Proteins are large, complex molecules that play many important roles in the body. They are critical to most of the work done by cells and are required for the structure, function and regulation of the body's tissues and organs.” (National Human Genome Research Institute, n.d.)

Some proteins are structural, meaning they are like Legos and can be used to build parts of the cell, or organism.
Some proteins are functional, meaning they perform a task or do a job in the cell or organism.

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Create a detailed diagram of your protein

Draw an accurate diagram of your protein, including all parts and the order they are in.
Label all of the materials in your diagram.
Label what each part does for the protein.

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Constructive Conversation Resource: Create

Prompt Starters

What is your idea?
How can we combine these ideas?
What do we need to do?
What are other points of view?
What do you think about...?
Why...? How...? I wonder...?

Response Starters

One idea could be...
My hypothesis is...
That reminds me of...
I noticed the pattern of...
I think it depends on...

STEM teaching tools #48: Constructive Conversation Resource Cards

From Zwiers, O’Hara, and Pritchard, 2014.

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

In pairs, build a protein that will meet all of the design criteria:
Demonstrate that your tool will perform its job.

Design Criteria:

Your protein must successfully reach inside the bottle and retrieve the special nutrient without moving the bottle.
Your protein must successfully attach to the cable and carry the nutrient to the end.
Your protein can only be made using materials from the protein parts list.
Your protein can be made of a maximum of 14 pieces of materials.
You cannot damage or alter the materials you use. For example, you cannot bend the paper clips.

Hands-On Activity: Include step by step instructions, how students are best grouped, and notes that will be helpful to a teacher downloading the lesson. A picture may be helpful that shows how the materials or activity are set up.

Group students in groups of 2-3. If you have enough supplies, pairs is best for keeping everyone engaged.

Give teams a set amount of time to build (depending on the class this could be anywhere from 20-40 minutes.
Teams should build a protein that meets all of the criteria.
When teams have a completed protein they can come test it in the system (a bottle containing a small metal item that is attracted to magnets, and a string that goes from above the bottle to another location. It only has to go a couple of feet.)

to test the protein students should be able to get the item out of the bottle without touching or moving the bottle in any way.
Then they should be able to attach the protein to the string so it can move along the string to transport the nutrient.

If a team’s protein is successful, they can move on to creating a detailed diagram. If not, they should revise it and test it again until it is successful. This should actually be reasonably easy for teams to accomplish. Many may be successful on their first attempt.

Alternatively, you can start by having students create individual designs, and then use the “Constructive Conversation Resource” to choose the best design. Ordinarily I would start with this step to be sure every student has some input, but for this lesson, having a working protein was more important to me.

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Create a detailed diagram of your protein

Draw an accurate diagram of your protein, including all parts and the order they are in.
Label all of the materials in your diagram.
Label what each part does for the protein

Coat hanger- to hang on wire

2 pieces of string (40 cm) - to reach to the bottom of the bottle

fish hook - to grab the nutrient

This step is VERY important if you intend to follow it with lesson 2 of this project.

Once a team has a working protein, have them create a detailed diagram of their protein. It is important that they identify every part and the order in which they are assembled. This will be used in the next lesson to make a DNA code for the protein.

You can use this Protein worksheet you like. If you choose to use the sheet, it can also be used for the first part of lesson 2.

A satisfactory diagram should include:

each part drawn in the correct order
each part labeled for what it is. (paperclip, clothespin, etc.)
each part should be labeled for what it does for the protein. (paperclip - to reach the bottom of the bottle)

The example on this slide deliberately includes materials the students won’t have so it doesn’t have as much influence on their designs. However, it is still best not to show the slide until students have successfully build their proteins.

Slide 10 next slide has has the same instructions without an example. You can copy that slide here instead if you prefer not to show an example.

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Assessment

The “protein’ successfully removes the “nutrient” from the bottle without the bottle being moved in any way.
They “protein” successfully attaches to the transport cable and does not fall off or drop the nutrient as it is transported to the end of the cable.
The “protein” is drawn in detail and each part is labeled with what it is made of and why it is important to the structure of the protein.

Here is a rubric you can use: Practical Proteins Lesson 1 Rubric

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Differentiation

Remove the materials that will not help students be successful like marbles, popsicle sticks, tape rings, pennies.
Give students a kit of only the materials they will need.
Show examples of a successful protein.
Discuss properties of the nutrient & try to lead students to use a magnet to pick it up.
Ask students what the protein would need to attach to the wire.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

For students who have a successful protein right away, have them create additional proteins that solve the problem with different materials. For example, if they picked up the nutrient with a magnet, they might try duct tape.
Have students design a completely different task for a protein to accomplish then create a protein for that task.

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Sources

Moeller, Karla. (2011, September 12). How to Build a Monster. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved January 5, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/build-monster

National Human Genome Research Institute. (n.d.). Protein. Retrieved January 5, 2024 from https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Protein#:~:text=Definition,the%20body%27s%20tissues%20and%20organs.

Petsche, Katharina. (2016, April 05). Controlling Genes. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved January 5, 2024 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/gene-expression